Movie Review: 3 Days to Kill

 

Let's be honest.  you don't go to see 3 Days to Kill expecting high art.  All you want is to be entertained by one of the most reliably likeable on screen heroes of a certain generation.  Spoiler: You get that here.  With that out of the way, let me give some details.

Yes, the plot is a bit contrived, with the hero is dying and an estranged wife and daughter.  Yes, the femme fatale role (played with Jessica Rabbit cartoonish relish by Amber Heard) is a bit over the top, complete with sinister snake rattle whenever she appears on screen.  I'm still not sure if the scene where he attempts to teach his teenage daughter how to ride a bicycle on the streets of Paris is supposed to evoke the Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or not, but the sweetness actually worked on me, once I had settled into the overall tone of the movie.  There's a bit of a European twist as well, with squatters showing up in his oft-empty flat, but even here there is just more opportunity for teary eyed sentimentalism.  Again, it worked well enough for me.

I already told you I didn't mind the fairly contrived storyline, but in case you, the audience, do, there are plenty of tried and true Kevin Costner moments to remind you of why you like him, including his much maligned "western" wear from the Parisian perspective.  There's even a "Bodyguard" type moment orchestrated, I'm guessing, to bring back a time when all of America was fonder of Kevin Costner than nowadays, only with his character carrying his daughter out of a seedy nightclub and away from a group of groping guys (yes, I went for it with the alliteration there), not Whitney Houston.  In case you forgot where the movie was set, or just to make the movie even more likeable, the director also chooses the Eiffel Tower for the backdrop as much as possible.

Costner himself is as dependable as always. 'Nuff said.  I'd like to comment on the women now.  Haliee Steinfeld is as good as I've seen her, including her Oscar nominated debut in True Grit.  She's growing into a full teenager very naturally.  Costner's wife is played by Connie Nielsen, who I haven't seen since Gladiator, but she must have made an impression then, because I knew I knew her from somewhere and now looking at her roles since then on IMDB, I'm surprised she hasn't been more utilized.  She's beautiful and mesmerizing in both roles, however skimpy they are, and I'd like to add also age appropriate for Costner in 3 Days.

One more note on the title of this film.  Yes, Costner's character has approximately 3 Days to Kill someone in this movie, but the only time the phrase is uttered is by his daughter, who sees his sudden visit to reconnect with her as just because he has "3 days to kill", for lack of anything better to do.  I always appreciate plays on words - they're my favorite.

3 out of 5 stars