Basically nothing in this works. It's not funny, it's not touching, it's not exciting and it's not interesting. D+

THREE DAYS TO KILL

This was a quirky film combining action, comedy and family drama into one ball. It reminded me of Grosse Pointe Blank in the end. Certainly not as good but I still ended up liking this film overall. The action was well done and I liked Amber Heard's stylized character. Wish she had more to do in it. The family drama bit was slightly bothering me when they spent what seemed like 15 minutes strictly on his relationship with his daughter. That totally stopped the flow of the film as it went from action to father/daughter relationship for a long spell. They switched back to action elements just in time to keep me interested and enjoy the finale. Kevin Costner was good and Nielson didn't do much. Hailee was alright and did anyone else notice that she looked like the girl who won the figure skating gold? I liked seeing the German guy from IB in the film as the Wolf.

Grade - B

This was really entertaining. The ads are clearly trying to make it look like "Taken," another action film from producer/writer Luc Besson, but I thought this was much better. It had a fun sense of humor (there were many funny moments) and a sweet father/daughter storyline. Definitely more enjoyable than I expected. Costner was very good and Amber Heard looked great when she wasn't wearing that awful blonde wig. Her acting wasn't very good, but I still enjoyed her as eye candy.

I think this is a bit underrated. Not a great film, but it's a slick action vehicle for Costner.

And as a bonus it ends with the song "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap, which is one of my favorite songs.

Would love to see an unrated cut on Blu-ray.

8/10 (B+)

3 Days To Kill was all kinds of fun!

A dark joyride through hospice mayhem and family comedy.

If ya didn't laugh through this one, you weren't watchin' it right.


18 out of 5.

fucking awful

3 Days to Kill

Quite a boring action thriller. I kept wondering if Costner actually wanted to be in the movie. He also looked bored. I was also wondering whether Costner's character was in fact allergic to 'villains', because every time he came into contact with the main villains, he fell on the floor and was unable to do anything.

C+

This was extremely boring. I like Costner, but he ain't no Liam Neeson and half the time he looked bored just being there. Hailee Steinfeld who was really good in the True Grit remake is wasted and Amber Heard didn't do much except look hot and glare at the screen.

Amber Heard was awful. Not hot in the slightest. She spent most of the time looking like a prostitute. Since when did the CIA employ whores?

I really wish they had just went all in with the comedy. All of those parts work. I was cracking up every time Costner had his kidnapping victims help him with family matter. He looks really bored anytime there is an action scene though. Even when his family is in danger it's the same ole "whatever, I if I have to" look. I have to be fully on bored with the mayhem to enjoy it, and it's hard to do that when the man causing it looks so disinterested.

The comedy is one of the only parts that works. For a McG film there was a surprising lack of action and less so action that was actually suspenseful.

This film has around 1,000,000 tonal shifts. It is almost fascinating as it tries to be brutal, heartwarming, satiric, etc., etc. High concepts which might define other genre films (rapid heartbeat equals hallucinations!) are folded in almost as afterthoughts. Its textures and moods often loudly crash into one another rather than flowing coherently, yet I did not find it particularly unpleasant. I even slightly enjoyed it, albeit a bit guiltily amidst the vulgarly ludicrous shenanigans. Kevin Costner delivers a solid performance. Nothing career-defining or revelatory, but comfortable and charismatic. Amber Heard is so sexy as to be hypnotic in one of the year's most absurd roles, a CIA supervisor with the fashion sense of a sex-kitten dominatrix. The action sequences are well-shot and fairly exciting, though they seem neutered in post-production for a PG-13.

C+