The Next Three Days (2010)

I'm not sure if this one would count as a "Reader Recommendation". I know they read the site from time to time, and they did recommend this film several months ago, but it was never a direct "Hey Jim, you should watch this movie!" Anyways, the history behind my pick of The Next Three Days starts way back in late 2010 when I did a guest spot on a podcast called The Weekly Geekly. This is the movie they reviewed, and quite positively too, but I hadn't seen it so I couldn't take part. The hosts have since evolved the show into the fresh and juicy Media Pulp! In honor of that awesome podcast, and just before getting to guest on the podcast again (!!) I decided to give their recommendation a go. You'll find my own impressions right after the jump!


John and Lara Brennan's happy life together is shattered one morning when police burst into their house and arrest Lara on suspicion of murder. Over the next few years of trials and appeals, John is forced to raise their son Luke alone, but he never gives up on proving his wife's innocence even though all the evidence points to her. He finally reaches his breaking point when he learns that the final appeal won't work, and he begins to plan a way to break her out of prison and run away together with their son. The real question is can an ordinary family man accomplish and afford to do what no one else has managed to do before?

What I really liked about this movie is how much detail it goes into setting everything up and showing you how he learns to do the skills he needs to break his wife out of jail. This does cause the movie to run on longer than you might expect, but I wouldn't cut any of it because I was completely engrossed for the whole thing.

The Master Plan

While some might say the legal battle part of the film does seem to run on a little long, what is actually happening is that it's establishing Russell Crowe's character as a totally normal man and a good father. The thing is, we've seen Crowe in so many action movies that it's hard to think of him as just a regular guy, but the longer period spent establishing his character along with that of his wife really help. From that point on, I found myself really believing he was no better than any other regular citizen, and thus that amplified the tension I felt when he really starts trying to figure out how to break her out, and then the actual escape.

The tension also wasn't confined solely to the escape either. There are several moments when he's just trying out a method he's just learned about to see if he can get it to work, and I'm not sure how they did it, but I had my heart pounding in my chest so many times. In particular, there are several scenes in the first half of the movie where he is forced to start reaching out to the criminal element of the city to get things he needs. So many times these scenes became moments of extreme tension. Of course then it all climaxes in a great escape plan, complicated even more by the fact that the jail his wife is in, is in the heart of the city meaning he has all of their police force and post 9/11 city lock-down plans to deal with between his family and freedom.

Lara and John trying to blend in with the crowd while on the run

Of course none of the tension could be accomplished if Crowe couldn't pull off his character convincingly. I don't know if I've seen him in a role like this before, but he definitely achieved his goal. Similarly I really liked Elizabeth Banks as the wife Lara. I recognized her from something, but I couldn't place her face for the whole movie. Afterwards I looked her up, and you may recognize her from Zach and Miri Make a Porno, or as Miss Brant in the Spider-Man movies! I liked her in this more dramatic role, and I wouldn't mind seeing her in more.

I had a lot of expectations going into this movie due to the glowing reviews I had the pleasure of sitting in on during the podcast recording back in December, but I'd have to say I totally agreed with everything they said. So many times during the movie, and particularly during the escape, I thought they were screwed. It always seemed like they were just about to be caught and I actually had a feeling of "no way are they going to make it out of this" for most of the movie. There are just so many close calls and things just never seem to go the way they want. I definitely recommend The Next Three Days if you like a good crime movie of people trying to beat the system, or if you just like a good chase/thriller movie.

I also highly recommend the Media Pulp Podcast, which you can find on twitter at www.twitter.com/MediaPulp and don't forget that you'll be able to hear Puneet and I on the very next episode, Episode 5! But why not just head over there now and check them out and get a feel for the show. They've already got several episodes, with new ones released every Monday for you to check out!