3 Days To Kill - Movie Review

Rating: 3 out of 5

French filmmaker Luc Besson continues to combine family themes with intense violence (see Taken), but at least this film has a wry sense of humour about it. Director McG refuses to take the story seriously (see Charlie's Angels), balancing the escalating body count with a silly father-daughter drama to make this an enjoyably absurd guilty pleasure.

Kevin Costner stars as Ethan, a veteran CIA hitman who finds out that he's only got three months to live. So he retires and returns home to Paris to reconnect with his ex-wife Christine (Connie Nielsen) and their now-teen daughter Zooey (Hailee Steinfeld). But just as he discovers a family of immigrants squatting in his flat, the vampy CIA operative Vivi (Amber Heard) appears and coaxes him back into service for one last job, paying him with both cash and an experimental cancer treatment. So as he tracks down international arms dealers, he's also trying to bond with Zooey over three days of babysitting while Christine is away on business. But of course this is also just when the violence breaks out.

McG does a great job of cutting back and forth between these two story strands: the tetchy-sweet fatherly stuff and the action-man shootouts, car chases and fist-fights. Ethan even has to interrupt a spot of torture when Zooey gets in trouble at school. This wildly bizarre mixture of goofy sentimentality and vicious brutality takes in all of Paris' picturesque landmarks. And since this is a Luc Besson script, it's only a matter of time before the two elements merge for a big climax. Yes, everything is ludicrously predictable, but there's just enough spark to keep us entertained.

Costner adds a wheezy charm to Ethan that just about bridges the improbable gap between his physical illness and his ability to win every battle with sudden athleticism. Opposite him, Steinfeld brings just the right does of surly teen energy, while Nielsen generates some intriguing notes of yearning in their estranged relationship. On the other hand, Heard seems to be in a completely different film, comically strutting through her scenes in killer stilettos and outrageous hairstyles. No, it doesn't make any sense at all, but that's what makes it an enjoyable ride.

Watch '3 Days to Kill' Trailer

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video.

Facts and Figures

Year: 2014

Genre: Thriller

Run time: 117 mins

In Theaters: Friday 21st February 2014

Box Office USA: $30.7M

Budget: $28M

Distributed by: Relativity Media

Production compaines: EuropaCorp, Relativity Media, 3DTK, Feelgood Entertainment, Paradise/MGN, Wonderland Sound and Vision

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
Fresh: 31 Rotten: 77

IMDB: 6.2 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: McG

Producer: Luc Besson, Adi Hasak, Ryan Kavanaugh, Marc Libert, Virginie Silla

Screenwriter: Luc Besson, Adi Hasak

Starring: Kevin Costner as Ethan Runner, Amber Heard as Vivi Delay, Hailee Steinfeld as Zoey Renner, Connie Nielsen as Christine Renner, Richard Sammel as The Wolf, Tómas Lemarquis as The Albino, Eriq Ebouaney as Jules, Big John as Louis, Bruno Ricci as Guido, Jonas Bloquet as Hugh, Marc Andréoni as Mitat Yilmaz, Alison Valence as Sumia

Also starring: Luc Besson, Adi Hasak, Ryan Kavanaugh