Director: McG
Stars: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Neilsen, Tomas Lemarquis, Richard Sammel
Ethan (Costner) is a CIA agent who has sacrificed everything for his career. As a result of something that happened on a job he finds out that he has brain cancer, and ehe only has a matter of months to live. He goes to Paris to reconnect with his daughter and wife, but while there Vivi (Heard) approaches him and offers him an experimental treatment that could cure his condition, in return for doing one last job. This mission takes him around the streets of Paris and all the while he’s trying to take care of his daughter and make up for the lost years.
At first glance 3 Days to Kill is a fairly generic movie that has some good location shots of Paris. It is a bit too long for what it is, and I feel that it should have been closer to the ninety minute mark rather than two hours, but I actually enjoyed it more than I thought. Parts were very tongue in cheek and it had a level of self-awareness that endeared the film to me. The actual mission Ethan undertakes is nebulous and the villains aren’t given any identity or motivation, so that’s an aspect that is lacking from this film, but I enjoyed how Ethan tried to repair his relationship with his daughter. Steinfeld was probably the best thing about the movie, and it’s her relationship with her father that gives the film that extra bit of oomph.
The humor that comes from this situation is endearing, and my favorite parts were when the two worlds blurred, for example Ethan had to get parenting advice from someone he was interrogating.
The action is pretty cool and the climax is cathartic. It’s worth checking out if you like action movies as it’s not bland or tired, and Costner shows that he still has something to offer.
