‘Next Three Days’ Delivers a Well-Acted Thriller

Sometimes good movies get unlucky. Writer/director Paul Haggis’s prison breakout flick “The Next Three Days” has found little box office success, primarily because it was released on the same day as the new “Harry Potter” film. In addition, it’s also been mis-advertised as a high speed thrill ride when in reality it’s a slow-build crime drama. While that may turn viewers with shorter attention spans away, it serves as a surprising treat for those welcome to out-of-the-ordinary, deliberately paced thrillers.

Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks star as John and Lara Brennan, a loving couple with a young son and idyllic life. One morning all that’s destroyed when the police show up and charge Lara with murdering her boss. Jump ahead several years and John has exhausted every option of getting an appeal to prove his wife’s innocence. Upon learning she’s hopelessly trapped in prison for the next twenty years, Lara tries to kill herself.

Banks usually plays comedic roles, but when she occasionally takes a more dramatic turn like she did in “The Uninvited,” she always proves quite a fine actress. Her arguments and tender moments with Crowe make for several of the most stirring scenes in the movie, particularly when they discuss whether or not she’s actually innocent.

Determined to save Lara, John realizes there’s only one thing he can do — break her out. He contacts a seven-time escapee (Liam Neeson, cool as always) and learns everything he needs to know on how to execute a prison break.

Up to this point the movie stays continuously interesting, but when this simple college professor begins planning the elaborate liberation of his wife, while simultaneously having to take care of his son by himself, it really becomes compelling.

However, for the entire first hour of “The Next Three Days,” there are no exciting action sequences. Haggis relies on his actors to provide the entertainment, spending a lot of time developing John and Lara into sympathetic characters. Most importantly, he fleshes out John from a man who lost the most important person in his life to a man who will do anything to get her back. Crowe embodies the dedication and intensity of John with great emotion, once again proving why he’s one of the best actors working today.

In the second half, when the action finally picks up, Crowe turns John into a force to be reckoned with. He robs some drug dealers in a swift and tense scene that kicks off the gripping last hour, soon followed by the lengthy and riveting breakout of Lara. While the first half of the movie often feels bloated and unevenly paced, the second half makes up for it. Haggis delivers plenty of kinetic action and suspense while they’re being chased in their escape.

The slow build up structure makes the long, thrilling payoff all the more satisfying, even if the ending meanders a bit. The acting by Crowe and Banks throughout is strong enough to carry the slow parts though, so while “The Next Three Days” probably won’t appeal to those just looking for an action fix, more intelligent filmgoers will find a fresh take on the escape genre.

Three out of Four Stars