3 Days to Kill

This movie tries to be many things; its mostly an action film but also plays heavily into the family drama while throwing in some dark comedy too, all with mixed results.

The somewhat recycled story follows Kevin Costner as a gruff ex secret service agent who after being told has just 3 months to live sets out on that infamous "one last mission" in exchange for an experimental drug that will save his life. This last job just happens to take place with he also tasked with looking after his estranged teenage daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) after his ex wife (conveniently) has to leave town.

The action storyline is quite good though thanks to Luc Besson; decent stunts, tons of broken glass and bullet riddled bodies, and Costner gets the job done -Liam Neeson style-. The ending sequence was also refreshing as all along I had been assuming a cliché kidnapping, so nice twist there.

I did find the amount of perfect English being spoken and understood in France and especially Serbia a little convenient but whatever, this was mindless but still worth a watch.

There's not much to recommend this film. Neither the acting, direction, script, music, or photography offer anything new to the genre, and in some cases, it is far below average. Among the actors, only 18 year old Hailee Steinfeld (she plays Costner's daughter) stands out. You'll remember her from "Enders Game" and "True Grit" and I thought this was her best performance to date. Costner has played this role so many times before he's obviously bored with it, and it doesn't even begin to approach his work in "The Bodyguard". Amber Heard is completely miscast, and even if she weren't, the dialog and the crazy costume changes would be difficult to overcome. Indeed Heard's costume changes are a metaphor for the film itself, which doesn't seem to know whether it is a comedy (in which case it fails), an action thriller (which is far too long and not too thrilling), a romance (without much spark by anyone), or just a plain family adventure (with too much violence).

Luc Besson provided the story and the screenplay. Besson is a gifted writer with such marvelous credits as "La Femme Nikita", "Leon" (aka "The Professional"), "The Fifth Element", and "Columbiana". He also wrote "Taken", "The Transporter", and "Kiss of the Dragon" which weren't as good as the first group, but still well above average. This film has elements from many of his previous works, but the stitching comes loose in this one. Most of Besson's best films he also directed, so perhaps the problem lies there. Or perhaps it lies with director McG who is primarily a TV director and producer. Indeed, the film's uneven tone was clearly one of the major problems with his "Chuck" series.

Give this one a miss. Apart from the many on location shots of Paris, there's not much to recommend it.

It is a lot like " True Lies" in that a lot of the movie is played for laughs. Amber Heard fits her role very well. Kevin Costner is great as a man who has spent too much time on work and not enough time on his personal life. That is something most of us can relate too. I see people complain about the subplots but they are what make the movie fun. The character actors are great. Not a miss among them. The chase scenes are good with out going over the top. There were only a couple of times where the movie goes to big explosive special effects that take away from the story. The Daughter, played by Hailee Steinfeld, is excellent. Haiee played Mattie Ross in "True Grit". It will be a great loss to the screen if she goes into directing like she wants.

Get some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the fun.

We can't understand why this movie has such a low rating – it's Luc Besson writing & humour at its most entertaining and Costner – like fine wine – gets better with age – is just great – no flab – it's kinda like Taken but with a few home truths (which came later with Taken….) If you want a bit of thriller entertainment of an evening, this does it for us.

A terminally ill former CIA agent is given one last assignment in exchange for an experimental hallucinogenic drug that may extend his life, and he struggles to reconnect with his teenage daughter with the time he has left.

I know what you're thinking: this is a Nicolas Cage action movie. You're right. In Matchstick Men, Stolen, and Rage, Nicolas Cage has to bond with/rescue his teenage daughter. In Gone in Sixty Seconds, Stolen, and Rage, Nicolas Cage comes back for "just one more job". In Bringing Out the Dead, Nicolas Cage hallucinates over the course of three days. And in Dying of the Light, Nicolas Cage plays a CIA agent dying of a terminal illness.

One more: In Drive Angry, Cage's costar is Amber Heard, and he has three days to "complete his mission". Kevin Costner's costar in 3 Days to Kill is Amber Heard. And as is evident by the title, he has three days to complete his assignment.

So, yes, you've seen this movie before. And during every since scene, you're keenly aware that Nicky Cage could have played the Kevin Costner role. However, with the well-known plot and without Nicky Cage, this is still a very entertaining movie! Kevin Costner is very likable, and there are several hilarious scenes in which he's torturing someone or about to kill someone but is interrupted by his daughter's embarrassing "I Don't Care" ringtone and has to juggle playing Daddy and being an assassin. The action scenes are exciting and sometimes cringe-worthy (in a "She's going to get decapitated; I can't look!" way), but thankfully the movie stays away from blood and guts. It's really very good, and I recommend it for those who like a little humor in their action flicks. Amber Heard got on my nerves a little, but only because she had a major attitude problem and wore black leather corsets for absolutely no reason. But all in all, her part is small, and Kevin Costner's parental charm more than made up for it.