DVD Review - The Next Three Days

Russell Crowe stars in this prison heist movie that doesn't play like one might expect. This is mainly due to the fact that Crowe's character is the least likely person to affect a prison break. He's sensitive and reserved and not the brave and tough, action star of Gladiator (2000).

Crowe is John Brennan, a man who is raising his young, prepubescent son alone because his wife Lara has been sentenced to prison for murder. When all hope is lost that she'll be vindicated, John gets it into his head that he is going to stage a prison break. The question becomes how does a regular guy do that?

This is not like in other movies where someone magically has connections and resources to pull off something grand or elaborate. This is simply a regular guy greatly motivated. Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of Crash (2004), wrote and directed this movie, and he does so with a sense of realism and Crowe's performance is so relatable.

Because he's so relatable, because Haggis' direction is so real, because things aren't perfect, and because events go wrong, you never know what will happen. Because so, the movie is thrilling.

Five Stars out of Five.
Rated PG-13 for violence, drug material, language, and some sexuality.
Running Time: 2 hrs. and 2 mins.