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Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Brian Dennehy, Olivia Wilde ... see more see more... , Lennie James , Aisha Hinds , Daniel Stern , RZA , Ty Simpkins , Helen Carey , Kevin Corrigan , Jason Beghe , Tyrone Giordano , Jonathan Tucker , Allan Steele , Moran Atias , Michael Buie , Trudie Styler , Remy Nozik , Leslie Merrill , Derek Cecil , Kaitlyn Wylde , Lauren Haggis , James Ransone , Denise Dal Vera , Nazanin Boniadi , Brenna McDonough , Veronica Brown , Lisa Ann Goldsmith , Glenn Taranto , Toby Green , Tyler Green , James Donis , Rachel Deacon , Zachary Sondrini , Etta Cox , Barry D. Bradford , Rick Warner , James Francis Kelly III , Jeff Hochendoner , Quantia Mali , David Flick , Fabio Polanco , Sean Huze , Jonathan Berry , Tamara Gorski , Patrick Brennan , Kathy Fitzgerald , Tom Quinn , Melissa Jackson , Patrick F. McDade

His wife convicted of a murder she swears she did not commit, a college professor plots to break her out of prison in this thriller starring Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson. John Brennan (Crowe) and his... read more read more... wife, Lara (Elizabeth Banks), were happily married and raising a family when their lives fell apart in the blink of an eye. Lara has been charged with murder, and despite every effort to prove her innocence, the judge sentences her to an extended prison sentence. Meanwhile, on the outside, John files multiple appeals while struggling to raise their children and maintain his career. Lara's future starts to look especially grim, however, after the final appeal is rejected, and she admits that she'd rather commit suicide than spend the rest of her life behind bars. Determined to save his wife after the justice system fails her, John seeks the advice of ex-convict Damon Pennington (Liam Neeson), who staged his own daring prison escape, in order to draw up an airtight plan. Later, John prepares to put his life on the line for the woman he loves, and sets the plan into motion with the knowledge that one false move could be their last. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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66% liked it

46,043 ratings

Critics

51% liked it

159 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: Paul Haggis

Release Date: November 19, 2010

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DVD Release Date: March 8, 2011

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Stats: 4,523 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,523)

  • 76Majikat
    April 3, 2012
    76Majikat
    When this film begins, it looks like it's going to be filled with the pretty people, yet soon after, it transforms into a thriller that becomes faster paced as the story evolves. Certainly a film to keep you entertained throughout and there are various dimensions to the film to ... read morekeep the interest of the viewer.
  • SirPant
    January 23, 2012
    SirPant
    I hadn't realised that The Next Three Days was a remake of the French film Pour elle until now, which is slightly annoying as I try to make a point of seeing the originals before the subsequent remakes. I hope the original is better, as although I liked the story, ridiculous as i... read moret is, I couldn't help but think it could have been better. At times it felt like it was trying to be something it wasn't and now I understand why. Wasted opportunity, or maybe not, maybe it's just a crap remake for people who don't like reading, I don't know. It's not a horrible film though, it's very average but I did like the ending which I thought wasn't predictable. I'll just have to see the original I suppose!
  • romy861
    November 5, 2011
    romy861
    Average thriller. I must be getting tolerant in my old age, because Russell Crowe did not even manage to pee me off here like he normally does in a movie....no, that was all done by the holes in the plot and the lack of realism here.
    I didn't mind the story, and I sat there for ... read more2 hours watching it, so it must have had something going for it, but the stupid bits ie. SPOILERS...............- the car that just happened to be where the train stopped mid track, Elizabeth Banks trying to throw herself out of the car - wtf?! - that was going to help how? Get herself killed. Really nice for her young son, better to have mum in prison tab dead, surely? The frustrating ending. Grr.
    This could have been quite a good movie if they had been a bit less far fetched with it.
  • bhobbs1985
    November 4, 2011
    bhobbs1985
    I am probably slightly biased being that Russell Crowe is my favorite actor but in my opinion another 5-star movie hands down!
    Russell Crowe plays an intelligent college professor at a community college who stay's faithful for three years while his wife suffers in one of the most... read more fortified county jails in The United States - he's racing for her to escape before she's shipped to prison for a murder in which he faithfully believes she didn't commit while everyone else has thrown in the towel and believes she did.
    After speaking with a man who has escaped 7 xs in his criminal career he begins the plot to break his wife out and hopefully escape to freedom. This movie has the perfect separation of emotions, anxiety, and action as you wait to find out if he will in fact escape to freedom or not and watch the wives true guilty or innocent unfold as the movie progresses.
    Being a student in Criminal Justice this movie also hit home with me. I am under the belief we have a lot of innocent individuals behind bars who don't belong there and it's important that if we truly believe in their innocence we expend all our resources finding out the truth - because after all, that's justice, not convicting anyone and everyone for the popularity of the system and politics like sadly occurs more than it should. 1-innocent individual behind bars is worse than 100-guilty individuals on our streets.
    Would highly recommend the movie!
  • garyX
    October 7, 2011
    garyX
    A schoolteacher's wife is imprisoned for first degree murder based upon circumstantial evidence and when the final appeal fails and she resorts to a suicide attempt he pours all his skills as a researcher into engineering a meticulous plan to break her out. Very much in a similar... read more vein to TV series Prison Break, The Next Three Days has the premise of an ordinary and honest man resorting to extreme measures when faced with an untenable situation. It's not as convoluted as the series however, concentrating more on the human drama than histrionics; in fact the inevitable mix of wobbly-cammed screeching tires, helicopters and cop dodging is easily the least interesting part of the film. Some will be disappointed at the lack of action, especially considering the trailer which was clearly cut together to make it look like another shit-witted action thriller for the ADHD generation but I personally am a fan of Haggis' more subtle and human approach to the thriller formula which dispenses with the usual associated macho bullshit and pointless running around with guns. As a result it feels a lot more plausible and realistic and you actually care what happens to the characters thanks to a strong performance from Crowe as the desperate husband and father. Not a world changer, but the intelligent approach makes it a cut above the usual Hollywood fare.
  • Deano78
    September 17, 2011
    Deano78
    A good action-thriller with a strong cast. It has a slow build up and is very character driven. There are some good, although short scenes, with some good supporting actors. There seem to be a lot of things in the plot that will make you think, why did/didn't he do that instead e... read moretc. So you need to suspend reality and stretch the imagination a little in places. An enjoyable enough film if not anything outstanding.
  • MrMarakai
    July 31, 2011
    MrMarakai
    Having cut his teeth on Television shows ("ThirtySomething", "L.A. Law" and "Due South" among others) and writing screenplays for Clint Eastwood ("Flags of Our Fathers", "Letters from Iwo Jima", "Million Dollar Baby") as well as a Bond film ("Casino Royale"), Paul Haggis has only... read more really directed a handful of films. Quite a surprise, considering he's been around for a while but also quite consistant in his directorial duties.
    Out of the blue, businesswoman Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks) is arrested and convicted of murder, her teacher husband John (Russell Crowe) the only one who believes her innocence. When appeals are exhausted, Lara becomes suicidal, and as their son is suffering, John decides to break her out.
    This film reminded me of the type of material director Ron Howard would be drawn to. In some ways it even starts out how he would have made it; underwritten characters; emotional family upheavel; the every man's fight to keep his family together. Something along the lines of Howard's earlier film "Ransom". That film happened to be one of Howard's better forays but he has made some crap and the beginning of this film shaped up like the usual Howard Hollywood hokum. However, Haggis is in charge and with the normally reliable Russell Crowe onscreen, as well as some nice short appearances by the likes of Brian Dennehy, Daniel Stern and Liam Neeson, this film trancends it's uncertain material into a gripping fast-paced thriller. Credulity is in question on several occasions and the lack of drive in the beggining threatens to sink the whole affair but it takes a dramatic turn for the better in the second half, having more in common with 1993's "The Fugitive" and almost as exciting. It's not often we get a jail-break film from the outside perspective and with Crowe's subtle show of strength and dynamic central performance, we get a story that just about manages to suspend disbelief by taking you to the edge of your seat.
    It may be a slight step down from Paul Haggis' earlier films "Crash" and "In the Valley of Elah" but despite this, it shows that he's a capable director of suspense and thrills. Two thirds of a fine film.
  • murphmann93
    June 23, 2011
    murphmann93
    Incredible film. Makes you really believe that this woman isn't innocent and has some shocking twists. Made my heart pound throughout and you're on the edge of your seat, shouting at the screen. Not just another 'action film' it was much more than that and I'm glad I came across ... read morethis film. Russell Crowe was incredible and it's incredibly poignant. The ending isn't predictable and comes as quite a shock.
  • deano
    June 5, 2011
    deano
    Paul Haggis's remake of a taut French thriller (2007's Anything For Her) is along the lines of Prison Break, minus tattoos.
    After a lot of sad mooching around, suddenly The Next Three Days becomes an action movie. Russell Crowe's quiet academic begins to rev... read moreeal big brass ones - and a dangerous scheme far more intricate than we have been led to understand.
    The jailbreak also hinges on some preposterous good luck, and the evasion of cluey cops strains credulity. However, fortunately for the film, Crowe's presence and performance can't be faulted.
    The most powerful scene has no dialogue, when he goes to the Big House to tell Lara her appeal has been denied. The look in his eyes not only tells her she's going to be a grandmother before she gets out of there - cue sobbing and screaming behind the glass partition - but reveals the depth of his feeling for her, upon which the entire story of this resolve depends.
    Haggis does make Pittsburgh look better and more interesting than one would imagine, with unprecedented access to the real Allegheny County Jail (biggest urban prison in the world) and the city's transit systems boosting the climactic cat-and-mouse excitements.
  • roygutteridge
    May 15, 2011
    roygutteridge
    This is a terrific film with a final reel guaranteed to have you digging your fingers into your armrest.

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Critic Reviews

Bill Goodykoontz
August 12, 2011
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Even with an actor of Crowe's skill, it's hard to believe the mild, thoughtful John would take to the mean streets of Pittsburgh for fake IDs, blast his way into drug houses and such. Full Review

Peter Rainer
November 22, 2010
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

In its final half-hour, all the stops are pulled. The movie is still wildly implausible but at least it's hurtling forward. Full Review

David Denby
November 22, 2010
David Denby, New Yorker

The movie is a caper without playfulness or wit -- it's accomplished but not much fun. Full Review

Joe Neumaier
November 19, 2010
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

It's laughably, eye-rollingly absurd, so you don't watch it and wonder, "Hey, why not?" You endure it and wonder, "So ... why did they do that?" Full Review

Stephen Cole
November 19, 2010
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail

An okay thriller with lots of smart flourishes, The Next Three Days has us hooked early on but never quite gets us in the boat Full Review

A.O. Scott
November 19, 2010
A.O. Scott, New York Times

Not much more than a meticulously detailed, very long instructional video. Full Review

Tom Long
November 19, 2010
Tom Long, Detroit News

Suspenseful if not wholly believable, the main problem with The Next Three Days is it lasts about a half day too long. Full Review

J. R. Jones
November 19, 2010
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The characters are so vivid that the suspense never lags. Full Review

Peter Howell
November 19, 2010
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Paul Haggis gets us so engrossed watching the gears slowly mesh in his prison-break drama The Next Three Days, it's disconcerting when the machine finally clanks noisily into action. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
November 19, 2010
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Alas, Haggis' commitment to bringing out the truth of the premise turns the "The Next Three Days" into a downbeat film. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Damon Pennington: No prison in the world is airtight.
    • Lara Brennan: I don't think I can last another twenty years...
    • Damon Pennington: No prison in the world is airtight.
    • John Brennan: So, "The Life and Times of Don Quixote," what is it about?
    • Julie: That someone's belief in virtue is more important than virtue itself.
    • John Brennan: Yeah, that's in there. What else is it about? ...Could it be about how rational thought destroys the soul? The triumph of irrationality, and the power that is in it...Now we spend a lot of time trying to organize the world. We build clocks and calendars and we try to predict the weather, but what part of our life is truly under our control? What if we choose to exist in a reality of our own making, does that render us insane; and if so - isn't that better than a life of despair?
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