3 DAYS TO KILL – The Review

Costner shows us that he’s still got what it takes as a leading man in 3 DAYS TO KILL.

Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner) has finally decided to bow out of the CIA after finding out that he has a terminal illness until Vivi Delay (Amber Heard), an agent offers him an experimental life-saving cure in exchange for his participation in one last mission. Now, Ethan is balancing his time in case it does run out by getting to know his estranged daughter Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld) and hunting down a threat he knows only by name… The Wolf.

Kevin Costner still has it. Not only is he in the action scenes of this film, but his comedic timing is incredible. Going into this film, I didn’t expect much on the side of humor but I was pleasantly surprised. This film also offers a bit of heart, which I also did not expect. If you are expecting a cut-throat, hardcore CIA movie, then this is not the film for you. It’s filled with action, and has some pretty violent scenes, but all of that is balanced with a story about family, and making sure that you don’t miss out on the important things in life. Hailee Steinfeld, known best for her role in TRUE GRIT, does a wonderful job as the angsty teenager Zoey. She plays both sides, the side that is acting out because of the pain her father caused by leaving, and the side begging for his love and approval, beautifully. The only character that I wasn’t completely sold on was Vivi Delay, played by Amber Heard. Her character was more cute than charismatic. To be honest, I found her performance rather dull, and flat. Her character did sport some amazing wigs though.

Director McG manages to take a relatively implausible story, and make it interesting and fun. Ethan has two different lives, one as a CIA assassin, and the other as a man trying to make amends with his family, and they are balanced quite well. I think as critics, we tend to forget that movies are about entertainment. Sure, I’m guilty of ripping films apart when they throw things like common sense out the window, but why go to a movie, or review it if you aren’t going to give it a chance to entertain you. Having said that, this film is in no way a truthful tale, nor is it trying to boast its accuracy. You can tell that from the scenes where Vivi is driving Ethan around, whipping her expensive car in and out of traffic without even looking at the road. That part did bug me quite a bit.

If you are looking for a fun time at the movies, this is a great film to see. Kevin Costner proves that he is back and ready to kick cinematic ass!

OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

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