Review: 3 Days To Kill
In the wake of the success of films like Taken and Non-stop, it's no surprise that others would try their hand at creating a cheesy actions blockbuster. 3 Days to Kill is the result, with Kevin Costner taking up the role as the main protagonist, Ethan Renner, a CIA agent who's career is coming to an end. Renner is struck with even more bad news when he finds out he has cancer and only has 3 months to live. Renner is approached by another agent Vivi (played by Amber Heard) who says she has medicine that will make him live longer, but only if he kills one more target. Coincidentally, the target is in Paris, which is where his wife and daughter live so it gives him a chance to reconnect with his family.
What ensues, is a surprisingly touching story about a Father trying to reconnect with this Daughter and make up for lost time. Ethan's daughter Zooey (played by Halle Steinfield) is a teenage girl who struggles to come to terms with who her Father really is. We have seen this story before, but the film's strongest moments are when Ethan and Zooey interact making way for some humorous and stirring moments. Funnily enough, the action really takes a back seat mainly because of the simplistic nature of the plot. The movie tries to blend his family struggles with his day to day "work" resulting in a mixed bag. One genuinely funny moments sees him giving the phone to one of his captives to tell Zooey how to make spaghetti.
The humour in the movie is also hit and miss with some cliched moments like Zooey telling Ethan how he is so out of touch. There are some genuinely funny moments between the two, like when he is teaching her how to dance and the awkward moments that come out of it. The movie's final stanza is disappointing as the movie shifts back to the action rendering it a bit mindless. Overall, the film delivers a good heart pounding action flick but it's is an interesting tale about a father and a daughter. There are the bone's of a good movie here, but it is mostly squander with action that is just for the sake of it and a story that has it moments but is mostly clichéd. If you don't mind a bit of a violence every now and then it's actually a decent Father and Daughter film.