The Next Three Days

For the law, there are no multiple interpretations of what a fugitive means. But why anyone becomes a fugitive depends greatly on the individual’s surrounding circumstances. Tim Robbins’s character Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) and Russell Crowe’s character John Brennan in “The Next Three Days” (2010) are both fugitives--the former escapes from a prison--while the latter masterminds an escape plan. Irrespective of their operational boundaries--inside or outside a prison--these characters are fugitives in the eyes of the law. However, their actions are initiated by a common reasoning: they were given a raw deal by the law that drove them to the brink. Structurally, both the films are driven by astute planning and deeply focused male protagonists.

Director Paul Haggis’s “The Next Three Days” is not about an unfair verdict or about proving innocence, but about one man’s obsession.  John’s wife, Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks), is wrongly accused in a murder case and will soon be transferred to a maximum-security prison to serve her sentence. John thinks that the long sentence will destroy his family, so he starts devising a plan to get Lara out of the prison. Meanwhile, John meets an ex-fugitive, Damon Pennington (Liam Neeson), who advices John on how to execute an escape plan. John obtains new passports, along with new social security numbers for his family. Initially, Lara opposes John’s idea but soon gets pulled in as a result of events set in motion by John. John and Lara are now the fugitives, with the entire state police haunting them.

           

The film is not an investigative journey; as such, "The Next Three Days" does not bother to present the details of Lara's trial. John is not looking for a piece of evidence that will prove Lara's innocence, either; in fact, he has accepted the verdict. His only resort is to plan an escape route so that his family can flee the country. He becomes obsessed with the planning, and he neglects his son in the process. But is John's obsession driven by his passion for Lara? Or is he doing this to prove something to Lara? Well, it's a combination of both.  John's maddening desire to get Lara out of prison, in spite of the consequences awaiting them, resembles the strong love that existed between "Bonnie & Clyde," who eventually died in a hail of bullets. For both the couples, separation is not an acceptable solution. Nonetheless, to a certain degree "The Next Three Days" plays as a modern-day fairy tale version of "Bonnie & Clyde."

As a planner, John is a perfectionist, considering the amount of time he spends in gathering minute details pertaining to the escape route. He studies the layout of the prison and hospital, and he precisely calculates the time he needs to execute each move. At each step, he meticulously designs his moves by carefully researching each aspect and backing it up with a fall-back plan. Even though the film lacks subplots or character development, Haggis makes up for this deficiency by creating a collection of small shots focusing on John's sequential moves. Each shot builds the tension and keeps us thoroughly engrossed. Further, these shots are interesting in themselves as they capture small yet significant details that are crucial to the final outcome; if John fails in any one of these steps, his entire plan fails, too.

The film is propelled by Russell Crowe’s above-average performance. Since the script pays too much attention to the planning, emotional moments with his family are deliberated left out from the plot, and, therefore, you don’t see any variations in his performance. Still, it’s hard not to see the reasons why he is pushed to the edge. Haggis discusses in an interview included on the disc that he wanted Crowe’s character to represent an ordinary person’s situation that anyone can connect to, and Crowe succeeds in carrying out this image very well. Then, too, his charismatic presence, along with his nerdy research, makes for a gripping experience. More so, the manner in which Crowe performs in a few shots reminds us of Mel Gibson in “Payback” (1999) and “Edge of Darkness” (2010) and Harrison Ford in “The Fugitive” (1993).

While the shots are well-crafted, they are problematic also. The narrative structure is overly simplistic, and it does not deviate from the traditional formulaic approach. The film plays it by the numbers as soon as John starts implementing his moves, one-by-one. Moreover, the script presents John's story in a linear fashion, thereby making the film utterly predictable. The plot is implausible when you consider how difficult it would be to trace John’s family with the use of sophisticated techniques by the law-enforcement agencies. After the slow middle act, it is only in the final act that the film gathers some pace. There are thrilling elements with car chases that are absorbing and intense. In the end, “The Next Three Days” holds our attention during its running time.

Video:

Lionsgate offers the film in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with an MPEG-4/ AVC codec using a dual-layer 50 GB disc. The transfer looks really pleasing to the eyes. The clarity is consistent, with solid black levels. The film grain is retained, thereby giving the transfer a very film-like appearance. Close-ups reveal remarkable details. Skin tones are lifelike, and colors are solid and lively. Finally, the outdoor scenes are rendered beautifully with amazing details.

Audio:

Lionsgate has included a 7.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track that is surely going to please audiophiles. The dialogue is crisp and sharp throughout. The quieter moments of the film are driven by the front channels. You can hear atmospheric noises that build the ambience of the soundtrack. In the chase sequences, the surround channels are activated, and we are taken right to the heart of the action. Gunshots are loud, with a thundering bass. Overall, this track is top-notch.

Extras:

Lionsgate has released this movie as a two-disc edition. The first disc is the Blu-ray version of the film with all the bonus features, along with the DVD version on the second disc. We also get a digital copy that can be downloaded from the Apple’s iTunes store.

On the first disc, we get an audio commentary track with the filmmakers. They discuss the script, locations, editing, and the character of Russell Crowe. They also present their technical insights on the final chase sequence.

Up next, we get a regular making-of featurette. Haggis describes why they picked an ordinary location that was not set in Los Angeles, Seattle, or New York. He discusses the character of an English teacher played by Russell Crowe. He then talks about the significance of small scenes that were used to build toward the ultimate action sequence in the final act. We also see Elizabeth Bank discussing prison life and her experience when she spent a few days in the prison shooting this film.

Following this is a short featurette that focuses on the character of John Brennan. Next, we get a short documentary-style segment, “True Escapes for Love,” that presents real-life prison escape cases. We also get a gag reel, followed by a set of eight deleted and three extended scenes.

Parting Thoughts:

“The Next Three Days” is all about how far one can go. John’s unwavering passion is remarkable in that he is willing to risk everything for his wife. But the movie is not a case study in obsession or passion in any way. Nonetheless, the film constitutes a series of well-executed, entertaining scenes, even thougyh the plot is hardly believable, and the movie gets bogged down by a linear narrative, conventional characters, and an uneven middle act. The Blu-ray release features a splendid-looking 1080p transfer, along with an excellent-sounding audio track.