3 Days to Kill was a bit more enjoyable as CIA assassin, Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner), made numerous references to his hometown, Pittsburgh. Although, you’ll never see the Steel City, the mention is sufficient enough. Set in Paris, Agent Renner must perform his last mission while trying to rekindle the relationship with his estranged daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld). With only months to live, he must simultaneously complete the mission and win Zoey’s heart back.
The movie’s fight scenes were strategically timed throughout the movie. It is as if they were synchronized and scheduled. The movie’s order: fight scene, sick scene, family scene. That repetitive rotation happens the entire movie and made the film redundant and predictable. The fight scenes were also weak and one-dimensional. Generally, the excitement stemmed from fight scenes is the element of surprise and new combat techniques, but 3 Days to Kill lacked both.
Directed by McG, the movie was too close to Taken (2009); a man, with family issues, running around a foreign country killing people. Even Kevin Costner’s voice got a little deeper for the official Liam Neeson feel. With Taken, the family issues fell right into place with storyline, but in 3 Days to Kill the family spin almost complicated the movie.
3 Days to Kill, which is categorized as an action or thriller movie, has a lot of funny parts. Almost too many funny parts and they take away from the movie’s overall plot. Some of those scenes also came off as corny and exaggerated, wasting good Kevin Costner saving-the-world time.
Speaking of Kevin Costner, he’s above average in this movie. The actor has its “Bodyguard” (1992) moments, easily creating flashbacks of when he saved Whitney Houston from crazed stalkers. Costner’s character is rarely in a form fitting black suit, but when he is, it to reminds you of the classic movie. Kevin Costner still captures the audience even decades later. For a dying 59 year old, he is mobile, active and good-looking.
Hailee Steinfeld did an excellent job as Kevin Costner’s damaged, difficult teenage daughter. In 2010, she received a lot of recognition and film critics’ awards for her role in True Grit. This is my first time being introduced to the 17 year old, but she was darkly adorable.
3 Days to Kill is in theatres February 21st.
3 “Too Much Like Taken” Stars
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