Review of 3 Days to Kill (2014) by Jonny P — 13 Mar 2017

"3 Days to Kill" is an average action comedy film that features Kevin Costner doing his best "gruff Harrison Ford" impression. It intersperses several well-executed shootout sequences with a shallow family plot.

The Parisian setting and the intrigue behind Amber Heard's character set the stage for a riveting story but what develops feels like a bunch of ideas that were borrowed from other films. As I mentioned, Costner's voice and disposition are reminiscent of most Harrison Ford action films, his crippling adrenaline-induced hallucinations seem to be inspired by "Crank," and the plot device of a man trying to develop a relationship with his daughter amidst dangerous spy missions feels very cliché.

This led to a familiarity that had my wife and I debating whether we had seen the film before. The predictability of the family story left little room for surprises. We even developed an expectation that one particular character would reveal herself to be a bad guy.

.. only to realize that we were remembering a different film and definitely had not seen this one before. While the story lacks originality, much of the comedy hits the target. The running gag of Costner's "I Love It" ringtone going off at inappropriate moments never gets old and his reliance on his targets (Mitat and Guido) to help mend his relationship with Zooey creates some great moments.

If you are looking for a serious action film, "3 Days to Kill" will let you down but if you are looking for something predictable and light, it might be just what you are looking for.