Life seems perfect for John Brennan until his wife, Lara,
is arrested for a murder she says she didn’t commit. Three years into her
sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son
and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her
innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and
John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: to break his wife
out of prison. Refusing to be deterred by impossible odds or his own
inexperience, John devises an elaborate escape plot and plunges into a
dangerous and unfamiliar world, ultimately risking everything for the woman he
loves. Lionsgate presents a Hwy 61 Films / Lionsgate production. The Next
Three Days stars Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Brian Dennehy, Olivia Wilde
and Liam Neeson, and is directed by Paul Haggis from a screenplay by Paul
Haggis. The Next Three Days is produced by Michael Nozik and Paul Haggis, and
Olivier Delbosc and Marc Missonnier. The powerful presence of
Russell Crowe and the skillful writing and directing of Paul Haggis (Crash)
give The Next Three Days an emotional heft to match its taut suspense.
Schoolteacher John Brennan (Crowe) is stunned when his wife Laura (Elizabeth
Banks, W.) is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. As he watches her
emotional decline behind bars, he becomes determined to break her out of
prison--and The Next Three Days tracks his meticulous efforts, including wrong
turns that threaten to capsize everything. The movie is most compelling in how
it follows Brennan's wrenching emotional changes. He's not some cold, focused
secret agent--he's torn between his painful devotion to his wife and the
frightening possibility of what could go wrong, including the possible cost to
their son. The outstanding supporting cast includes Liam Neeson, Brian
Dennehy, and rapper RZA, but the vast majority of the movie rests on Crowe's
shoulders and he carries it like an athlete. There's something deeply physical
about Crowe's performances--his emotions seem to fill his entire body, even as
his expressions are incredibly subtle. It's a gripping performance by a
remarkable actor, anchoring a well-conceived and engaging thriller. --Bret
Fetzer