The Next Three Days - Solid little thriller

Sometimes you gets films that aren't exactly 'classics,' yet aren't bad either. 'The Next Three Days' is one of those.  You could call it 'average,' but that would make it sound like it's just run-of-the-mill and not worth your time.  I probably wouldn't invest paying full-price for a cinema ticket in Imax surround-sound 3D to watch it, but if you can find it on some sort of online streaming service, then it's definitely worth adding to your 'watchlist.'

Russell Crowe ditches his typical 'tough guy' routine to play a husband/father whose wife is convicted of murder and sent to prison.  Being the loving husband, he totally believes in her innocence 100% and, despite the wealth of evidence supporting her conviction, decides that the only way of getting her out is - literally - by breaking her out of jail and going on the run.

That's the general premise of the film, but I won't go into too much detail as there's quite a few twists and turns where you'll wonder whether things are going to work out or not.

The film isn't that short and therefore can spend a lot of time looking into the pros and cons of this course of action.  Despite the film's length it never feels slow (definitely a bonus!) and there's plenty of adversity for a father to face when he decides to embark on this new life 'on the lam.'

There's certainly nothing negative I can really say about the film.  All the performances are solid, as is the whole execution.  However, it's just not one of those films that's worth paying 'full price' for.  Once upon a time you could use the phrase 'rent, don't buy,' but, seeing as no one really rents anything any more, I guess the phrase should be 'stream, don't buy.' Plus, you get a cameo from Lian Neeson, playing a rare character than doesn't kill half the cast!

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that