Double Feature Special Edition Reviews - 3 Days To Kill (2014) and Non-Stop (2014)

At the Theater - "3 Days To Kill" - Kevin Costner (Open Range) portrays a world-weary CIA assassin who discovers he's terminally ill and decides to quit the trade in order to reconnect with his estranged wife (Connie Nielsen) and daughter (Hailee Steinfield)- in exchange for an experimental drug that could possibly prolong his life, he reluctantly signs up for that one last job.  This quickie Costner vehicle smells of action film Producer (and co-scripter) Luc Besson (Writer/Director of 1994's most excellent Leon: The Professional) trying to revamp/retool the once mega popular 59-year-old leading man's career as he did with Liam Neeson in 2008's Taken- too bad he failed to have one decent idea up his sleeve for this particularly addled and unnecessarily complicated narrative.

The film is a tonal nightmare from beginning to end, trying (and consistently failing) to be three different films (Action/Family Drama/Comedy) at once- Director McG (This Means War, the 2 Charlie's Angels films, Terminator Salvation) displays little flair or understanding of how to juggle the frayed components.  There are shootouts, a car chase and explosions spattered about, though I quickly grew frustrated with how anticlimactic each onscreen event was- the narrative spins it's wheels with lame subplots (a major one involving squatters seems pulled from another film), wastes opportunities with awkward conversations (concerning mustaches vs goatee's and recipes for primo reduction sauces, etc.,) and is never able to gain any traction whatsoever.  Come to think of it, the only segment I did appreciate was a fleeting montage of our Hero riding a purple bike around Paris, France.

Costner, maintaining a distractingly raspy voice throughout, looks embarrassed at times- he's still in great shape, moves well and shows flashes of that inherent charm, though if he's looking to kick off an apparent resurgence of quality leading roles, it will have to wait until Director Ivan Reitman's (Ghostbusters) Draft Day later this year.

Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) and Hailee Steinfield (True Grit 2010)) do nothing for their careers as well, while Amber Heard's (Pineapple Express) vampish CIA handler is criminally underused and mishandled.

Every great while I do happen to experience a film where every bit of worthwhile footage was actually used in the two minute trailer- that's the case with 3 Days To Kill, with the remaining 115 minutes an incoherent and wholly unsatisfying mess.

Skip it

3.0 out of 10

Director: McG
Cast: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfield, Connie Nielsen, Tomas Lemarquis, Richard Sammel
Run-Time: 117 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language

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At the Theater - "Non-Stop" - Liam Neeson's haggard, alcoholic U.S. Federal Air-Marshall becomes embroiled in an outlandishly plotted who-done-it mystery aboard a flight from New York to London- receiving anonymous texts threatening to have a passenger killed every 20 minutes, our hero must determine the source before he runs out of passengers... and, of course, there is that ticking bomb on board... 

Potential viewers must understand that every single major event (and even several smaller details) in this film is built upon a considerable leap of logic- they mount at such a brisk clip, with some of them so extremely ridiculous, that any palpable tension or narrative weight is quickly erased with each successive occurrence. 

Expect mounting suspects and red herrings galore, with a couple of hand-to-hand fight scenes (a deadly, claustrophobic encounter in a bathroom is actually pretty nifty), one shootout, a couple of 11th hour reveals and a climactic emergency landing- it all simmers down to a decidedly hollow experience due to one of the most illogical scripts that I've ever witnessed in a serious-minded action flick. I couldn't help but smile each time I overheard that familiar clicking noise made when a person sucks their tongue off of the roof of their mouth in utter disbelief.  Several whispered utterances of "Oh, come on!" from theatrical patrons had me nodding in agreement.

The only constant positive here is Neeson's scenery chewing presence and game performance- it's just nowhere near enough to hold it together. I'm a fan of the 61-year-old Irish-American Actor and find it disappointing that he isn't reading any of the scripts that hit his desk before signing on the dotted line.  Neeson must have one helluva report with Director Jaume Collet-Serra- the duo churned out 2011's similarly ridiculous Unknown and will be reteaming once again for 2015's actioner, Run All Night   I guess they're aiming for some kind of Hat-Trick of shitty movies.

For those interested, the very talented Julianne Moore, along with recent Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winner, Lupita Nyong'o, are wasted in pointless roles.

I've heard it said (and seen it written) countless times before that you "just have to turn your brain off" when going into some films that people wish to make excuses for- not only do you have to turn your brain off here, but you might as well remove it and leave it at home if you're inclined to catch this in theaters.

Skip it.

3.5 out of 10

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery, Nate Parker, Corey Stoll, Anson Mount and Lupita Nyong'o
Run-Time: 106 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some language, sensuality and drug references