The Next Three Days and Shawshank Redemption

The Next Three Days/Shawshank Redemption

                The Next Three Days and Shawshank Redemption are obviously both films about breaking out of prison. Tim Robbins goes away for the murder of a man who had an affair with his wife and Lara Brennan went to prison for the murder of her boss. Both people were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time and suffered greatly for it. In Shawshank Redemption we follow Tim Robbins as he serves decades in a state pen being raped at times but also affecting people in very good ways. Comparing The Next Three Days to this movie seems pointless because in terms of quality and performance there is no comparison.  Morgan Freeman is one of the greatest actors to ever live and his role as Tim Robbin’s long term best friend in prison outweighs Russell Crow’s performance in The Next Three Days by a landslide. Freeman has real depth as an actor and even though he acts basically the same in most films he never lets that become a problem because he does it so well. In both films the prisoners escape. Tim Robbins does it with a little help from a friend and a whole lot of elbow grease.  Banks does it through the never ending love of her husband.

The Next Three Days

The Next Three Days

***Spoiler***

                The Next Three Days is a Crime/Drams/Romance directed by Paul Haggis. Russell Crowe Stars as John Brennan and Elizabeth Banks plays his wife Lara. Daniel Stern and Michael Buie also appear in the film.

The story starts outs following John and Elizabeth’s happy lives in Pittsburg before everything gets turned upside down when a mysterious fight with Elizabeth’s boss leads instigators to arrest her for murder. John is left alone to care for his son Luke. John files appeal after appeal to get her released but at last he realizes she will never see the light of day again unless he can find a way to break her out. The time starts running out when Lara is informed she’s being transferred to federal prison in three days. John is left with a choice to make. Risk everything he cares about to save the one he loves the most  or let her rot until she feel the sweet release of death.

                This movie was so boring I wanted to slit my wrists and bleed out in the middle of the theater just to escape the pain of watching it. Russell Crow is way too fat these days and I think the success he got from Gladiator is going to stay in the past.  He really isn’t a bad actor he just chooses bad films sometimes and this is most definitely one of those time. Elizabeth Banks is usually a favorite of mine but that usually applies when she’s appearing in a comedy or at least something interesting. I never once cared for her character as Lara. Not once through the whole movie did they show her life behind bars and what she might have experienced on the inside that made her want to kill herself(other than being away from her son). The scene at the end where they are escaping in the SUV and she tries to fall out of the car just because they were going to have to wait to get her son until they were safe made me want to slap her for being so stupid. On the brighter side of things at least we got to see an appearance from Liam Neeson although it was very short. The previews played it up to make it look like he had a more intricate role in the film I even thought he was a star. In actuality his screen time took up maybe five minutes at most. Overall I will rate this movie at two stars because even though I didn’t like it she did get to escape from prison which is awesome!