3 Days to Kill (2014) Directed by McG

For some reason I got a great old fashioned vibe from this movie. It's simple, it's entertaining but yet also made with lots of quality and talent involved.

It in essence is a very simple and straightforward man on a mission type of movie, only with some interesting and original dramatic angles added in to it. I know most people don't like it but I for one did like how the Kevin Costner character was constantly juggling between his professional and personal life in this movie. On the one hand he's a CIA agent and professional killer but on the other he's also constantly struggling to become a better man and become a father again to his estranged daughter, after he learns he only has a couple of more months to live. It gives both the character and story an interesting extra dimension, though yes, it's also definitely true that the drama often gets in the way of its action and more entertaining moments, though the movie itself still never becomes a too heavy or serious one by the way.

It's still a bit of a problem at times how the movie more often is focusing on its dramatic elements. There basically are two different story lines, lets call it the 'family plot' and the 'professional plot'. While watching this movie you constantly get the sense that the 'professional plot' is the far more interesting and better plot of the movie but due to the fact that the movie is often focusing more in the 'family plot', the 'professional plot' doesn't ever get the chance to develop into anything all that great or effective. As a matter of fact, it more often than not gets somewhat messy and confusing to follow. It still works out as entertaining but other than that, it's nothing too impressive or engaging really and it doesn't even feel all that relevant for the movie.

There are still plenty of positive aspects about the 'professional plot' as well. Like I said, it provides the movie with plenty of entertainment, as well as with some good looking action sequences. Nothing too big or spectacular but that isn't always necessarily a bad thing, as long as things are shot well, which definitely is being the case for this movie. The storytelling isn't always the best but director McG at least certainly knows how to handle all of the action well!

And there once was a time when it was perfectly acceptable to make fun of Kevin Costner. He wasn't making the best career choices and his acting in all truth wasn't anything all that impressive either, for most of his movies. He's definitely working hard on a comeback and I also really have to say that he was absolutely great in this movie! Definitely the best acting job i have seen him do in a long while.

Like most of the movies that Luc Besson is involved with, it's not a critic proof movie and I definitely can also still understand all of the complaints and see all of its many flaws but this 'critic' for one nevertheless still could enjoy the movie for what it was and had a great time with it!

7/10

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