3 Days to Kill

Luc Besson may be my favorite action writer, but this will probably be the first film of his I'll have to rate average. Kevin Costner is perfect, charismatic and occasionally fires off a decent wisecrack, but the filler around him is awful. The trailer lured us to an action extravaganza in the style of Die Hard, but the film doesn't offer much action and the little there is, it’s poorly directed and edited; it’s not engaging, it does nothing with the viewer, the story is convoluted, weird, the script jumps back and forth and at times I was bored. Too bad I was looking forward to it. 50%. (19/05/2014)

A great time-out which in a peculiarly way tries to combine a family comedy with an action thriller full of blood and dead bodies. Costner is excellent, literally the powerhouse of the movie. This cool hit man is just his cup of tea and it’s nice to see him coming back to the silver screen more and more often. It’s hard to take your eyes off Amber and, despite being annoying and dumb, the family doesn’t get on your nerves too much either. Besson’s story is amongst his best and a big bonus was getting McGho involved, who enjoys himself royally again. First-rate action, humor a bit corny, but you will laugh. If you’re willing to give it a try. (09/05/2014)

McG is starting to repeat himself a bit, and in combination with Luc Besson, both seem quite uninspired. It has its charge and it has ideas, but in reality, it's just a slightly more action-packed melodrama, which has one major advantage: Kevin Costner, who in recent years has shown that he certainly hasn't forgotten how to act, with characters interesting enough to at least draw you in because of him. (30/06/2014)

Another Luc Besson chill-out movie that places an American hero in Paris, this time in a crazy, fast-paced mix of comedy and a spy action flick promoting family values. The actors keep the movie afloat, especially Kevin Costner, who is again so charismatic that you will accept the ridiculous, over-the-top script and just let yourself be entertained. You will hang around for the film’s handful of great catchphrases, which often reference the real-life Costner (and his cowboy image), for two handfuls of slain bad guys, two of which are perfect fits for their roles, and the lascivious Amber Heard in outfits that will turn you on more than two hours sitting at the edge of the stage in a strip club. “Sorry, but you’re not my type” – “I’m everybody’s type!” Too bad she has so little screen time. Some of Besson’s scripts are not so great but this is definitely one of the better ones, and McG grasped it from the right angle. (29/04/2014)

A brutally uneven mix of intense, stark action (excellent combat, average shooting) and family issues, all in the traditionally foolish European feeling from the production of Luc Besson. No, it's not Taken "2", although the entire creative team subtly tries to make it so and occasionally innocently winks at the viewers. Several aspects are so similar that are impossible to overlook even in the dark. However, I must admit that, although it's full of clichés, very simplistic, sometimes poorly edited, and not well-managed in terms of dramaturgy, Kevin Costner has charisma to spare and Amber Heard is simply adorable. It's often even very funny. (20/04/2014)