3 Days to Kill
Tags: violence, comedy, neo noir, murder, flashback

Plot synopsis:
The film opens at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA. Agent Vivi DeLay (Amber Heard) meets with the CIA director and another man to discuss their target, Wolfgang Braun, aka "The Wolf" (Richard Sammel). The man is attempting to sell arms to terrorists along with his associate, The Albino (Tomas Lemarquis). The men assign Vivi to take both of them down. She asks them which agent they have on the ground. His name is Ethan Renner.We meet Ethan (Kevin Costner) in a hotel in Paris where he and another agent, Yasmin (Mai Anh Le), are set to take down The Albino, set to make a deal with Serbians. Ethan has already killed the buyers, and he makes a quick and swift exchange with The Albino as he swaps briefcases containing secret codes. He goes to hand them over to other agents in a van, when his phone rings to remind him it's his daughter Zooey's (Hailee Steinfeld) birthday. He runs to make a call on a payphone and uses his watch as collateral with a nearby vendor to get change. He calls Zooey but gets her voice mail. In the hotel, Yasmin's identity is compromised when The Albino recognizes her. He drags her to an elevator and waits til it comes down so it decapitates her. His cohorts shoot at the agents in the van, leading to a gunfight from the lobby to outside the hotel. Ethan runs after The Albino and kills his men before chasing the villain. Ethan starts getting weak and groggy until he catches up to The Albino. He falls to the ground before shooting The Albino in the foot. He limps away as Ethan loses consciousness.Ethan wakes up in the hospital to a doctor who tells him that he has cancer and it's spread to his lungs. He gives Ethan about 3-5 months to live.Ethan returns to his apartment to find that there's a family living there. The patriarch, Jules (Eriq Ebouaney), warmly welcomes Ethan back, telling him they are refugees seeking a new place to live. He goes to complain about it, but is told that if he forces the family out, he can get arrested. Ethan goes back and takes out his gun in front of Jules, but then relents and says he can stay until his eldest daughter gives birth to her child.Ethan calls his ex-wife Tina (Connie Nielsen) as she's meeting up with friends. She is hesitant to meet with him until he says it's urgent that they get together. They go together to sign his will and he tells her that he is dying and he doesn't want Zooey to know. He wants to meet up with her, and Tina tells him only on the condition that he is officially done working for "them". Ethan says yes.The two of them go meet Zooey at her school. Her reunion with her father is awkward and she seems less than interested in talking to him. A handsome older boy comes over to Zooey, and she introduces him as Hugh (Jonas Bloquet). He is polite to Ethan when she introduces them, though he is understandably on the fence about it. Hugh leaves and Ethan presents Zooey with a purple bike, thinking that is still her favorite color. She opts to take the metro with her friends, leaving Ethan to ride the bike himself.Ethan stops at a stand and is met by Vivi. She drops Zooey's name and shows him his watch that he left by the hotel. She gets him to ride with her, telling him to work for her. He refuses until she says she has an experimental drug that can save his life. Ethan reconsiders, and Vivi tells him the job is to find The Wolf and kill him.Vivi takes Ethan to a hotel to find a man that can give them the whereabouts of The Albino's accountant. She tells Ethan there's only one guy in there, but after he busts into the room of their target, he finds five guys. He and Vivi end up killing all of them when nobody gives them any info. In the elevator, Ethan tells her he will only continue the assignment if he is given 50 grand and a $1 million life insurance policy. She complies and gives him a shot of the drug.We see The Albino meeting up with a man. He gives this man a photo of Ethan to keep on him.Ethan goes to Zooey and Tina's apartment and hears Zooey scream. Thinking she's in danger, he breaks the doorknob and busts in, only to find that she is upset over a bad hairdo. Tina is mad at Ethan since he earlier promised to cook dinner, yet he is th
ree hours late. She is heading to London the next day on business and decides to call a sitter to look after Zooey, but Ethan insists that she let him take care of her.Later, Ethan starts to feel dizzy and he faints. He calls Vivi and tells her he's hallucinating. She tells him to drink vodka to ease himself. He does just that.Tina leaves the next day, and Zooey comes in wearing a wig with a shade of red. She sees Vivi calling Ethan's phone, so he tells her it's his boss. She puts "I Don't Care" by Icona Pop as Ethan's ringtone for whenever she calls. Ethan once again tries to get Zooey to ride the bike to school, but she walks and drops the wig.Ethan meets with Vivi again. She gives him the check she promised him and reminds him to keep his heart rate low. She has Ethan go look for a car salesman named Mitat Yilmaz (Marc Andreoni). Ethan goes to the dealership, insults Mitat's employees and knocks them out, then waits in Mitat's office until he returns. Ethan threatens Mitat's family and takes him back to the apartment, until he gets a call from Zooey's school, urging him to go speak to the principal. He takes Mitat with him and stuffs him in the trunk.Ethan and Zooey meet with the principal. He learns that Zooey hit another classmate. He asks, "Open palm or clenched fist?" As they leave, Zooey tells Ethan it was because the girl she hit was teasing a girl from Pakistan. Ethan says he's not mad and tells her it's an effective way to get rid of a bully. Mitat starts making a fuss in the trunk, forcing Ethan to go punch him and tell him to shut up. Zooey leaves him, agitated by his behavior and his constant coughing. However, she later calls him back to apologize and asks him to meet her at her favorite spot, a little theme park where her favorite ride is the Flying Chairs. Although Ethan initially goes to continue his search for the accountant, he leaves to meet with Zooey. They go on the ride and have hot chocolate after. She tells him she has to go and study with her lab partner.Ethan goes to a store and is attacked by a man wielding a shotgun. He blasts Ethan, but he rises unharmed (he was most likely wearing a vest), and the two of them fight. The man nearly kills Ethan by stabbing him in the neck, but the man is shot and he dies. Ethan then notices the man was holding a photo of Ethan himself.Ethan goes home to see on Zooey's computer a message from a friend saying she'll meet her at the Tattoo Gallery. Concerned, Ethan rushes to this place and finds a car with Zooey's bag. He breaks into it and finds a flyer from a place called Spider. He goes to Mitat's house and asks the man's twin daughters what Spider is. They tell him it's a soiree house. Ethan goes to Spider, a night club, and sees Zooey drinking with friends. He starts getting dizzy again, and has a swig of vodka to ease up. He follows Zooey near the bathroom and sees three guys harassing her. Ethan is held back by a friend of the boys, but he gets into papa wolf mode and kicks all their asses before getting Zooey out of there.Zooey wakes up the next morning with no memory of the previous night. She's still wearing her dress, and she is about to go to school until Ethan tells her not to go like that. He insists on her riding the bike to school, but she angrily reminds him that he never taught her how to ride. He spends the morning teaching her, earning applause from onlookers. Zooey later tearfully asks him why he's been away for a long time. She thinks he has another family with another daughter, but he assures her that is not the case. As they continue to hang out, Zooey admits that she hit the girl at school because she was hitting on Hugh. They end up meeting Hugh as he is going to take Zooey to school.Ethan locates the accountant, Guido (Bruno Ricci), as he is escorted through the streets. Ethan shoots a tear gas grenade at the car and takes Guido before blowing the van up. He takes Guido to his apartment to exchange the briefcase with codes he had earlier with codes set to trigger explosives that The Wolf and The Albino are in possession of. Zooey calls to tell Ethan that she is going to cook dinner for Hugh, and she wants to make a vegetarian dish. Ethan puts Guido on the phone to tell Zooey about a spaghetti sauce recipe that his mother used.That evening, Ethan comes home to find that Jules's daughter is going into labor. She gives birth to a healthy baby girl, and she decides to name it after Ethan due to him allowing them to stay in his home. Jules says they are to leave as promised, but Ethan insists they can stay as long as they want. Jules says the family prefers a smaller home to stay closer to each other.Ethan goes back to Zooey's home and learns that Hugh asked her to prom, but she says she can't dance. Ethan decides to help her out, just as Tina comes home. She watches them dance, bringing tears to her eyes. They have dinner as a family, and Tina tells Ethan later that he ought to tell Zooey about his condition sooner or later. They end up sleeping together.The next morning, Vivi calls Ethan to tell him The Albino is staying at the Grand Hotel. Ethan heads there and spots The Wolf. The villains get in a car driven by Mitat. Ethan chases after them, slamming into the car until he pushes them all over a footbridge. The Wolf and The Albino flee, and Ethan spares Mitat so he can return to his family. Ethan chases the villains into the subway, where he starts to get a nosebleed and he begins to feel dizzy. Before he can shoot The Wolf, The Albino drags a barely conscious Ethan toward the train tracks. He waits for the train to come even as The Wolf yells at him to kill Ethan. Ethan regains enough motion to push The Albino in front of the train just as it passes. He passes out and The Wolf flees. He wakes up to see Vivi brought him to her place. She reminds him of The Wolf's escape, but tells him the results of his treatment turned out positive with the drug.Ethan, Zooey, and Tina go to meet with Hugh and his family. His father introduces Ethan to his business partner...The Wolf. They recognize each other and uneasily shake hands. Hugh's parents escort them all into a club. Tina eventually realizes that Ethan is working an assignment. She thinks he's been lying to her but he assures her that he hasn't. The Wolf's men shoot at Ethan, and he runs after them. He kills the goons before cornering The Wolf in an elevator. He shoots the wires on the elevator, causing it to fall and crash to the bottom. Meanwhile, Hugh and Zooey find a private room where they dance and share their first kiss.The Wolf crawls out of the elevator, and Ethan finds him. He starts to feel weak again, unable to shoot him. He drops the gun, which The Wolf reaches for until Vivi comes in and pushes it to Ethan to finish the job. Thinking about Tina and Zooey, he refuses and drops the gun. Vivi grabs it and shoots The Wolf herself.Sometime later, Ethan is still staying with Zooey in a house near a beach. He's setting up a Christmas tree (after thinking he wouldn't live to see Christmas), and we hear him talking to Tina, saying there have been bad days, but they are still trying to keep their relationship well. Tina arrives in person, and Ethan acknowledges to her that he hasn't always been there for her and Zooey like he should have been. Zooey comes up to invite her mom in so Ethan can make them hot chocolate. Ethan goes into another room while Tina and Zooey sit together. She asks her mom if Ethan is going to stick around now. Meanwhile, Ethan finds a box with a large syringe and a note from Vivi wishing him a Merry Christmas. She has given him the drug so he can continue to live some more as well as spend time with his family. In the distance, Vivi stands watching the family in their home.

Review: Continuing my plan to watch every movie in Kevin Costner's filmography in order I come to 2014's three days to kill.Plot In A Paragraph: Ethan Renner (KC) an estranged father, with limited time to live, desperately tries to reconnect with his estranged wife and daughter before his death.
3 Days to Kill began with some promise and I was enjoying Kevin Costner's lead action role, but that feeling didn't last too long once the action scenes and comedy became repetitive.
The screenplay was weak, Costner's character kept on having ridiculous blackouts during every climactic scene, the father daughter relationship problems that tried to play out as a comedy were repetitive, and the villains never felt menacing.
The only positive thing about 3 Days to Kill were the action scenes and Kevin Costner's star power.
3 Days to Kill opens with a scene at the CIA headquarters where Agent Vivi (Amber Heard) is given an assignment to hunt down a terrorist known as The Wolf (Richard Sammel).
In order to spend more time with his family, he accepts, but balancing out work and family proves to be a very difficult task.I was glad that Kevin Costner got a lead action role and I thought he was pretty solid despite the weak character he was given.
Kevin Costner and cast make a good thriller/drama/part-comedy in 3 Days to Kill.
This movie tries to be many things; its mostly an action film but also plays heavily into the family drama while throwing in some dark comedy too, all with mixed results.The somewhat recycled story follows Kevin Costner as a gruff ex secret service agent who after being told has just 3 months to live sets out on that infamous "one last mission" in exchange for an experimental drug that will save his life.
This last job just happens to take place with he also tasked with looking after his estranged teenage daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) after his ex wife (conveniently) has to leave town.The action storyline is quite good though thanks to Luc Besson; decent stunts, tons of broken glass and bullet riddled bodies, and Costner gets the job done -Liam Neeson style-.
I'm not quite sure what this movie set out to be - a serious CIA thriller, another Bourne/Reacher/Ryan attempt to achieve what James Bond achieved and spawn a remarkable franchise, or a slapstick comedy that didn't take itself too seriously, but enjoyed the thrill of action and explosions in the manner that films such as Die Hard, Mr and Mrs Smith or by Mcg himself, This Means War did.
Not quite action, not quite spy thriller, not quite comedy, and so many botched attempts at sentimentality that it becomes almost soap operaish in it's execution.A solid performance by Kevin Costner, who's gone along the lines of Liam Neeson in perfecting the senior bad ass role, but even Costner wasn't enough to give this film plausability.
I didn't know what to exactly expect from 3 Days to Kill, a film produced by Luc Besson and directed by McG.
I know that many people hated the frantic style McG used to employ (I personally liked it), but it would have brought some life to 3 Days to Kill, avoiding it from being a pathetic collection of clichés, completely anonymous and without any energy..
A terminally ill former CIA agent is given one last assignment in exchange for an experimental hallucinogenic drug that may extend his life, and he struggles to reconnect with his teenage daughter with the time he has left.I know what you're thinking: this is a Nicolas Cage action movie.
Indeed Heard's costume changes are a metaphor for the film itself, which doesn't seem to know whether it is a comedy (in which case it fails), an action thriller (which is far too long and not too thrilling), a romance (without much spark by anyone), or just a plain family adventure (with too much violence).Luc Besson provided the story and the screenplay.
I don't know what Kevin Costner was thinking, or how Luc Besson's name got attached to this movie.
At times, the movie is so poorly directed (and acted) that you can't believe that Costner would allow something like this to be put on film.
Kevin Costner delivers a Nicholas cage in "3 days to kill" .shittiest of his lot...even direction by McG couldn't save it.The story is so predictable right from the start that it takes all the fun out of everything.
We can't understand why this movie has such a low rating – it's Luc Besson writing & humour at its most entertaining and Costner – like fine wine – gets better with age – is just great – no flab – it's kinda like Taken but with a few home truths (which came later with Taken.) If you want a bit of thriller entertainment of an evening, this does it for us..
This story failed to depict Ethan (Costner) as having any kind of genuine relationship with his wife, daughter or spook colleagues.Other than the usual shoot-em-up action scenes in which random bullets always find the bad guys, the terminally ill hero Ethan came across as a sick, boring has-been who allowed himself to be cowed and manipulated by a sadistic CIA agent, Vivi, who came as close to being a dominatrix without actually being one (I think).
The filming and angles I thought where great and in some cases extremely difficult, although in this day and age, anything can be done on a computer.All in all this will appeal to those who like a Spy Thriller, a Family movie, bit do not expect this to be XXX or one of the latest James Bond movies.
you are going for one of the worst movies everKevin Costner career lowest point i don't cant even imagine how Luc Besson associate his name hereall the plot the misenscene, the action, is lame to say the least, and is not crediblei was surprised to see the average review of IMDb's users which is misleading considering the relative high standard the users normally showmovie to avoid clearly.
Costner wears the role of action hero incredibly well and is easily the reason why this film is such a great movie, the flow of the film can be a tad convoluted at times but Costner's steady presence saves the movie and easily makes it likely to be one of the better films of the first quarter of 2014.
When the opening scene introduced the bad guys as "the Wolf" and "the Albino" and the super spy assigned to catch them looked like she would need a fake ID to get into a bar, I thought uh oh, this can't be good.
Amber Heard's character is as stunning as she is silly.The bad guys are not scary or threatening.Lots more to laugh at, but all in all, a couple of good action sequences and the fact that I enjoy Costner made me give this film a 3 instead of a 1..
When I heard of 3 Days To Kill coming out I wasn't to sureof how good or bad it was going to be,I heard Costner was playing the lead role as a CIA agent not exactly his normal role as we all know.But do not let that turn you away from a good action film Costner portrays his character brilliantly its far from the worst film I have ever seen, its not the best either.Its worth watching it is enjoyable.If you like Action or Spy genre movies you will like this have a look you may be surprised..
3 days to kill has a loose story, characters are completely one dimensional, and there is no character development at all, the premise is ridiculous and the movie is so full of clichés (divorced wife of a government agent, alienated daughter, that "last job" that's interfering with family affairs, high speed car chase with ample camera time of shifting manual gears, the Peugeot is slower yet it is catching up with a faster car, and being the much lighter one, can also easily push it off a bridge???) it's just a shame.
So instead you end up with a 2 hour movie that is so boring you won't remember it in a few days (maybe 3 days *wink wink*).Full Review:3 Days to Kill, is a McG directed "action" film starring Kevin Costner, Hailee Steinfeld, and Amber Heard.
Films like Taxi and The Family (both also written by Besson) have exactly the same sense of humour - which is not exactly universal.Yet 3 Days To Kill is ultimately let down by an indecision of what it wants to be.
A wannabe Crank and I don't know who in their right mind would want to imitate such a horrible film.It bounced back and forth between Transporter like action and Taken drama except in this film the daughter hates him and the wife is extra dramatic because he's in the CIA.
personally l think the film was better than l thought ,when things got a bit serious, along can a phone call from his daughter and its makes the film funny too, as most of the ordnance laugh when the phone rand (music ) all up l enjoyed the film, like all spy films their is a good plot, car chase,s but l found that when the cars crash ,no air bags went off ,'strange' and the drug they give him has some funny side affects, which had you on the edge of your seat, most of the film time, like James bond films he is the main creator, and keeps the film ticking along once again see it your self and you will come out with a grin on your face !!!!!!.
The story centers around Ethan Renner, (Kevin Costner) a man who has spent his entire life killing people for the CIA.
The whole film was more like Uncle Buck than an action movie, though Kostner does manage to kill quite a few baddies with a hand gun while they constantly miss him with their machine guns.All the was through I was confronted with ridiculous clichés.
Kevin Costner as terminally ill CIA agent Ethan is excellent (he is aging deliciously, not unlike a fine wine), Hailee Steinfeld as his teenage daughter Zooey has an Ellen Page toughness/vulnerability that is very appealing, Amber Heard as CIA agent Vivi is wacky, scary and sexy, and Connie Nielsen is spot on as Ethan's estranged wife.
The action is very boring and there are just way too many subplots that really go no where and distract from the story.Overall this is a waste of Costner, who should at this point in his career being picking better movies then this and is sadly just very forgettable.2 Beards Out Of 5.
Kevin Costner back in a semi comic gray fox action movie, with a hint of "Taken" - whats not to like.
Costner is great :DAll sets in Paris, an cia-like agent going into retirement fighting cancer, disconnected from his family, chasing a criminal and still keeping his cool - this goes for a fine movie for fans of Costner and the light fast pace action movies that dares to be a bit funny.Good picture, not to much cliché dialogue, and a story that develops good - good fight scenes, car stunts and all the stuff we like :DPeople will think of Taken, From Paris with love, Body guard...
He decides to use his remaining time to build bridges with his estranged daughter Zooey (Hailee Steinfeld), only to find himself approached by seductive agent Vivi (Amber Heard), who promises to offer him an experimental new drug that could save his life, if he uses his skills to systematically illuminate notorious terrorist The Wolf (Richard Sammel), and his henchmen.Kevin Costner is one of the more divided of the all time Hollywood A listers.
And now we find him in this straight-forward, formulaic action yarn that promises to get from A to B without much fuss.Or, at least it does, up to a point, when, whilst roughing up the villain's limo driver, what appears to be comic relief intervenes, and Costner begins a gushy foray in to sentimental, sappy family bonding drama, with his daughter showing him how out of touch he is with technology, and teaching her to ride a bike, which ends up over-powering the main crux of the terrorist hunting story.
Writer Luc Besson managed to blend emotional drama and pulse pounding action to splendid effect in Leon, but he totally fails to strike the balance here, and the result is a film that seems to be offering something forgettable but fun, that ends up going in a totally different direction to what you want.
Its Kevin Costner's attempt to do a Liam Neeson playing a tough, veteran action man, here a CIA operative who finds that he has not long to live.The film opens with CIA operative Vivi (Amber Heard) given an assignment to hunt down a terrorist known as The Wolf.
Then we have the sub plot of Costner spending time with his daughter which detracts us from the film, we even have some comedy with some of the bad guys and Luc Besson gives us another instalment of Taken outtakes.
3 Days to Kill turns out to be an annoying story wherein Kevin Costner, each time he's about to duct-tape some guy's mouth shut, must stop to answer his cell phone.
The carrot on a stick is an experimental drug that could cure him, which a very badly cast CIA boss (who has more legs than brains) uses to pressure him into taking the assignment; (a bit like rewarding a circus animal after they perform a trick/routine); and as is typical of this type of action movie, he kills a lot of other people (baddies along the way, never missing on his first shot, while all the baddies never hit their target.
The professional level of execution of the story telling, good acting with a cast which aside Costner also includes another semi-comeback by Connie Nielsen, a touch of humor which makes the violence on screen palatable, the background of Paris which always looks well - all these are actually the setting for the family melodrama which simply works.
The cast also includes good performances by Hailee Steinfeld (in the role of the teenage daughter, she actually has an impressive acting record although she was just around 18 when the film was made) and Marc Andréoni.We can ask for more, of course, but for this summer day it was the good entertainment I needed..
Written by Luc Besson, directed by McG ("Terminator 4"), starring Kevin Costner (yeah, apparently he's still alive) and taking place in Paris.This is a weird combination of serious action and comedy.
In any case, you'll have to suspend your disbelief and not take the movie too seriously if you want to enjoy it.Costner is actually pretty good in his role.
There's not much originality in the story line or the characters, which seem like they were lifted from a hundred other movies, but what set this film apart is the fun sense of humor that runs through it.
Usually in a cliché movie such as this, there are some good action scenes that make it worth watching.
Far better performances are given by Hailee Steinfeld as Zoey Renner and Tómas Lemarquis as The Albino.The script is okay, with clichés and predictable moments, but thanks to Luc Besson, it is mostly catchy to watch, particularly chases and shootings which are much more successful than the romantic parent line in the story.
a fun film with distinct features of a Luc Besson movie - the jokes, the setting, characters, funny situations..all mixed into a crazy story with a signature which is immediately recognizable.i think that a fully french movie might've been even a better take, kevin costner puts a little too much gravity and seriousness to his role, as if he cannot let go and play a killer that has also absurd features at times.this movie has a bit of everything in it - thriller, family drama, comedy, love, more comedy etc.had fun watching it, so hope you have fun as well.
Yes, we can safely say that this mishmash of action, comedy and family drama is hardly going to be the shot in the arm that will do for Costner's career what 'Taken' did for Neeson - and that is despite the obvious thematic similarity in the father-daughter dynamics between the two films.
(end spoiler alert)Working in the illegal immigrant squatter thing, and the bizarre French laws surrounding that was just one of many Besson-style story arcs that he has been spinning into his inimitable action adventure films from the get go.Overall, for Costner and all parties involved, especially if you happen to be a guy like me, this is a much better film than the yawning "Draft Day." And it won't feel like it took three days to watch it, or just killing time..
Director McG teams up with a grizzled Kevin Costner and a story by French populist Luc Besson for a terrific collision of action, family drama and nutty humour..
It bring nothing new to this genre and is obviously full of clichés, However I actually did enjoy the movie which certainly is the aim of this film.I like Kevin Costner, his charm is always working in this genre.
Plus points is definitely the acting of Costner(not his best- at times looked a bit bored), his daugther, Hailee Stanfield is superb(definitely the highlight and centre)as well as a good turn by Connie Nielsen.Amber Heard's character is too over the top and a stereo type that hurt the credibility of the film, although the movie is not supposed to be too serious..
Action-Packed, Crisp & Entertaining at most parts, '3 Days to Kill' is a winner for its genre, with an Engrossing Performance by Kevin Costner.