“3 Days To Kill” is an exceptionally crafted film in its visual style, exciting story and relatable cast. It is an action-comedy, not like “Red” or “Cop Out”, but more along the lines of ironic comedy associated with violence, similar to “The Family.” The comedy, however, does not detract from the suspense or action of the film.

The movie follows CIA field agent, Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner), who learns he is terminally ill. His illness causes him to fail on his current assignment, and also leads him to decide to retire. He wants to reconnect with his daughter before he passes, so he heads to Paris to do just that.

Upon his arrival, he promises his ex-wife that he is done with the CIA. The problem: his targets from the assignment he failed, the albino and the wolf, are in Paris, and the CIA wants him to finish the job. He declines at first, but ultimately accepts when one of the top agents offers an experimental drug that could give him more time with his daughter in exchange for his services. Oh, and he has three days to do the job.

The rest of the film follows Renner as he tries to balance reconnecting with his daughter and completing his final job for the CIA. Along the way, he meets criminals of all kinds, from squatters to the albino’s driver, who all help him to reconnect with his ex-wife and especially his daughter. This concept of creating this balancing act is genius. It also creates some ironic comedy, as Renner asks the criminals for both information and help with his teenage daughter.

The story is exciting, funny, and relatable. A complete balance, just as Renner has to find a balance in his life. It was written by Luc Besson and Adi Hasak. Besson’s style is prominent throughout the film. He is known for bringing relatable tough-guy lead characters to the big screen including “Taken” and “The Family”. These characters are exceptionally violent, yet we root for them. Family is key. Besson’s movies usually have family tied to the story. Ethan Renner, Bryan Mills (Taken) and Giovanni Manzoni (The Family) all are out to protect and relate to their families.

“3 Days To Kill” was directed by Joseph McGinty “McG” Nichol. He is known for directing “Charlie’s Angels”, “Terminator Salvation” and “We Are Marshall”. He has a track record for mixing action and comedy, especially in “Charlie’s Angels” and “This Means War”.

Both McG and Busson contribute to the visual appeal of the film. The choice of using camera angles and fast cuts during action scenes to create suspense juxtaposed with a lack of camera movement and angles during scenes when Renner is either with or talking about his daughter accentuates the difficulty for Renner to balance his two lives. Also, distorting the camera during times when Renner’s illness is heavily affecting him gives us a sense of his struggle.

Kevin Costner plays Ethan Renner; a step back, but not completely away, from his usual dramatic roles. He is entirely believable in an action role, especially coupled with a new mission to reconnect with his daughter. Renner’s daughter is played by Hailee Steinfeld, who at the young age of 13, was nominated for an Oscar for her role in “True Grit”, a remake of a dramatic western. She easily connects to the teenage audience and with parents who are also struggling to connect with moody teens.

Amber Heard lends her acting talents to play Vivi Delay, a top CIA agent. She does a fine job of contrasting the old-school agent in Renner. She is more obsessed with looks and being a cool spy than with doing things with as little collateral damage as possible or worrying about life outside of being an assassin. She comes to understand Renner’s viewpoint.

Renner’s two targets, the albino and the wolf, are played by Tomas Lemarquis and Richard Sammel respectively. Neither are very famous, though Sammel did have appearances in “Casino Royale” and “Inglorious Bastards” as an antagonist in both films.

The film ends with Renner spending what time he has left with his daughter, as one of my favorite songs, Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap, plays in the background. The song fits perfectly, as Renner is transitioning from a life of violence to a more sweet disposition; a man whose only objective is to make his daughter happy.

4.5/5