Blu-ray Review: 3 Days to Kill (2014)

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In an ever-expanding filmography ranging from Transporter to Taken and dozens of entries in between, Leon: The Professional helmer Luc Besson has proven that he has a seemingly endless supply of movie ideas.

Primarily set in his native Paris, Besson scripts typically center around middle-aged action heroes (often played by the A-list headliners from Hollywood blockbusters of decades past) with enviable sets of James Bond-worthy skills they're forced to employ to protect the women in their lives from current to estranged lovers, wives, daughters and others in between.

Amazingly prolific and frequently profitable, it’s almost as if Besson has crafted some sort of personally attuned B-movie plot generator that allows him to switch out a discerning characteristic, backstory or random subplot to ensure that each title differs ever so slightly from one to the next.

And while audiences have been happy to overlook the messy contrivances of past works for the sake of good old fashioned popcorn movie entertainment, unfortunately, his latest offering 3 Days to Kill feels as fresh as microwave popcorn that's been reheated a number of times.

From its illogical cut-and-paste style screenplay that serves up a new variation of a Besson B-movie plot with each passing scene – changing its storyline and tone at least four times within the very first act alone – to its sloppy production values, it's big budget trash of the highest order.

Combining too many half-baked narrative ingredients with the ever-evolving characterizations of an unlikable cast of characters that grow increasingly bizarre as the film continues – like a recipe that’s been reconfigured multiple times, it’s no wonder when the messy soufflé that is 3 Days to Kill falls flat.

One of the biggest problems is that the film tries telling so many stories at the same time that it loses sight of what actually made it compelling in the first place, which is arguably its strongest plotline about an over-the-hill former CIA operative who's faced with a final mission that will determine whether or not he receives the life-saving medical treatment he needs to fight another day.

Needless to say, it’s a disappointing choice for a comeback film for the always affable Kevin Costner and his disenchantment with the work is easily decipherable given his lack of enthusiasm that permeates from start to finish as he sleepwalks through this uninspired tale.

And while usually La Femme Nikita mastermind Besson has a gift for writing women, 3 Days is bogged down by too many unpleasant female characters including Amber Heard's sexually aggressive CIA handler who feels like she's walked into the frame directly after being kicked off the set of a Tarantino 2 Days in the Valley style ripoff.

Furthermore, the immediacy of the killer plot hook is diluted with a generic subplot wherein Costner's walking midlife crisis tries to make amends with his estranged (and incredibly strange) teenage daughter played by Hailee Steinfeld.

Had it been pared down to its essence, 3 Days to Kill could've been a taut, efficient, fast paced thriller with primal life or death stakes but the clever idea hatched by Besson and his From Paris With Love collaborator Adi Hasak is lost in the shuffle of director McG's overlong and overcrowded production. 

Underwhelming and irritating all around, in the end Besson's latest B-movie brainchild is actually bested by another topically similar recent B-movie in the form of the Aaron Eckhart thriller Erased (from helmer Philipp Stölzl), which manages to serve up a terrific balance of father/daughter bonding and operative on the run thrills.

While it isn't enough to erase your memory of 3 Days or get rid of the taste of over-popped movie popcorn that the overdone overkill of Kill left behind, Erased is still the smarter choice in escapist European espionage fare of the Besson inspired kind.

Text ©2014, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

Film Intuition Contest Announcement: Win 20th Century Fox's Home on Blu-ray

Deadline:
Sunday, June 14 (Midnight EST)

Rules:

Open to All Readers with the Ability to Play Region 1 Blu-ray Discs. Two winners will be chosen at random from the entries received via our official entry form you can find here The winners will be notified via e-mail following the deadline.

Details:

A Fascinating And Enlightening Look At The Unshakable Bond Between Humans And Earth, Narrated By Oscar® Nominee Glenn Close, Debuts On Blu-ray And DVD June 5th From 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment: Specially Timed For World Environment Day As The First-Time Ever Simultaneous, World-Wide, All Format Release.

Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand will be broadcast in the US on June 5th at 9pm ET/PT exclusively on the National Geographic Channel, as part of the film's global premiere in conjunction with World Environmental Day.

Synopsis:

It’s too late… to be a pessimist when the inspirational, informative and breathtaking documentary, Home soars onto Blu-ray and DVD June 5, World Environmental Day, from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Directed by internationally renowned French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, produced by world famous director Luc Besson and narrated by five-time Academy Award® nominee Glenn Close (Dangerous Liaisons), Home aims to change the way people see the planet and their impact on it. Shot in high definition in 54 countries and 120 locations over 217 days, the unique and first-time ever all-aerial filming style highlights the Earth’s wonders as well as its wounds and provides a necessary perspective to approach the changing environment.

In 200,000 years on Earth, humanity has upset the balance of the planet, established by nearly four billion years of evolution. The price to pay is high as humankind has barely ten years to reverse the trend, become aware of the full extent of the Earth’s riches and change its patterns of consumption. Following in the tradition of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, Home sets out to shift people’s perceptions, inspire action and lay a foundation for the edifice that must be rebuilt.

More than a movie, Home will be a major event all over the globe; for the first-time ever, a film will be released in every format, including in movie theaters, on television, DVD/Blu-ray Disc and the internet, on the same day in over 50 countries to reach the widest audience possible.

Blu-ray Specs:

The Home Blu-ray Disc is presented in widescreen format (1.78:1 aspect ratio) and features English 5.1 DTS HD-MA and French 5.1 Dolby Digital audio.



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Blu-ray Review: Taken (2009) -- Extended Cut 2 Discs Includes Digital Copy

Now Available on DVD & Blu-ray

An Introduction

While it's quite rare to find an action movie with such emotional depth-- it only takes a few moments of witnessing Liam Neeson's pitch-perfect, understated performance to realize that it's his take on the Taken character that has made director Pierre Morel's film one of the most surprising and strongest works so far in 2009.

Admittedly, seeing Neeson's extraordinary turn as a man desperately trying to reconnect with his daughter and then find her when she's taken-- since he'd sacrifice anything for a loved one-- makes the film all the more emotionally heartrending on DVD and Blu-ray. For when the movie debuted, Neeson became an overnight thinking man's action hero to theatre goers around the globe but now, his pain throughout the movie is quite searing as it's augmented in the minds of viewers who are still shaken by Neeson's real-life, devastating tragedy in the recent loss of his beautiful, talented wife and mother to his children-- Ms. Natasha Richardson.

Of course, it's an important critical aspect to separate the work from an actor's personal life but I admit it's quite hard given the subject matter of Taken yet above all Neeson's humanity and integrity shines through. And in the film, he hits us on a level we didn't quite expect in a work in which I was shocked to discover the actor did a majority of his own stunts but before I analyze the Blu-ray's extras and features, I'll start it off by posting my original theatrical review below for your convenience (so you don't have to jump from screen to screen).

Original Theatrical Review

In 2004 when David Mamet tackled female human trafficking with the underrated Val Kilmer thriller Spartan (which benefited zero from the forgettable title as for years I've had to remind others, "yes, you really did see that movie"), he did so with his trademark "all talk" and very little action.
However, when you give the same premise to the gang responsible for turning Jason Statham into a critic proof walking video game character in The Transporter, anyone-- even soft-spoken Liam Neeson from Nell and Kinsey-- can go all Schwarzenegger on everybody's ass quicker than you can say "action."

The film's premise is as straightforward as its effective Death Wish era Charles Bronson-esque poster and chilling trailer. Or, for the uninitiated-- here's the Cliff's Notes-- retired CIA operative Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) who had quit his gig to make up for lost time in his daughter's life finds himself blending the two in unimaginable ways after the seventeen year old girl and her best friend disappear from Paris, shortly after their arrival when abducted by a group of Albanian sex-traffickers.
In a horrifying scene played with intense calm, Brian morphs from concerned and overprotective father to black-ops agent right before our eyes when-- while chatting on the cell phone with Kim (Maggie Grace)-- intruders invade the apartment and he instructs her to hide, asking detailed questions until he must give her the news that ultimately she will be taken.

When a different voice breathes into the phone, Mills delivers a cool warning that he will hunt him down to exact murderous revenge unless his daughter is released, to which the then unseen captor chides, "Good luck."

Realizing he has ninety-six hours to get to Paris and find her before she falls through the cracks of the international human smuggling black market, Neeson's Mills goes into stealth mode, willing to hot-wire vehicles, torture, shoot civilians to get information, until he gains enough tips for an ultimate showdown.

Perpetually missing Kim by moments in an underworld maze filled with inhumane horrors, we're led into the seedy underbelly of the City of Lights in this action-packed and fast paced thriller that doesn't bother with subplot or added complexity, just succeeding in the same Transporter-like "man on a mission" formula by strapping us in and not letting go.
Sharply edited by Frederic Thoraval who had chopped together the film's producer and co-writer Luc Besson's Angel-A and lensed by cinematographer Michel Abramowicz--Professional and La Femme Nikita writer/director Luc Besson collaborated once again with his Professional, The Fifth Element, Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon Hollywood scripter Robert Mark Kamen (who also penned A Walk in the Clouds, Lethal Weapon 3, and The Devil's Own). And in bringing everyone together once again, they graduated the cinematographer of Besson's previous Jet Li film Unleashed-- Pierre Morel-- to direct.
While it excels as an air-tight if predictable thriller thanks to a transformative turn by Neeson who will never be mistaken for a foreign art-house actor again (and definitely makes up for his involvement in the horrific new Star Wars films), Taken is also ratcheted up countless notches by its first-rate behind-the-scenes talent-- most notably the score composed by Nathaniel Mechaly which has you tapping your feet and nodding your head, elevating your blood pressure along with Neeson's as he storms through the Parisian streets to track down his daughter. Just don't attempt to get in his way... unless your name is Jason Statham.

The Blu-ray

True to form for Fox Blu-ray-- the quality of Taken's transfer is superlative. Much like Disney, Fox has managed to perfect the art of Blu-ray in a way that not only presents the absolute best reproduction of the film in the 1080 high definition digital pixels but also somehow manages to ensure that viewers will receive the most satisfying display and sound, regardless of their screen size or speaker set-up.

In a refreshing change in a world of some hurried Blu-rays where my volume lunges near 65 to make out the dialogue before explosions and music nearly blast me out of the chair-- the mixes from Fox have been consistently first rate. In fact, when I first made the switch to Blu-ray and was testing out the player simply on my computer, I was less than impressed by the muddied colors and artifacting I witnessed in a competitive studio's new release (which shall go nameless) and-- wanting to make sure the upgrade was worth it-- I went out and rented a plethora of discs and as soon as I checked out Fox's Transporter 2, I knew I'd become a Blu-ray convert.

Taken's Blu-ray offers two versions of the film-- the theatrical release and the unrated extended version but being that the extended version only extends the story for roughly three minutes, there's nothing overly significant about the newer cut.

Taking a cue from video games and perhaps understandably realizing a good majority of its target audience would be teenage boys playing the Blu-ray on their equipped Playstations-- the Blu-ray offers one of the coolest video game/internet style pop-ups around throughout the disc as you're able to select watching the film in Black Ops Field Manual mode.

Complete with a clock that begins running down the 96 hours Neeson has to find his daughter as well as a distance traveled meter and the number of individuals killed or injured-- it also manages to work in GPS Google Maps like images to show us exactly where a scene is taking place-- making the viewer feel as though they're on the Commando style mission with Neeson.

Stunt junkies can get their fix on the Inside Action side-by-side segments (or actually a top and bottom screen) that shows the difference between what ends up cut together and polished in the movie and how it was all shot in reality, noting the changes in light and darkness as perhaps a filter was used to make the film appear grayer.

Also included on the disc are the typically format-friendly features including premiere footage and two separate commentary tracks in two different languages as the filmmakers all speak French and the co-writer Robert Mark Kamen speaks English. However, while most making-of-the-film featurettes are largely ho-hum, Taken's was an exception as I was fascinated by the rapid pacing and decision making of Morel (who speaks in French throughout) as those involved discuss the challenges and style of the movie.

It also offers some interesting pieces of information about the actors' process for example by informing viewers how Neeson manged to nail that initial phone call wherein his daughter (played by Lost's Maggie Grace) is taken as it's revealed that the actress flew out to film her side of the conversation unseen in a room next door, screaming for real so that his reaction was far more intense.

Additionally, as a fan of cinematography, I also discovered some cool aspects about the film I'd missed the first time around. With former Luc Besson camera man Morel doing both his own photography as well as directing, he knew exactly what he wanted at all times. Speaking of his take on the look of the movie, he says that the camera translates the action from the start as it's illustrated in the scenes that occur in America the camera doesn't move since things are in balance in Neeson's life. However, once he arrives in Paris, our hero has declared war on the kidnappers and the camera's quick speed and movement helps heighten the tension considerably.

Laughing that since Bourne Supremacy's excellent car chase, they knew they had their work cut out for them in trying to top it, Morel decided that in Taken, he would make the car chase scene even faster, double the danger by setting it at night, and ensure there were no crashes (well, onscreen at least).

Also boasting a digital copy of the unrated extended version of the film you can quickly download onto your compatible portable decices (that works on both Apple and PC)-- while it's hard to imagine wanting to view the film in anything less than high definition, it's a wonderful bonus for fans who find themselves taken with Taken and want to bring it along with them.

Visually dynamic throughout with extreme clarity running from left to right in each frame-- which is saying something since a majority of the picture takes place at night-- Fox's 2-Disc edition of Taken is further proof that they have this format down solid and are now beginning to expand on it even more by offering those cool bonus features like Black Ops (which also includes pop up facts about the situations and technical issues involved in the pursuit logistics-wise).

A must-add to your Blu-ray library and a refreshingly smart, emotionally arresting action movie (and one of the standouts of '09)-- this Blu-ray is proof that every once in awhile it's okay to let yourself get Taken... by the film that is.

Taken (2009)

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From Star Wars' Qui-Gon Jinn to The Transporter?

In 2004 when David Mamet tackled female human trafficking with the underrated Val Kilmer thriller Spartan (which benefited zero from the forgettable title as for years I've had to remind others, "yes, you really did see that movie"), he did so with his trademark "all talk" and very little action.

However, when you give the same premise to the gang responsible for turning Jason Statham into a critic proof walking video game character in The Transporter, anyone-- even soft-spoken Liam Neeson from Nell and Kinsey-- can go all Schwarzenegger on everybody's ass quicker than you can say "action."

The film's premise is as straightforward as its effective Death Wish era Charles Bronson-esque poster and chilling trailer. Or, for the uninitiated-- here's the Cliff's Notes-- retired CIA operative Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) who had quit his gig to make up for lost time in his daughter's life finds himself blending the two in unimaginable ways after the seventeen year old girl and her best friend disappear from Paris, shortly after their arrival when abducted by a group of Albanian sex-traffickers.

In a horrifying scene played with intense calm, Brian morphs from concerned and overprotective father to black-ops agent right before our eyes when-- while chatting on the cell phone with Kim (Maggie Grace)-- intruders invade the apartment and he instructs her to hide, asking detailed questions until he must give her the news that ultimately she will be taken.

When a different voice breathes into the phone, Mills delivers a cool warning that he will hunt him down to exact murderous revenge unless his daughter is released, to which the then unseen captor chides, "Good luck."

Realizing he has ninety-six hours to get to Paris and find her before she falls through the cracks of the international human smuggling black market, Neeson's Mills goes into stealth mode, willing to hot-wire vehicles, torture, shoot civilians to get information, until he gains enough tips for an ultimate showdown.

Perpetually missing Kim by moments in an underworld maze filled with inhumane horrors, we're led into the seedy underbelly of the City of Lights in this action-packed and fast paced thriller that doesn't bother with subplot or added complexity, just succeeding in the same Transporter-like "man on a mission" formula by strapping us in and not letting go.

Sharply edited by Frederic Thoraval who had chopped together the film's producer and co-writer Luc Besson's Angel-A and lensed by cinematographer Michel Abramowicz--Professional and La Femme Nikita writer/director Luc Besson collaborated once again with his Professional, The Fifth Element, Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon Hollywood scripter Robert Mark Kamen (who also penned A Walk in the Clouds, Lethal Weapon 3, and The Devil's Own). And in bringing everyone together once again, they graduated the cinematographer of Besson's previous Jet Li film Unleashed-- Pierre Morel-- to direct.

While it excels as an air-tight if predictable thriller thanks to a transformative turn by Neeson who will never be mistaken for a foreign art-house actor again (and definitely makes up for his involvement in the horrific new Star Wars films), Taken is also ratcheted up countless notches by its first-rate behind-the-scenes talent-- most notably the score composed by Nathaniel Mechaly which has you tapping your feet and nodding your head, elevating your blood pressure along with Neeson's as he storms through the Parisian streets to track down his daughter. Just don't attempt to get in his way... unless your name is Jason Statham.

Love and Other Disasters

Director: Alek Keshishian

In order to try and battle what Breakfast at Tiffany’s heroine Holly Golightly would call “the mean reds” of writing traditional romantic comedy, writer/director Alek Keshishian borrows heavily from not only Tiffany’s but also British romantic comedies of the past for the David Fincher and Luc Besson produced Love and Other Disasters.

For his own version of Golightly, Keshishian casts the charismatically affable, brunette beauty Brittany Murphy as “Jacks” (real name Emily Jackson) in a role that demands his actress channel both Golightly as well as the woman who personified her, the legendary Audrey Hepburn. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, initially, Murphy’s characterization feels like an academic acting school exercise (at best) and a blithe parody (at worst) but soon enough, she wins us over. Much like the Clueless heroine Cher, played by Murphy’s costar Alicia Silverstone in director Amy Heckerling’s modern version of Jane Austen’s Emma, Murphy’s Jacks is a matchmaker gone wild.

Trying her best to keep everything running swimmingly, the perpetually rushed Jacks treats life as a never-ending party where as the “hostess” she must always ensure the guests are having the most wonderful time. And in doing so she often places the self-created dramas and romantic complications of her friends far above taking stock of things in her own chaotically fast-paced life where there’s barley enough hours in the day.

When she isn’t shagging James (Elliot Cowan), her formerly long-term, currently ex-boyfriend who just can’t seem to rebound from the fact that his love is one-sided, Jacks bonds with-- as Kathy Griffin would call-- her “main gay,” a.k.a. her endlessly supportive roommate Peter Simon (Matthew Rhys). Although aside from Peter, Jacks’ stable of friends are more irritating than winning. This is especially apparent in an extremely annoying and cringe-worthy performance by Catherine Tate as the Sylvia Plath wannabe Talullah who seems to have wandered in after being rejected from the set of either Notting Hill or Love Actually.

However, amidst juggling all of friends’ romantic subplots, Jacks is surprised to find herself enchanted by a new Argentinean colleague, Paolo (Santiago Cabrera). After confidently declaring that she has the best gaydar in the city, Jacks erroneously decides to fix her new acquaintance up with Peter. Of course, all the while the audience realizes she's mistaken Paolo’s intense looks, flirtatious compliments, and attentiveness as merely friendly when in fact Paolo has fallen in love with our flighty heroine.

If it all sounds complicated it is, and the ambitious Lebanese born, Harvard-educated filmmaker Keshishian (most famous for helming Madonna: Truth or Dare) naively tries to squeeze in far too many characters and situations into his film’s brief running time. And while at times the Tiffany’s homage feels overly forced as he unsuccessfully gives Jacks a misguided Golightly-esque catchphrase of calling cherished friends “babies,” it’s an interesting take on the original material.

In fact, it gamely acknowledges that the film version of Tiffany’s took the homosexual male character from the book and repacked him for straight audiences as a heterosexual in traditional romantic comedy fashion. Thereby, Keshishian uses his own lighthearted romp as an unlikely commentary on the decision by having loads of fun with sexual orientation misunderstandings in our contemporary era.

A beautiful and harmless trifle, Love’s carefree blend of sass and soap suds calls to mind the guilty pleasure of watching the superior CW soap Gossip Girl, but much like Gossip, it’s one of those experiences you may plead the fifth on if asked if you're a fan when in snobbish society.

Unfortunately, Keshishian’s attempt is muddled by superfluity as one feels a strong urge to reach for the “fast-forward” button whenever the obnoxious Talullah along with a few other annoying characters appear onscreen. However the chaos does serve an important purpose in augmenting Jacks and inviting viewers to identify with her a bit more than we could with Hepburn’s Golightly.

For instead of Tiffany’s diamonds, in the twenty-first century, multi-tasking is a girl’s best friend and it serves Jacks well in her self-described position as “a superficial assistant at a major fashion magazine,” namely the London branch of Vogue. Although, unlike Anne Hathaway’s discovery that in the fashion world, The Devil Wears Prada, Jacks puts her work—much like her own needs—on the back burner. And instead navigating the Golightly terrain of “rats and super-rats,” she predictably discovers that ultimately she must stop hiding behind luxury products, eccentric “artist” friends, and haute couture to let down her own guard long enough to fall in love.

Wrapping up the work utilizing the rarely beneficial screenwriting favorite "film-within-a-film" approach, much like Jacks, Keshishian called on the support of friends by serving up Gwyneth Paltrow and Orlando Bloom in an unnecessary concluding cameo that jars the whimsical tone and calls far too much attention to itself. Still, with an irresistible turn by Murphy, uniformly excellent work by Rhys, and a nice change of pace for gorgeous Heroes star Santiago Cabrera, one finds that in the end this Love is far from a total disaster.