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The Next Three Days [Blu-ray]
(Paul Haggis, 2010)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Hwy61 Video: LionsGate
Disc: Region: 'A'-locked (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 2:13:08.814 Disc Size: 47,327,532,948 bytes Feature Size: 35,389,403,136 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.240 Mbps Chapters: 16 Case: Standard Blu-ray case inside cardboard slipcase Release date: March 8th, 2011
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 4430 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 4430 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles: English (SDH), English, Spanish, none
Extras: • Commentary by Paul Haggis, producer Michael Nozik and editor Jo Francis
• Making The Next Three Days (18:31 in 1080P)
Bitrate:
Description: Life seems perfect for John Brennan until his wife, Lara, is arrested for a murder she says she didn’t commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: to break his wife out of prison. Refusing to be deterred by impossible odds or his own inexperience, John devises an elaborate escape plot and plunges into a dangerous and unfamiliar world, ultimately risking everything for the woman he loves. Lionsgate presents a Hwy 61 Films / Lionsgate production. The Next Three Days stars Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Brian Dennehy, Olivia Wilde and Liam Neeson, and is directed by Paul Haggis from a screenplay by Paul Haggis. The Next Three Days is produced by Michael Nozik and Paul Haggis, and Olivier Delbosc and Marc Missonnier.
The Film: The Next Three Days, Paul Haggis' adaptation of the 2008 French film, Anything for Her, uses an interesting concept as a cornerstone of the foundation. Instead of employing a seasoned professional as the lead character of this heist thriller, the movie makes the protagonist a rank amateur. He's an everyman sort and, like any normal individual placed in this situation, he makes a lot of mistakes. Thrillers about break-ins (or, in this case, a breakout) often dwell on the brilliance of the plot, which can at times be Rube Goldberg-esque in its cleverness and complexity. That's not the case here, where instances of brilliance are offset by blunders. Unfortunately, attempts at "realism" are thwarted by an overreliance upon coincidence. Nevertheless, especially as the movie shifts into high gear during its final 30 minutes, The Next Three Days offers enough suspense to make it worth the price of admission. Excerpt from James Berardinell at ReelViews located HERE
Crowe is well cast in this slow-burner. He’s a thesaurus thespian, able
to move among looks of smouldering, brooding, wounded, determined,
dogged, hunted and haunted, where a lesser actor would employ a single
all-purpose stare. For 10 years now he’s built a career playing
characters that others underestimate at their peril — whistle-blower,
gladiator, boxer, Wild West robber, medieval outlaw — and teacher John
is no exception.
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The Next Three Days appears solidly detailed and pretty crisp on Blu-ray from Lions Gate. It seems to have a preponderance of earthy hues but contrast is quite strong. I like this image quite a lot. There is no noise or artifacts on the dual-layered transfer that has a very respectable bitrate. There is a bit of softness that I believe is inherent and, kind of, links to the existing textures of the visuals. Skin tones seem true and overall this is quite flawless providing the viewer with a consistently strong video presentation. This Blu-ray does its job very well and most will be very pleased with the 1080P appearance.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :The strong video may actually fall second to the bountiful and dynamic DTS-HD Master 7.1 at an intense 4430 kbps. There are some aggressive moments in the film and they are represented well by the lossless track. Danny Elfman's score is rich with deep violin orchestrations and many notable supportive moments that are wonderfully crisp and tight. This is all good on the audio-front with nothing at all to complain about and much to extoll. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : We are given an excellent 3-person commentary with director/writer Paul Haggis, producer Michael Nozik and editor Jo Francis. It covers a lot of ground and the participants gel well together in imparting information. Haggis is the cornerstone but the others give valuable insight as well. Then we get about a 1/2 hour's worth of 3 featurettes - a standard Making of with many of the cast and crew giving sound bytes, a shorter piece entitled The Men of The Next Three Days (Crowe, Neeson and Dennehy) and another called True Escapes for Love on some real amorous-based jail breaks. There are some brief Cast Moments, 8 Deleted, and 3 Extended, scenes. Actually there is quite a bit here to engage and some qualified effort was put into the supplements. Full marks.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze March 3rd, 2011
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About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
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