The Next Three Days

Writer/Director Paul Haggis ("Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby") puts us into the shoes of an everyman; except this guy's much-loved wife has been arrested and convicted of first degree murder and is in prison for life. Our hero is a teacher at a local community college and his six-year- old son is having trouble adjusting to life without Mom.

After all appeals have been exhausted, he reluctantly concludes that the only way to free her is a jailbreak. Now we watch an inordinately bright man start down a path for which he is inordinately ill prepared.

Here are the actors who subject us to action, suspense, and despite it all...doubt:

• Russell Crowe ("State of Play") allows us to see him THINK. His faith in his wife's innocence is unshakable and his determination to set her free is equally fierce.
• Elizabeth Banks ("W.") is the jailed wife and mother. Her character is going to be moved to another prison in The Next Three Days, so her husband's planning time is suddenly cut short.
• Brian Dennehy ("Meet Monica Velour") and Helen Carey ("Julie and Julia") are our hero's parents, suddenly saddled with doubt about the mother of their adored grandson.
• Aisha Hinds ("Unstoppable") and Jason Beghe (LOTS of TV) are two of the detectives still puzzling over that original murder.
• Lennie James (LOTS of TV) is the (very!) smart detective hot on the trail of our hero.
• Daniel Stern ("Whip It") is his lawyer.
• Liam Neeson ("The A-Team") is the prison escape artist our hero hires as a "consultant."
  

This film won't win any awards but we know we are in capable hands who will show us excitement, suspense and clever plotting. Oh I know, I know, there ARE a few plot holes, but this is a movie. See it with a friend so you can discuss it later. It's fun to suddenly realize, "Oh! Now I see why he used three garbage bags!" and "Haiti? Perfect!"