Have You Got "3 Days To Kill" ? Okay, How About 2 Hours?

3 Days to Kill (2014)

Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen

Directed by McG

The Story:

 Ethan (Costner) is a CIA operative who is diagnosed with a critical disease.  Wanting to make up to his daughter (Steinfeld) for all the lost time and attention, he moves to be close to her and his estranged wife (Nielsen).  However, when a ruthless agent (Heard) comes calling with a possible cure to prolong Ethan's life in exchange for his help in nabbing some really bad dudes...

What would you do?

And yes, reluctantly, Ethan agrees to try and catch the Wolf and the Albino.

Of course, he needs to keep his life hush hush from the family since he swore that life was over.

This marks two nice turns for Costner as the aging hero (Jack Ryan) who can still bring it in a fight.

Steinfeld plays the jilted, angry teenager role that is becoming all too cliche in these films.  One of these days they'll do a story about the kids who love that their parent(s) are assassins and think it's awesome.

Strangely cast is Amber Heard who is just... mean.

You'd think she was actually the villain of the piece, but she's working for the United States.  Apparently, she just doesn't want to get her hands dirty, so that's why she's got Ethan.

I think I would have preferred a little more to her story, but at close to a 2 hour running time, something had to give.

Apparently, hers was the more judicious plot piece to eliminate.

Still, not a bad action-thriller.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a bad little thriller.  That Kevin Costner may have a future in Hollywood.

How To Reboot A Franchise: Step 1: Hire Chris Pine ... "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit"

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

The Story:

This is the story of how Jack Ryan (Pine) becomes an analyst for the CIA.  We will meet his mentor (Costner), his wife (Knightley) and even some pesky Russian villain (Branagh).  In short, this is the origin of America's James Bond.

So the question:

Is it worth it?

In a word: Yes.

While this is not The Hunt For Red October, this is clearly the best Jack Ryan we've been treated to in a generation. 

Honestly, I remember very little about the Ben Affleck version of the franchise, but perhaps that is for the best?

Branagh spins a tight tale behin the camera, while portraying the bad guy in front of it.  With Thor and now Jack Ryan under his belt, his days of being just a Shakespearean director are long gone.

Chris Pine steps in to the role of Jack Ryan, and does a nice job of making anyone that remembers the old movies forget Baldwin, Ford and Affleck.

Of course, this is a lot easier than stepping into the role of Kirk in Star Trek, but just like that franchise, a fresh coat of 21st century paint shows there are a lot of miles left in these franchises.

The only real problem...

Will audiences tire of seeing Chris Pine in everything?

Adding Costner as Ryan's mentor works nicely.  They now have a character that could be spun into his own movies if the mood strikes, either prequels or sequels with or without Ryan as the partner.

Anyway, a good first effort, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a bad reboot to the franchise.  I'd be willing to own/watch it again.