The Next Three Days Review

Messages: In some ways, the movie makes a statement about a broken justice system, but it also demonstrates the wrong way to go about fixing it. John essentially chooses his loved ones over the law, and he breaks the law in many different ways to restore order to his family. He must do this mostly by himself and can't trust any other characters, nor ask for help. He rarely faces the ethics involved in his choices and actions.

Role models: John makes a choice and sticks with it, going to extraordinary lengths to solve a difficult problem and get his family back together. Unfortunately, he breaks the law many times in many different ways to accomplish this. He ignores teamwork and ethics, choosing to work mostly by himself and/or tricking people into helping him. In some ways, John is right, but in other ways, he's acting out of desperation and with no regard for the consequences of his actions.

Violence: Flashbacks of a murder are shown from several different angles and with different scenarios and outcomes. A woman is bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher; there's some blood. The hero is violently beaten up outside a bar. In another sequence, he pulls a gun and becomes involved in a shoot-out and a fire in a house filled with drug dealers; he also tries to drive a wounded man to the hospital. There's a notable amount of blood in these sequences. Also a suicide attempt and a mean, biting dog. Plus lots of tension, shouting, and screaming and an intense chase sequence.

Sex: The married couple at the center of the film is very amorous; they have implied sex in their car (when they arrive home, their clothes and hair are askew). Talk of conjugal visits in prison. A woman flirts with the hero. A dinner discussion revolves around the power of sex in the workplace, and one woman wears a low-cut dress.

Language: Relatively infrequent use of words/phrases like "s--t," "piss," "t-ts," "ass," "a--hole," "hell," "damn," "goddeamn," and "son of a bitch." Also one "f--k."

Consumerism: A character drives a Prius; it becomes a crucial part of the plot.

Drinking, drugs and smoking: The hero visits a bar and tries to buy drugs from drug dealers. He doesn't take the drugs himself; rather, he's only looking for a way to buy fake passports. Later, he's in a fire in a house full of dealers.