Why So Blu?

3 Days to Kill (Blu-ray Review)

I missed 3 Days to Kill in theaters but all I knew was that it was directed by McG and co-written/produced by Luc Besson, and it starred Kevin Costner. The trailers looked good enough but I was not able to make it in time before the film left theaters. Now I have the Blu-ray and have finally watched it and am here to lay down my thoughts on the Blu-ray. We’ll make this quick, so sit back and relax. We only have 3 Days to Kill. 

Film 

Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner) is a CIA agent who is on the trailer of a ruthless kingpin that’s so secretive in his operations the man has rarely ever been photographed in public. His right hand man is a creepy looking fellow known as The Albino. After Renner nearly dies during the apprehension of both of these individuals in a botched operation at a ritzy hotel Renner is given the bad news that he has cancer and has a few months left to live.

Enter the beautiful and elusive Vivi Delay, who also has secrets of her own. She has a “magic” cure of sorts that will extend Ethan’s life and make it so that he can continue to function in his CIA capability. Vivi knows the location of The Albino and his boss and they’re in France, so oui, oui!

As luck would have it Ethan’s estranged family now live in France. His new mission, being a local one now, will give him the opportunity to try and reconnect with his wife and teenage daughter. Connie Nielsen plays his wife, Christine, and Hailee Steinfeld plays his daughter, Zooey. Hijinks sort of ensue while Ethan adapts to his new environment as he tries to gather leads on The Albino’s whereabouts.

For a film that almost looked like it played as a comedy/action flick in the trailers, 3 Days to Kill is not all fun and games. There are plenty of sweet kills and plenty of eye-catching scenery (Amber Heard being very eye catchy) along with some nicely orchestrated car chases. McG is back at the helm and there are no pretenses here. He was drafted by Luc Besson and told to wreck France. I would say that young McG succeeded.

3 Days to Kill is a very fun and entertaining film. Kevin Costner does great as the weathered and beaten down CIA agent who is on the verge of dying before he can settle things with his family. Amber Heard rocks the mysterious shadow agent role as well as anyone and she really heats up the screen whenever she’s on.

I enjoyed 3 Days to Kill more than it deserves but I have no regrets. It’s got some great action scenes and is populated by actors that I like. It’s a pretty straight forward conclusion as to why I like the film. If you want to see some vintage Costner taking down bad guys then you’ll do just fine with 3 Days to Kill.

 

Video

Encoding: AVC MPEG-4

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Clarity/Detail: There are minor instances of slight contrast boosting but that can be due to the cold weather in France, as it was winter there during filming. It gives it a much colder vibe. Sharpness levels are fine, however.

Black Levels: Black levels are nice and even and I never detected any instances of crush.

Color Reproduction: 3 Days to Kill has a very vibrant color palette throughout the film.

Flesh Tones: Flesh tones look natural for the most part unless Ethan is having one of his attacks or is in the hospital. Outside of those scenes, everyone else looks great.

Noise/Artifacts: Noise and artifacts were few and far between. I did not pick up on any anomalies.

 

Audio  

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: Demo-worthy up in here! Wait until you FEEL the explosion in one the action scenes early on in the film. You will freak out at how every sound element comes through in the final mix.

Low Frequency Extension: They’ve injected some LFE all over the place ranging from gunfire, night clubs, car chases, etc. You will be pleased with the subwoofer’s performance on this Blu-ray.

Surround Sound Presentation: Bullets fly and zig zag all over the place and the rear channels capture it in a very realistic fashion.

Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue levels are above normal and considering everyone outside of our main characters have accents; the Blu-ray had no trouble in deciphering what was being said. There’s a reason why this Blu-ray has reference sound.

 

Extras 

As is almost customary with a Luc Besson produced film there is an extended cut of the film along with the theatrical version all on one Blu-ray. The disc also includes a few featurettes on the making of the film.

• 3 Days to Kill – Theatrical Version (HD, 1:57:02) – This is the PG-13 version that played in theaters, which I did not see.
• 3 Days to Kill – Extended Cut (HD, 2:02:18) – This is the extended cut of the film that includes nudity, profanity, some blood, and other forms of madness. This is the version I watched.
• Making of 3 Days to Kill (HD, 9:55) – This is the standard making of featurette where everyone talks about the project and attracted them to the film. Surprisingly (or not) Luc Besson is nowhere to be found on any of the promotional materials.
• McG’s Method (HD, 4:39) – Director McG talks about his directing style and how he had to adapt to the French landscape and the freedoms that were granted to him by being associated with Luc Besson on this project. This is an interesting featurette.
• Covert Operation (HD, 5:08) – Former CIA operative Robert Baer talks about his time with the agency and what it does to a man when he must adapt to those harsh conditions. This is a very interesting interview.
• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:25) – The theatrical for 3 Days to Kill is presented in high definition.

Summary 

I had a blast with 3 Days to Kill. It wasn’t anything more than a fun action adventure-espionage romp, with a cool cast and cool action sequences. Not to mention it took place in France, so that’s even better. The Blu-ray has stellar video and audio specs and average supplements, the biggest one being the extended cut of the film with some added blood, profanity, nudity, and suggestiveness. I recommend the Blu-ray and I recommend the film. Have fun!

 

Order 3 Days to Kill on Blu-ray!