Kill or die: Three days to kill

Costner’s character, a CIA assassin named Ethan Renner, is facing a modern dilemma and that is how to balance his dangerous work with family time. He needs to get the job done (which is killing people) and still find the time to have a quiet meal with his estranged wife Christina (Connie Nielsen) and his teenage daughter, Zooey (Hailee Steinfeld). Ethan’s job is complicated, and has therefore never really connected with his family. His daughter grew up almost fatherless and when they reconnect in Paris, Ethan has the difficult task of playing dad again. Adding to his burden, Ethan is dying from cancer and he only has a few months to live.

After 32-years in the force, one would think the man has seen it all – but not this time round as he tries to juggle spending time with Zooey and killing enemy agents. His spree begins when Vivi (Heard), a killer blonde in stiletto heels from the CIA, offers him a tempting proposal: eliminate international thugs called the Wolf (Richard Sammel) and the Albino (Tômas Marquis) and then Ethan can have an experimental drug that may prolong his life.

He has three days to complete the task – and that is when the car chases, the fire fights, the torture scenes and the explosions erupt.

Costner gives his character a tough, scruffy charm and a type of looseness we have come to expect from him. Though ailing, he still manages to evade showers of deadly bullets.

Nielsen has a smallish role, while young Steinfeld convinces as Zooey, the petulant student. There are moments of humour too; one scene in a toilet has a duct-taped Italian, a captured accountant for the crooked syndicate, who provides his mother’s marinara recipe to Zooey who is at home cooking dinner.

All in all, a touching and at times engrossing action flick, directed by McG, of Charlie’s Angels fame, by way of Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional, The Transporter) who came up with the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Adi Hasak.