Russell Crowe has done it again. He shows acting at its finest in his newest film “The Next Three Days.” Written, directed and produced by Paul Haggis, the main character must take extreme actions to free his wife, who has been accused of murder, from prison.

The film is a remake of the 2007 French film “Pour Elle,” which translates to “Anything for Her,” by Fred Cavayé. Both leads give strong performances that stand out but aren’t enough to make up for the preposterous plot and irregular pacing that causes the film to wear out and drag.

Paul Haggis is a well-established writer, director and producer. Most notable are his films “Million Dollar Baby,” which he wrote and received four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and “Crash,” which he directed, produced and wrote and received six Academy Award nominations including best director and best original screenplay and wining best picture for 2005. His work also includes “Letters to Iwo Jima,” “Casino Royale” and “Terminator Salvation.”

Russell Crowe is an Academy Award winner himself for the films “Gladiator” and “A Beautiful Mind.” Elizabeth Banks, who has yet to become a Hollywood heavyweight, has starred in the comedies like “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” and “Role Models.”

The film starts off with a punch, getting right to the arrest of Banks’ character Laura Brennan after being accused of murdering her boss who she had an altercation with prior to her death. Given a life sentence in prison and only seeing her husband, Crowe’s John Brennan, and son through visits, Crowe works with her lawyer to find any evidence that can prove her innocence but nothing can be done. Knowing his wife is innocent, Crowe is determined to get her out and at any cost. Crowe consults an ex-criminal played by Liam Neeson who has successfully escaped from prison before and written a book on the subject. He devises a plan where he can escape with her taking photographs of the prison, looking for inconsistencies and holes in their security.

Although the film starts off well you can’t help but feel like you are in traffic, constantly speeding up and slowing down. There are many points in the film where you will think that something epic is about to occur only to be disappointed that things slow down again. This irregular pacing gets old pretty quick causing the film to drag making the film feel longer than what it actually is, causing you to lose interest not long into the film.

It is understandable that this is an action thriller film however, the plot of the film just doesn’t feel real enough. The concept of a man doing whatever it takes to free his innocent wife is very believable, but the way it’s executed was not. It did not make very much sense and seemed way over the top. The real action finally begins with 30 minutes left in the film when the jailbreak occurs, pushing things into gear as a gripping and entertaining suspense thriller.

Russell Crowe gives a strong performance as usual but his role in the film is a little played out. He still does a great job portraying a saddened and determined husband fighting for his wife with such emotion and passion. The real winner in the film comes from the powered performance of Elizabeth Banks. She is completely stripped down to a raw, emotional, vulnerable character and she nails the performance right on the head. With intensity and heartbreak, Banks gives a performance that is memorable and impacting. Through the changing of her hair color and the stress on her face along with the looks of Crowe and his ordinary man image, it all adds up to enhance the performances from these two leads.

With great performances but pacing that never quite catches up “The Next Three Days” feels a lot longer than that. In order to get through this slow building thriller you will need a lot of patience and you will have to go in without any expectations.

Anthony Santiago can be reached at [email protected].