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3 Stars

Oscar winner Paul Haggis’ new film is an unusually involving thriller and one of the biggest surprises of the season. Crowe plays a Pittsburgh college professor who plans a prison break from the outside. Haggis script is an adaption of the 2008 film ‘Anything for Her’. The French locale of the original has been changed to Pennsylvania and it suits the film’s terse, grim tone and look. Elizabeth Banks displays previously unseen dimensions in her portrayal of a picture-esque wife accused of murder and sent away for 20yrs. Russell Crowe is utterly believable in a subdued role that could have been played over-the-top ridiculous in a other hands. The film loses some momentum in it’s second half as Crowe’s characters repeatedly places his child in harms way. A well made thriller but with this cast and director it should have been better.

Director: Paul Haggis
Stars: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson