The next three days - a film by Paul Haggis

The premise of the movie is relatively simple. Russell Crowe plays a husband who is driven to the edge when his wife is convicted of murder. The film is directed by Paul Haggis (of Crash fame) and it does not disappoint. The movie’s strength rests squarely on the shoulders of a very strong cast rather than a reliance on special effects or gimmicks as is the case with so many films today.


As his wife’s mental state steadily deteriorates in prison, Russell Crowe’s character sets about fighting the case through all the legal channels culminating in a disheartening appeal to the Supreme Court. With all legal options exhausted, he derives a plan to break her out of prison. Whilst this may seem farfetched, so strong is Russell Crowe’s performance that rather than having to suspend belief, you are utterly convinced by his extraordinary gradual transformation from law abiding “everyman” to a shrewd manipulator and killer.

One of the story’s main strengths is that we are never really sure of the innocence or otherwise of his wife. Elizabeth Banks plays the part with just enough edge and gravitas to keep you guessing. This feature juxtaposed against her husband’s blind belief in her innocence is what creates truly edge of your seat tension. As her husband descends into near insanity, you keep asking yourself whether his enormous sacrifice is all for nothing.

It is also well worth mentioning the supporting cast here. An opening scene in which Russell Crowe and his wife are out for dinner with his brother and brother’s wife, provides a priceless snippet into female dynamics and competitiveness. The brother’s wife played by Moran Atias showcases a fantastic tirade on female dynamics in the workplace. Liam Neeson also features in a brilliant cameo as a truly jaded character who has previously escaped from prison and who provides Russell Crowe’s character with guidelines on how to go about it successfully. Also worthy of note are the parents of Russell Crowe’s character (in particular his father, played by Brian Dennehy) who look after his son. You get the impression they also doubt the innocence of his wife and resent the sacrifices that their son has made as a result of her conviction.

The supporting cast is rounded off by a brilliant ensemble playing the law enforcement officials who are involved in the case. Despite their relatively short screen time their characters are sufficiently well developed that you can empathise with their task and you find yourself rooting for them to catch the fugitives, again, contrary to what you would ordinarily expect yourself to feel.

All credit though must go to Paul Haggis - when he finally reveals what actually transpired it almost does not matter – you have been served up the ultimate love story.

Finally, a movie well worth the £14.50 ticket price!
The Next Three Days

The HKB Finn Ensemble

Seeing the HKB Finn Ensemble reminded me of the power of a live band;  it was phenomenal to hear their mix of different sounds from afro-beat to jazz to roots reggae to afro-cuban and the energy that they elicited from the audience.
To put it simply, spoken word artist HKB Finn writes beautiful music, from the words to the beat to the way he combines his artistic ability with the talents of his band. The sounds were exquisite and moved us to dance, clap and ofcourse sing along. Dealing with contemporary issues and always providing an inspirational messages; to say HKB Finn has a way with words may be stating the obvious but for me that and his ear for smooth yet catchy beats is what makes what he does so unique.
I am someone who is usually sceptical about going to see artists whose work I don't know, nothing quite moves me like being able to sing along to my favourite tune. Yet even though this was my first encounter with the artist and his band, from the moment they stepped on to the stage till the end of their set, some 90 minutes later, I was enthralled. I sang along to tunes like the hilarious Blacktowne Benediction (about South London's Old Kent and its large concentration of churches) and Shake it Up which encourages us to shed all the 'issues' that we face in our daily lives and just party.

The combination of HKB Finn's spoken word artistry and the incredible vocals of lead singer Tracey Campbell on the track 'Dreams of You' which includes lines like 'I never knew peace like this, until it came in an ecstatic kiss' made us want more of this phenomenal band. And what made it even more special was that they gave us what we wanted, after a set that lasted an hour and a half with no costume change, no diva antics, just pure brilliant live music, we still had an encore performance. The HKB Finn Ensemble engaged their audience from start to finish, and the passion which each band member displayed was rewarded by the crowd's enthusiasm.

It was an incredible night of pure entertainment, old-fashioned in that there were no gimmicks, yet modern because of the fusion of sounds and talents. Even if you are not a spoken word fan, the brilliant music written by the talented Andrew Ward will get you.

If you get a chance to see The HKB Finn Ensemble, please do so, if not the album Natural Eloquence will serve as a constant reminder of why you need to see these guys perform. In a word....Fabulous!

Dates for London:
February 26: Rich Mix, 35-37 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
March 13 (Solo set) Ronnie Scotts, 47 Frith Street, London W1D 4HT
Natural Eloquence