Three Days to Kill

The downward trajectory of the main character in Three Days to Kill might mirror the emotional state of moviegoers who watch him navigate a treacherous combination of international incidents and personal problems.

It’s a thriller attempting a disparate mix of suspense and sentimentality, but misfires with an uneven approach that’s more exhausting than affecting.

Let’s start by reeling off the dilemmas facing CIA agent Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner) within a remarkably compact time frame. He’s diagnosed with terminal cancer, which forces him to retire. So at the request of his estranged wife (Connie Nielsen), he decides to attempt a reconciliation with his teenage daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) whose childhood he too often neglected. He doesn’t want to tell her that he’s sick, but predictably, his worlds soon collide.

Then comes a chance at an experimental cure for Ethan, which he accepts from a CIA handler (Amber Heard) in exchange for one final assignment, which happens to be tracking down one of the world’s most notorious terrorists (Tomas Lemarquis).

Before you complain about spoilers, be assured there are several more dilemmas piled on, including one involving secrets between father and daughter.

Obviously there are some challenges to control the tone in a film where Ethan is slamming a thug into the trunk of a car in one scene, and moments later is sharing a carnival ride with his little girl.

Apparently the script, co-written by acclaimed French filmmaker Luc Besson, is trying to sidestep familiar espionage territory by crafting a character-driven thriller that’s about more than just shootouts and explosions.

The film fails in that regard, primarily because of a plot driven by so many contrivances that it requires an outrageous suspension of disbelief. Costner exudes some genuine movie-star charisma, but the nondescript villains tend to blend together, and the suspense is trumped up just to keep things moving along.

In the middle of this mess is director McG (Terminator: Salvation), who tries to string together some stylish action sequences but can’t balance them with the muddled domestic drama.

By the end, Three Days to Kill doesn’t really last that long. It just feels that way.

Rated PG-13, 117 minutes.