Lara Brennan is arrested for murdering her boss with whom she had an argument. It seems she was seen leaving the scene of the crime and her fingerprints were on the murder weapon. Her husband John would spend the next few years trying to get her released but theres no evidence that negates the evidence against her. And when the strain of being separated from her family especially her son gets to her John decides to break her out. So he does a lot of research to find a way.
Review
Russell Crowe is a pretty reliable star one who commands the screen with intelligence and enough bravado to get away with a film like this. Somehow audiences and critics are getting more demanding and expect brainier and tighter story lines but it's still plenty of fun to see a light crazy ride like this... One where the hero is besieged by unfortunate circumstances and must one way or another succeed or die. With the help of Haggis' strong direction and a very good performance by Crow we're treated to two hours of action where one doesn't have to do a lot of thinking just watching Crowe dodge bullet after bullet and cheer him along to the nailbiting end.
The main reason the film works is Crowe gives it his best scene after scene his eyes tells us his character is committed to his family and he will stand by them no matter what. There is very little background given to us except for an opening scene which serves the purpose of planting the seed of doubt in our minds but this only helps fuel the sense of despair and sadness that threatens to destroy this family.
Little by little we follow Crowe's teacher as he races against the clock to help his wife and soon enough he is dealing with the scum of society and an increasingly suspicious police force. Relationships with his family are tense at best and any new relationships are threatened his wife's past. It's the attention to this intimate and personal moments that makes us care for him even when he makes a couple of disturbing moves.
One thing you won't be is bored as the circle tightens so that his quest might not get his desired results. Fine work is done by a cast that includes Brian Dennehy Liam Nelson and Jsson Beghe. This is what movies are made for.