3 Days to Kill

The past always finds a way back.

In a thrilling and unexpected return, Kevin Costner reprises his role as Ethan Renner in 3 Days to Kill (2025) — a gritty, high-stakes sequel that plunges the former CIA agent back into the violent world he left behind. Directed by Pierre Morel and written by Luc Besson’s team, this sequel blends emotional weight, espionage tension, and raw action, proving that age and experience are lethal weapons.

After years off the grid and presumed dead, Ethan is forced out of hiding when his estranged daughter Zoey is kidnapped while on assignment as a humanitarian worker in Istanbul. The abduction is tied to a covert arms syndicate with roots in a failed mission from Ethan’s past. Haunted by guilt and racing against time, he has just 72 hours to find Zoey, dismantle a growing international conspiracy, and confront the ghosts of decisions he thought were long buried.

The film raises the emotional stakes significantly. No longer motivated by duty or orders, Ethan is a father fighting for redemption — driven not by patriotism, but by love. Costner brings a quiet intensity and gravitas to the role, portraying a man who is slower, perhaps, but more dangerous and calculated than ever. The film doesn’t shy away from Ethan’s physical limitations, instead making them part of the story: a veteran who wins by outsmarting younger adversaries, not outrunning them.

Set across shadowy back alleys of Istanbul, war-torn Eastern European cities, and sleek corporate hideouts in Berlin, 3 Days to Kill (2025) offers a globe-trotting experience with tightly choreographed action scenes and psychological suspense. The pacing is faster, the tone more urgent, and the cinematography grittier than its 2014 predecessor. Flashbacks to Ethan’s final CIA mission give context to the present threat, while slow-burn interactions between characters deepen the story.

The supporting cast includes a rogue ex-MI6 operative who may or may not be an ally, a ruthless young assassin mirroring Ethan’s former self, and a powerful new antagonist — a tech magnate using humanitarian cover to smuggle weapons. Each character is layered, hinting that truth and loyalty are often relative in the espionage world.

Though technically a sequel, 3 Days to Kill (2025) works as a standalone action thriller, with enough emotional callbacks to reward fans of the original. At its core, it's a story about making peace with the past and what one man is willing to risk to protect the only family he has left.

As the countdown begins and the lines between ally and enemy blur, Ethan Renner has just one goal: bring his daughter home — dead or alive, he’ll finish what he started.