ON THE COUNT OF THREE
A bleak, violent suicide drama best left unseen.
Should You Watch It?
The source review finds little reason to make room for this film. Its central story follows two troubled young men who plan a suicide pact, then spend one last day together amid revenge, robbery, family conflict, and despair.
There are some funny moments and comical banter between the leads. The film also includes one moral turn, as a character decides he would rather live for his unborn child than die. But the comedy remains dark, the themes are disturbing, and the ending is bittersweet, violent, mixed, and unsatisfying. One character gets away with a major crime through a lie.
The practical answer is simple: skip this film and choose something more hopeful instead.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESVal is bored with life, has broken up with his girlfriend, and has just failed to take his own life. He visits Kevin, his best friend, in a psychiatric ward after Kevin’s latest suicide attempt.
Val helps Kevin escape and reveals that he has brought two guns for a suicide pact. Before they carry it out, Kevin asks for one more day together. Their day becomes a journey through old memories, broken family relationships, criminal choices, and a plan for revenge against Kevin’s former therapist.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means the film has some energy and occasional humor but does not overcome its deeper problems. The two leads share comical banter, and the filmmakers try to enliven the grim material with dark comedy.
Still, the comedy is too often imbued with hopelessness and despair. The ending is mixed, somewhat bittersweet, violent, and ultimately unsatisfying. The film’s reference to the national suicide hotline in the end credits also feels disingenuous to the source review, despite the hotline’s potential usefulness to viewers experiencing suicidal emotions.
The Worldview
The film presents a strong humanist worldview in which fate ironically leads one character into violent crime, then helps him avoid punishment because of a major lie. That moral framework weakens the film’s limited positive elements.
The story does offer a few glimpses of moral recognition. One character rejects suicide and chooses to live for his newly conceived child. The film also includes a gun-control perspective, with one character making silly and ignorant comments against guns and the Second Amendment, according to the source review.
The film’s deepest longing is for life to have meaning when people feel trapped by pain, boredom, and despair. Scripture points beyond human will and fate to the God who gives life and hope: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong humanist worldview where “fate” steps in and ironically leads to one lead character committing a violent crime but is ultimately saved from being punished because of a big lie, mitigated slightly by some moral elements where a character decides he’d rather not commit suicide and instead live for his new child who’s just been conceived, plus there’s some politically correct content where one lead character is a gun control nut and makes a few silly, ignorant comments against guns and the Second Amendment
Foul Language
At least 219 obscenities (including many “f” words), 12 strong profanities, 13 light profanities, black characters use the “n” word a few times, and one character makes an obscene gesture
Violence
Very strong violence when man is shot in the head during a struggle over a gun and dies, plus some strong violence when man starts punching his adult son repeatedly in the head when son’s friend uses a tire iron knocks the father unconscious, it’s implied that a man shoots himself in the mouth, police chase two men in a Jeep, two men use gun to rob a convenience store of some items, two men point guns at each other in a suicide pact but one of the men stops it by pushing the other man’s gun away, it’s implied that a therapist abused a young patient when he places his hand on the boy’s knee, and there is a theme of suicide
Sex
Some brief sexual talk and man’s girlfriend is pregnant
Nudity
Brief upper male nudity
Alcohol Use
Some alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
Smoking but no drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Suicidal man stalks a former school bully and his wife he just ran into, thinking about killing the man, who’s still a jerk, but he sees they have children and decides not to do that.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film treats suicide as an answer to despair. What does Scripture say about the value of human life and the nearness of God to the brokenhearted?
Genesis 1:27 · Psalm 34:18One character chooses life because of his unborn child. How can responsibility toward others help us reject hopelessness?
Psalm 139:13–16 · Galatians 6:2The story includes revenge against a former abuser. How should justice, protection, and forgiveness be distinguished from personal vengeance?
Romans 12:19 · Micah 6:8The film lets a major crime go unpunished through a lie. Why does truth matter even when telling it is costly?
Proverbs 12:22 · Ephesians 4:25The Final Word
This film takes suicide, revenge, violence, and despair into dark territory, then ends without the moral clarity or hope its subject needs. Its few positive elements cannot overcome its language, violence, and hopeless worldview. Our answer is SKIP IT. For more constructive choices, see.
