The Next Three Days

Revealing mistake: At the end of the film when the two Detectives are checking the sewer for the missing button. As the male Detective is lifting the sewer, the inner sewer lid paint peels back, exposing a white color of the sewer lid. Which makes you realize the sewer is likely made of a light wood or plastic (making it easier for actors to lift lid). It is obvious the "Props Crew" didn't do a good job in painting the sewer. It is made more obvious when the female Detective tries to hide the peeling paint by very quickly sliding her hand over the exact spot its peeling. Then in the next shot the male Detective does the same, but in the corner.

gomez

Other mistake: Lara's hair is plain and pulled back in a pony tail when she first escapes. Within a short period of time, her hair becomes nicely styled but she would have needed a fair amount of time with a curling iron, hairspray, etc., for it to look so nice.

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Answer: John planted fake blood work for Laura indicating that she had hyperkalemia (increased potassium levels), a condition that is potentially fatal. She would need to be transferred to a hospital to be treated.

raywest

If Laura was was suffering from hyperkalemia, wouldn't the jail doctor have reported it before John planted the fake blood work?

She wasn't actually suffering from it. John had planted the fake medical report that the doctor presumably then read and acted upon by arranging for her to be transferred to the hospital.

raywest

I doubt the jail's doctor would be fooled by the fake medical report since Laura wasn't showing any obvious physical symptoms.

Many medical conditions do not show physical symptoms early on, but are detectable with tests. For example, people live with cancer, diabetes, heart disease, brain tumors, etc. for some years before experiencing any physical effects. The doctor read the results of Laura's blood test, and, as was standard procedure, had her admitted to the hospital, presumably for additional testing that could not be performed within a prison setting. Also, after some additional reading on the subject: hyperkalemia often has no early symptoms. Later symptoms are flu-like-such as muscle aches, physical weakness, nausea, fatigue, etc. That may be why John chose that particular condition, and it is something Laura could easily have faked.

raywest

I still think the jail's doctor would get suspicious since blood test results are not monitored and delivered to a county jail by an outside lab.

Suspicious or not, he would act in the patient's best interests. If the hospital blood tests come back negative, then he doesn't have a problem. If Laura dies in his care from an easily treatable condition which he knew about, it's goodbye career and hello huge malpractice suit. He would be fully conversant with the procedures used while transferring prisoners to local hospitals, including the very close security put in place, and he has no reason to think that someone is putting this incredibly elaborate escape plan into effect.

Speaking of a prisoner being transferred to a hospital, does that happen very often?

But don't jails, and prisons tend to keep a prisoners hospitalization a secret?

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