Where to watch A Good Day to Die Hard
1 1/2 Stars
I’m not sure if there has ever been a more appropriate application of the phrase than Die Hard 5, which has been retitled A Good Day to Die Hard for those that have stopped counting. This inept sequel is all spectacle all the time, with virtually zero story or character depth. I’m not sure if the shooting script reached 80 pages. In the first 30 minutes I counted four scenes, and in those sequences Willis repeated his ‘Im on vacation’ mantra at least three times. It’s getting old and man it’s a shame. After all the diligent work in front of and behind the camera for Live Free or Die Hard, how could the creative powers let a product this inferior slip out under the franchise banner?
A Good Day to Die Hard is the film I feared the last installment would be. It feels cheap (though millions of dollars in stunts and pyrotechnics are launched across the screen), forced and unnecessary. John McClane travels to Moscow to save his son from imprisonment, yet when he arrives McClane soon realizes that Jack McClane is actually an undercover covert agent working with a Russian computer expert to retrieve a file. That is the base story line in this limp retread that is so lightweight and forgettable, I keep having to remind myself the series didn’t die in 2007.
At this point the wheels have fallen off. The characters have no dimension, want or need; they speak in half-talk and proclamations. Setting the final act in the rubble of Chernobyl comes off like a desperate tie-in to 1980’s nostalgia, in fact this whole lousy enterprise could be described the same. A colossal letdown and an unworthy addition to the long-running series.
Director: John Moore
Stars: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch
Honestly though, I enjoyed it. I know that it was a huge departure from reality, but I really did enjoy it. There wasn’t a point when, in watching the movie, I felt that I hadn’t gotten my box office money’s worth. Sure it was far-fetched. That’s part of what makes it a Die-Hard. Granted my first exposure to the series was the last one, after which I went back and watched them all. Bottom line, I like it. It’s not in the vein of the too serious for their own good movies, and is unashamedly just an action flick. Some movies just need to be fun. I expect deep characters in my dramas, not the action flicks. I don’t know if you set the bar too high or what, but one and a half stars is a bit harsh. Not saying it’s a five star film by a long shot, but I certainly enjoyed it as much as the Total Recall reboot.