A Good Day to Die Hard
Since the first Die Hard way back in 1988, the character of John McClane has been Bruce Willis‘ signature film character. The series returned after a 12 year absence with 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard and, six years later, John McClane returns for the fifth time with A Good Day to Die Hard. When you reach the fifth entry of a film franchise, the question is not about whether you want another film, it is about whether there should. It’s safe to say that these films are still being made for name recognition more than anything else. John McClane is a fun character and all, but do we really need to see him in more adventures? Bruce Willis is now nearly 58 years old and you could argue that it’s probably almost time for McClane to consider retirement. In his latest adventure, McClane travels to Russia to search for his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney). When he find him, McClane finds out that Jack is a CIA operative in the middle of an undercover operation. A group of Russian villains enter the picture and the two McClanes have to team up to prevent the theft of weapons-grade uranium. This typically involves a lot of shooting, car chases, and explosions. I have to wonder who thought it was a good idea to have a cold war-style plot in this day and age? It’s almost as if the film was cashing in on the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series by having the film feel more like a rehash of that series than a Die Hard film. In fact, it probably wasn’t until the final twenty minutes or so when the film truly started to feel like the previous films. Of course, as much as I enjoyed the film’s climax, it does go one step too far by featuring a homage/rip-off of a certain famous shot (you’ll know it when you see it). As an action film, I’ll say that I found A Good Day to Die Hard to be an okay enough film. However, as an entry in the Die Hard franchise, I would say it was lacking in that area. The film probably has the least interesting villain of the entire series and part of me wishes that the rumours of Patrick Stewart appearing in the film were true. Also, the estranged child routine was already done in the last film. Speaking of which, Mary Elizabeth Winstead reprises her role of McClane’s daughter Lucy, but her role is nothing more than an extended cameo and almost seems like an afterthought added to the film late in production. You almost expect a sixth film to be made a complete the family reunion and bring McClane back together with his ex-wife Holly, even though that itself would be a rehash of the first film. Overall, there are moments of A Good Day to Die Hard I liked, such as the climatic action scene. However, as a whole, it’s just a so-so film.7 | FAIR
