A Good Day To Die Hard -- 20th Century Fox

Is it worth $10? No

There’s a sequence early in “A Good Day To Die Hard,” the fifth movie in a series that refuses to die or grow old gracefully, in which John McClane (Bruce Willis) is in a car chase through Moscow. With damage done by McClane’s SUV, the armored truck he’s pursuing and the minivan driven by his son Jack (Jai Courtney), at least 100 cars are destroyed.

And yet, incredibly absurd as it is to turn the streets of Moscow into a product placement filled junkyard, something about it just feels right. A “Die Hard” movie should be over the top, ridiculous, mindless and unbelievable in both good and bad ways. Remember, a film can only be as good as it’s trying to be, so it’s hard to knock “A Good Day To Die Hard” for only trying to entertain with mind-blowing action. But aside from the car chase and a solid finale, overall the film is only a moderate success; a few so-so action sequences and some dry stretches makes this the weakest installment in the franchise.

The thin story follows McClane as he travels to Moscow when he learns his estranged son was arrested for murder. Little does McClane know that his son is an undercover C.I.A. agent on assignment to break a disgraced political prisoner named Komarov (Sebastian Koch) out of custody. The maguffin (i.e. what everyone is after) is Komarov’s file that would incriminate his former partner Viktor (Sergei Kolesnikov), who grew rich and powerful after turning his back on Komarov. In short, McClane and Jack want to protect Komarov and get the file back to the U.S. while Viktor and his henchmen, including (in an odd twist) Komarov’s daughter (Yuliya Snigir) and a dude who likes to dance (Rasha Bukvic), want the file for themselves.

A Good Day To Die Hard -- 20th Century Fox

The action scenes are pure eye candy for action junkies. In addition to the aforementioned car chase and finale, which features McClane hanging from a car that’s hanging out of a helicopter, other high-octane moments include intense shootouts, cool explosions and leaping from tall buildings with reckless abandon, all of which is amusing but grows tiresome. After awhile, it’s clear the 97-minute running time is just right.

What’s most disappointing is that this doesn’t feel like a “Die Hard” movie. Let’s be honest: Willis has been playing a version of McClane in every action movie (and some dramas) since the first “Die Hard” in 1988, so the novelty wore off long ago. A good sequel, though, will have moments that harken back to what occurred in the earlier films, if not be an unexplored extension of the main character’s story.

Oddly, none of that is here. All we get are a few familiar musical chords and McClane’s most famous saying, which feels rushed. We don’t even get a delightful assortment of McClane’s wise guy remarks, which used to be plentiful and very funny. If “A Good Day To Die Hard” could’ve been called anything else and no one would’ve known the difference, it’s a sure sign that John McClane should retire for good.

Did you know?
Bruce Willis is the only person in the cast or crew to work on all five “Die Hard” movies.

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snwct63 said:

	... Thanks for warning me......... WAIT for DVD!!
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February 13, 2013
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Sonic said:

... I just got back from seeing this film in IMAX. I agree 110% with every part of this review. I walked out of the theater saying I'd give it 2 stars our of 4. A Die Hard movie should be over the top. I got sort of perturbed when people said Live Free or Die Hard was too over the top with McClane jumping off of jets and stuff. I liked that scene and I liked the car chase scene in Good Day to Die Hard when hundreds of cars got destroyed. Action sequels usually always try to one-up the previous film's death, destruction, and carnage. This is one area where A Good Day to Die Hard shines. The opening car chase and the finale definitely stand out. It might have just been the IMAX experience, but I thought the action sequences were a little bit too jittery. I like the "shaky cam" technique in films like the Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum, but "Good Day" had a little bit too much shakiness. The cutting was so rapid that there were just a couple moments where it was hard to tell exactly what was happening. Again, this might have just been the IMAX screen. It might be my own bias because I watched the Skyfall bluray last night and those action sequences are so much more beautiful and artful. "Good Day" doesn't feel like a Die Hard movie and it's definitely the weakest out of the five. The story was really thin and the wise guy remarks were few and far between. I definitely recommending waiting for the DVD/bluray unless you're a die hard Die Hard fan like me (but please don't spend $15+ on an IMAX ticket). Sort of SPOILERS ahead... I can see why people might complain about the abundant CGI in the finale, but I liked it a lot. It was done very well and the slow motion sequences were unique. Also, the way they finally let us meet the main antagonist near the end of the film was kind of a letdown and anticlimactic. I really like the fun and time spent with some of the bad guys in the previous films. Most of my favorite McClane wisecracks were when he was jerking around the bad guys over the walky talky, or phone, or camera, or whatever. I guess they decided to try something different with the new film by omitting that stuff. This was the first time I've felt kind of ripped off paying extra for an IMAX ticket. I'm sure the Star Trek Into Darkness IMAX premiere ticket I just preordered will more make up for tonight's letdown.

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February 14, 2013
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chico13dolphin said:

	... Love the action and love watching the series.
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May 10, 2013
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sjcpr said:

	... Regardless I Love Bruce Willis and all the Die Hard series!
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May 13, 2013
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