A Good Day To Die Hard

For such a cool poster I wish we would have gotten an equally as cool movie...

Before I get into the review, a few things first. I have some friends from my high school who actually live and work out in Hollywood right now and they made a short film called The Second Circle which is very impressive. Feel free to look it up on Facebook, but I am posting the film below this review so look for it at the end. It's a Rath's Review exclusive people! No other review site will have this! (*Side note: the film contains R-rated material kinda sorta. Just to warn any younger or more sensitive readers I may have out there.*). Also, remember to VOTE in the user poll on the right side of your page! Now back to the review...

A Good Day to Die Hard (AGDDH) is the fifth in the long-lasting series that features Bruce Willis in the role that made him the star he is today. The first film is regarded as one of, if not the best, action film of all time and all subsequent ones have been disappointing to most fans. Out of the series, I have seen the first one (not my favorite action film but I can see how back in the day it was amazing), the third one on TV, and the fourth one. Personally, I loved the last one, Live Free or Die Hard. Other than the part where Bruce Willis is riding a jet plane I thought it was fantastic. It had a superb cyber-terrorism plot, Justin Long was fun as a "sidekick", and the action, particularly in the D.C. traffic tunnels, was inventive and tons of fun. So...I had high hopes for AGDDH. They were not met unfortunately. 

Um...excuse me miss but why are you taking your clothes off?
I'm not complaining...I just never figured out why you found
it necessary to take your clothes off.

"Say you hated Spartacus one more time!
I dare you!"

Critics are universally panning the new Die Hard, giving it 1s and 2s out of 10. Let me be the first to say that it is NOWHERE near that bad. In fact, it isn't really bad at all. Just painfully average, which is even more painful when it has the name Die Hard attached to the title. The plot is fairly uninteresting, even despite the stakes being raised near the end and just everything else feels kinda....meh. Even the wise cracks and quips that we have all come to love from John McClane feel forced and more importantly: unfunny. Not once did I laugh at anything Willis said in this movie and the script he is given makes his character appear more geriatric than before, especially his overly-repeated, "I'm on vacation!" tagline. It wasn't funny the first time and it's not going to be the fifth time around. I remember laughing and enjoying his character a LOT more in Live Free or Die Hard. In this movie, we meet his son, Jack (played by Jai Courtney) and I really didn't like his character much better. Both men are fantastic actors, and they create as much chemistry as possible, but just something about it doesnt really click. Same goes for the rest of cast...none of them really feel...memorable? I'm not sure what word I'm looking for, but the villain is forgettable despite over-trying to come across as insane and everyone else is lame. Whereas Live Free or Die Hard had the fantastic Timothy Olyphant and Maggie Q, this film seems empty and void of any real characters other than the McClanes. 

Bruce Willis's face is like that because he is actually
ripping a huge fart. Dont believe me? Just look at his
son behind him...

But like I said earlier, none of this is particularly bad, just painfully average. The film is shot relatively well, the Russian locale is interesting, the plot kinda held my attention, and the score wasn't all that bad. But it's missing a key ingredient: it just doesn't feel like a Die Hard movie. Die Hard was never about saving the world, it was about one man kicking ass and surviving while taking down the bad guys. I suppose that Live Free or Die Hard didn't really follow that mantra either, but it at least turned out to be a good movie. AGDDH doesn't necessarily feel like a cash cow, but it feels like a loveless letter to a franchise that changed the action genre so many years ago. 

If you are looking for a decent action movie, AGDDH isn't a bad way to spend your time. It's short, basically continuous action, and has some cool stunts. But if you are looking for a Die Hard movie you are going to be disappointed. Maybe it's because I think so highly of the series' previous entry, but this one just doesn't hold up to anything past mediocrity.

Yippee Ki Yay Mother Average

Pros:

• Bruce Willis still kicks ass. And Jai Courtney does as well
• The first car chase is pretty exciting and ends in a spectacular crash. Probably my favorite scene of the movie actually
• The final 5 minutes or so of the final fight scene is pretty cool and shot really well. Pretty far fetched, but I still thought it was nifty
• Decent-ish plot

Cons:

• The script is atrocious, particularly Bruce Willis's humor. It's non existent
• Other characters are weak and unmemorable
• Most of the action is generic and boring
• Sucks that a Die Hard movie is so painfully average

Rath's Review Score: 5/10