by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
Poor John McClane. Over the last 25 years the guy sure has been through a lot. He saved his wife from some terrorists at Nakatomi Plaza. He saved his wife from some terrorists at the airport. He stopped some terrorists from blowing up a train (his wife wasn’t on the train). He saved his daughter from some cyber-terrorists (while taking on an F-35 jet). After everything that he has done to save the day..what else is there for John to do? Take a vacation…to RUSSIA!!!
Get ready for A Good Day To Die Hard (aka John McClane’s Russian Vacation).
After the less than impressive release of Live Free Die Hard, this movie quickly gets our hero back to basics. This is without a doubt the Die Hard movie that we all wanted to see. When it was first announced that John would be headed to Russia to save his son who has gotten himself into trouble with the Russian government, the majority of responses were along the lines of “WTF?”. Surprisingly enough, if you give John a legitimate threat to face off against, and add in a ton of swearing and gunfire, it doesn’t matter where the location of the movie is. Russia was a surprisingly charismatic place to shoot this movie, and when I say shoot, I do mean there is a ridiculous amount of shooting. Gone is the PG-13 rating that hampered Live Free, and with the restrictions lifted, our hero returns to his best.
When you first see Bruce Willis, it is hard not to think about how old he looks. Once the action kicks in, that misconception disappears and a new question is raised: how the hell is Bruce Willis still doing these movies? Not because he isn’t pulling it off…but because he is going on a f**king rampage and it truly feels like the Bruce Willis we saw in the original Die Hard release from 1988. I want to say how impressive it is for an actor to still surprise you in a role that he has been portraying for over 25 years.
Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher) plays John’s estranged son Jack. It was a bit difficult to figure out what to make of Courtney at first, but as the movie progressed, the family connection was uncanny. Courtney plays off Willis with ease, and it makes the father/son bonding moments that much better. There are so many great sections of dialogue between the two, and it becomes very clear: like father, like son. Courtney steps up to the role and makes Jack a dynamic character that could stand on his own, and is someone that really needs to be included for future installments in the franchise (because Bruce Willis already confirmed Die Hard 6).
To give credit where it’s due, Director John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) and Writer Skip Woods (The A-Team) gave John McClane new life. Moore’s visual style manages to not only give the audience some amazing throwbacks to the original movie with his choice of cinematography, but crafts it in a new and exciting light. The biggest problem with the last movie was that John just felt out of place. A Good Day To Die Hard gave John his personality back. This is a gritty, tired, but overly heroic guy who has the moral code to do what is right, and it comes across with perfection through the story arc and dialogue. The father/son scenes are handled with care, and most importantly, with logic. The whole premise of John going to fight terrorists in Russia was pretty out there, but Moore and Woods crafted a story that felt right at home in the Die Hard universe. If these two men don’t create the next installment, it would be an extreme disappointment.
Overall:
A Good Day To Die Hard was a pleasantly unexpected surprise. The last film was such a let down on so many levels that it was hard to really see how this film could redeem the series. This movie is a must see for any Die Hard fan. I would pay money to go see it again without any hesitation. It is a fun, over the top, action-packed, thrill ride of a movie that has earned a place in the Die Hard series. After seeing this movie, I actually can’t wait to see another installment. This is Die Hard done right. Go see it. Bring your friends. You will be cheering for John to save the day one more time.
ComicsOnline gives A Good Day To Die Hard 4.5 out of 5 moments you want to cheer in the middle of the theater while John stops the bad guys.
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