A Good Day To.....SKIP Die Hard
We all love nostalgia. The Expendables made us love seeing classic 80's action heroes together. The timing would be right for action films to make a comeback right? Apparently not. Arnold and Sly both gave new solo films an attempt and both failed. Now it's Bruce Willis' turn to bring John Mclane back for another ride. Big explosions, one liners, and impossible odds are all staples in this classic franchise. So how does the latest installment deliver?
If I am being honest, It simply doesn't. John McClane is a long way from home. He is still a cop and now heads to Russia to find his wayward son Jack played by Jai Courtney of Spartacus:Blood and Sand fame.
McClane quickly discovers his son is a C.I.A. agent and gets caught up in international espionage mission. The McClane boys must team up so save the free world.
John Moore is the new director and this time out, it's a very small movie. The trailers and plot summary would lead you to believe it is big, but it never feels like it. Willis plays a different McClane and quite frankly it doesn't play. The riff between he and his son is never really explained and John McClane seems to really be phoning this one in. Jai Courtney isn't bad, but this movie feels like a separate story that someone decided to throw, "the cop from Die Hard," into. The early chase seen is pretty cool and might be the closest thing to Die Hard that this movie gets. I say this because it borders on impossible and Die Hard was always good at that. The big problem is, after the chase is over you have to sit through the rest of the film.
There are two great things about the Die Hard Franchise. One of them is the villains. Alan Rickman, William Sadler, Jeremy Irons, and Timothy Olyphant all gave us great villians. They were the perfect compliment to Willis over powering sarcasm and wit. The latest installment fails miserably in this department. Twists you can see coming from the beginning, the evil daughter, and the talk to much terrorist are all we get.It's not clearly enough and is the biggest disappointment of the film. I have said it before, the hero is only as good as his villain. John McClane is working with nothing here.
The other thing Die Hard was good for, was making you root and feel for McClane. It doesn't happen here. It doesn't even feel like the same guy. John was better with a good supporting cast. He needed a Samuel L. Jackson, Justin Long, or anyone from the previous films. Courtney does what he can, but it just falls flat.
The special effects in the end are B-Grade, the plot is sub-par, and John McClane deserves better. I enjoyed the fourth installment and this should clearly have been skipped. The movie is short and that is it's only saving grace. Greg Walton always said to never trust a big action film in February and he couldn't be more accurate here. I hope Die Hard 6 is made if for no other reason than to give John McClane a proper send off. He doesn't get it here. See a different or re-watch the previous films, but skip this.