“A Good Day to Die Hard” is the fifth installment in this loooong-running series. Seriously, the original came-out 25 years ago! But Bruce Willis can still kick butt. Sadly, that’s not enough to make “DH5” a winner.
Once again Willis plays (now veteran) NYC cop John McClane. He learns that his son Jack (played by Jai Courtney in his first major role) has been arrested for murder in Russia and could face life in prison – or worse. So John decides to travel to Moscow to try to see his son (they’ve never been very close) and help him if he can.
And, as soon as he arrives, cars blow-up, the courtroom where his son and a very valuable prisoner are being held, is destroyed allowing the two prisoners to escape. A group of bad guys go after them and John can’t help but join in on a pretty action-packed chase on the Russia highways. Jack eventually reveals that he’s a CIA operative on a mission to foil a plot by an evil Russian crime-boss to – yes – take-over the world. Even though he’s on vacation (as he reminds us over and over again) John teams-up with Jack to try to save the day.
This story is pretty light, which is why the running time of “A Good Day to Die Hard” is only 95 minutes. Plot development? What are you kidding? The film begins with a deathly slow opening credits sequence, and some bare-boned dialogue scenes, including one with Willis and a Russian cab driver who sings “New York New York”. It’s as uncomfortable as it sounds. But without these “A Good Day…” would have only lasted a good hour.
Then, finally we get to some well-staged and entertaining action scenes. And Willis starts cracking his signature one-liners that are so corny they’re funny. My one problem with the action is that often we get the same explosion or crash from several different angles, back-to-back. Mixed in are forced, awkward, but necessary father-son bonding moments.
In the second half the skimpy story is stretched simply to fill time before the action-packed finale. At one point I’m thinking – “just get me to final showdown”, which, again, is well done. But when a film’s storyline becomes a distraction that’s not usually a positive thing.
Willis is clearly enjoying himself back in this iconic role. Courtney is good, and could have action-star potential. Mary Elizabeth Winstead returns in a couple of scenes as John’s daughter.
The previous film in the series – 2007’s “Live Free or Die Hard” – was PG-13. But “A Good Day to Die Hard” kicks-it up a notch with an R-rating. And the reasons why are obvious: graphic action/violence and adult language, including the return one of the most famous quotes in film history, “Yippee-Ki-Yay…” – you can fill in the rest.
In short, this movie lives-up to it’s title in that it’s “good” but not great.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “A Good Day to Die Hard” gets a C.