Dying Hard Runs in the Family

"A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD" (2013) | Rated R | 20th Century Fox | Director: John Moore

Running time 97 minutes | Reviewer's score: B+

I am a "Die Hard" fan and had an idea of what to expect. I saw the commercials and had no doubt John McClane (Bruce Willis) would run into some bad guys and end up killing them all to save the day. The idea behind this film and the ones before it is that John McClane is incredibly hard to kill and that no matter what he never gives up on a fight. He is now teamed up with his son in this film and together they raise hell like no other. The concept that John and Jack McClane are almost impossible to kill comes across very well I might say.

The film starts out with John McClane traveling to Moscow after discovering Russian police have arrested his son, Jack McClane (Jai Courtney). The audience also sees that there is an important court hearing going on at the same time. A jailed man is being threatened by a high ranking Russian official, Viktor Chagarin, who is presented as being corrupt. The prisoner, Yuri Komarov, shows he is not afraid of the official and says he will tell the truth. However, during the trial an explosion occurs and Jack McClane rescues Yuri who is being hunted by assassins. Jack then runs into his father and together they run around killing bad guys. An interesting twist at the end added to the mostly flat story as well.

John McClane would throw out many one liners as he killed bad guys that added to the fun. He would show his anger and fearlessness when he shouted “Yippe Kai yay!” as he shot all the bad guys. The script and production would go hand in hand for this roller coaster ride. The feel of the movie was set with short funny phrases and long drawn out gun fights and explosions. The focus was the action and special effects and worked well for this film.

John McClane is an American cop who travels to Moscow to see his son. He is a short tempered father who finds himself disappointed with his son and himself. After he starts running around with Jack killing bad guys he turns in a sarcastic and funny character to watch. He pauses many times in the film to try and win his son back who shows much anger towards him. Jack McClane is a spy in Russia who is also short tempered and becomes furious after his father stumbled back into his life. However, over the film they come to understand each other better while still having a friendly grudge.

The main theme of this film is simple and even says it in its title. John McClane may appear like and average man, but he is a one man army and put into any situation he will come out standing. He is still human that bleeds and gets tired, but his cocky attitude and quick trigger finger always outdoes his numerous enemies.

I would recommend this film to anyone just looking for a fun action packed ride. The story is barley there, but after awhile you just don’t care and start enjoying all of the great moments of John and Jack McClane. You will not be disappointed if you are looking for gun, helicopters, and explosions.

In the end, "A Good Day to Die Hard" entertained me. The story lacked believability and felt rushed in many ways; however, I don’t believe the people behind the film mind. This was an action packed movie that felt more like a theme park ride with some elements of an underlying story on the side. I didn’t mind though because I was blown away in so many scenes with awe or laughter that it conquered its flaws. I give "A Good Day to Die Hard" a B+ for giving me a good time at the movies.