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Plot Summary
Bruce Willis is back in action — mind-blowing, heart-stopping, rip-roaring action — as John McClane, the heroic New York cop with a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time. John’s latest predicament takes him all the way to Russia to track down his estranged son, Jack (Jai Courtney), who has been imprisoned in Moscow. But the mission takes a deadly turn as father and son must join forces to thwart a nuclear weapons heist that could trigger World War III!
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
14%- Reviews Counted: 211
- Fresh: 30
- Rotten: 181
- Average Rating: 3.9/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: If there's something crassly opportunistic about exploiting a real life disaster on the scale of Chernobyl for cheap thrills, that's part and parcel of the film's cynicism.
Rotten: This is the Magpie School of action filmmaking: Anytime things start to make so little sense that you might lose the audience, just throw something shiny up on screen to distract.
Rotten: For anyone who remembers the "Die Hard" adventures at their vital and exciting best, this film feels like a near-death experience.
Rotten: I guess the people making A Good Day to Die Hard don't understand that mortality is one of John McClane's most endearing qualities. Turning him into a cyborg with a sense of self-deprecating humor makes this a low point in the series' history.
Customer Reviews
A BAD DAY TO DIE HARD
Ever since I first saw the original "Die Hard" more than a decade ago, it has since become one of my all-time favorite action movies, and a bonafide Christmas classic in my mind. Although the two following sequels could never hope to reach the same epic heights as their predecessor, they were still fun and enjoyable in their own way. The fourth installment in the action-packed franchise, "Live Free or Die Hard," managed to be a surprise hit that completely exceeded my expectations and came super close to surpassing the same old-fashioned, gleefully implausible thrills of the very first film in every way. Needless to say, my anticipation for "A Good Day to Die Hard," the long-awaited fifth addition to the series, was through the roof. I couldn't wait to see what kind of new, crazy, over-the-top misadventure John McClane was about to get himself into this time around. Unfortunately, this movie ended up being less the grand "Die Hard" comeback I'd been waiting patiently for and more a bitter, cynical disappointment that failed to live up to even the lowest standards set by the previous films. In other words, this simply turned out to be the worst entry in a once-mighty franchise. Bruce Willis once again returns as John McClane, the no-nonsense NYC cop with a knack for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. This time around, we find our hero traveling all the way to Russia to track down his estranged son, Jack (Jai Courtney), who has been imprisoned in Moscow as a result of an assassination. But soon, the mission takes a deadly turn as father and son must reluctantly join forces to thwart a nuclear weapons heist that could very well trigger World War III. When it comes to "Die Hard" films, the last thing anyone needs to worry about is the complexity of the story, but at the very least, it should be consistently entertaining. Sadly, that's far from the case here. Aside from the script being incredibly repetitive and uninspired, it often moves at what feels like a snail's like pace and literally holds no surprises. The new villains in this film are even worse. As a matter of fact, I don't think I even remember their names, let alone how or why they were supposed to be intimidating in the first place. The over-the-top action sequences and explosive special effects are certainly enjoyable to an extent, but they soon become problematic once the hour-mark hits and this movie simply gives up on trying to tell a comprehensible story, instead resorting to throwing as many obnoxiously loud explosions onto the screen as possible. The only saving grace "A Good Day" has is the considerably strong chemistry between Willis and Courtney, but even that starts to wear thin after about the millionth forced catchphrase (of course, with the obvious exception being "yippie ki-yay"). At the end of the day, "A Good Day to Die Hard" ultimately fails to live up to its name. It's a derivative smorgasbord of senseless action, generic humor, and painfully weak plotting. Willis, Courtney, and the rest of the cast do the best they can with the terrible script handed to them, but to no avail. Sure, some of the action scenes are mindlessly fun at times, and McClane's witty wisecracks have their moments, but those small upsides are hardly enough to make up for the rest of this flick's countless drawbacks. Even if you're a "diehard" fan of the original 1988 action staple, this tepid excuse for a sequel will probably leave you as disappointed as I was when I walked out of the theater. Unless you're the kind of filmgoer who doesn't mind misguided direction, scattershot editing, and constant predictability in an action movie, "A Good Day" just isn't worth your time. Hopefully, Willis will be able to bounce back from this train wreck and give his iconic character the finale he rightfully deserves.
A mess
Terrible script, little to no plot, no imagination. A waste of an hour and a half.
great fun
I didn't go to this expecting great Swedish cinema or an apotheosis of new, recherche, intellectually cinematic bliss.
I went to this expecting Bruce Willis' smarta** DIE HARD shenanigans and great stunt work and All American action.
QUITE enjoyable. Turn your head off, sit back, and enjoy a great ride.
Hope there's a sequel!
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- $14.99
- Genre: Action & Adventure
- Released: 2013
- © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and TSG Entertainment Finance LLC. All rights reserved.
Available Bundle
- Die Hard Ultimate Collection
- Genre: Action & Adventure
- Released: May 14, 2013
- View In iTunes