A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

When it’s over, Die Hard is dead. John McClane (Bruce Willis) goes to Russia to bail his son, Jack (Jai Courtney), out of jail, only to discover his son is an undercover CIA operative. If this film is a taste of films to come, then the franchise is defunct. If this film represents the passing of the baton to a younger McClane, then, the baton has fallen. Three things plague this film – the script, the acting, the location. The story simply disappoints, because it is without a true villain for John to go head to head with. The dialogue is dry, and all the Die Hard humor and sarcasm I remember from previous films have vanished. Even the famous line synonymous to Die Hard, “Yippee ki yay,” is misused, being inserted into the wrong scene at the wrong time. John is alone when he says this. He doesn’t even have a weapon when he says this. He says this while starting a truck. That line is written into the film just for the sake of it. Willis defines John McClane, and he is so good at playing this hard-edged cop, so why the poor portrayal in A Good Day? The acting is bad throughout, from all cast members, and this is not from a lack of money, since there’s plenty of destruction onscreen. I am guessing, the poor acting has more to do with the script and direction than the actors’ abilities. I am bewildered by the location the film takes place in. Why Russia? There are too many movies showing Russia as the baddie. The Middle East is becoming overused. So, why not North Korea? More important, why leave the USA? Why deviate from the location that made the Die Hard films famous? I am shaking my head, sad to see this once entertaining franchise go down the drain.

My rating: 1.5 out of 5