Sunday 17 February 2013

Cinema Review - A Good Day To Die Hard

Just when you thought we were free from action stars returning to their roots another Die Hard movie comes along... 

That's right, John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back for a fifth instalment into the Die Hard franchise with A Good Day To Die Hard, and in truth the title is as ludicrous as some of the scenes within the movie.

Taking a vacation to Russia, McClane is on a search to reunite with his son, Jack (Jai Courtney), but when he inadvertently complicates a mission his son is on for the CIA things take a turn for the worse. Cue a carrot crunching villain, attack helicopters and some rather ridiculous slow motion moments.

In essence, the film is somewhat of a hash of an action movie; clichéd from beginning to end, filled with less-than-impressive dialogue, yet featuring some brilliant action scenes early on. Fortunately, the Die Hard films have always been this way and this is what we loved so much about them, but when it enters territory in which John McClane is carelessly jogging away from an attacking helicopter you know the time is up.

That's not to say there aren't good moments in the film. The first half is actually a brilliant spectacle of an action movie, kicking off the adrenaline fuelled proceedings pretty quickly and thrusting us into a breathless car chase. There are explosions, crushed cars and all, and, despite some shaky camera moments that do distract, it provides one of the best chase scenes in some time. Then it all falls apart.

A chief villain who is far from sinister, a plot twist that is simply shoulder-shruggingly uninteresting and Bruce Willis sighing and trudging along like he was forced to be in the movie, much like those in Movie 43. It's all uninspired and doesn't make for a fun watch. Instead it makes you want to rename it A Good Day To Stop A Dying Franchise. 

Film Rating - 2 F's out of 5

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