A Good Day to Die Hard

by Tyler Darke

      Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of the Die Hard film series. I think Bruce Willis is fantastic, and all four of the previous Die Hard movies were quality films. I wish I could say the same for A Good Day to Die Hard.

      This movie was a disgrace to the series. It was a failure on so many levels from the acting, to the special effects, to the plot. I have never left a movie theater as disappointed as I was last night after seeing this installment of the Die Hard series.

      It's difficult to pick a place to start criticizing this film, because there are so many places to choose from. I'll start with the acting since that was one of the worst aspects of the movie. I have a lot of respect for Bruce Willis as an actor. I will say that his acting was far better than any of the supporting cast members, but it was not up to his standard. It was obvious that he wasn't feeling the role the way he typically does. Perhaps this was partly caused by the terrible supporting cast he was surrounded by. What were they thinking? Who are these people?? Look them up! Jai Courtney, Sebastian Kotch, and Yuliya Snigir? I am all for bringing unknown actors into the spotlight if they are talented, but these actors deserve to STAY unknown. Compare these supporting actors to the ones from the previous movie, Live Free or Die Hard...Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, and Cliff Curtis....no comparison. This film was bound to fail based solely on the supporting cast.

      As if the cast wasn't enough of a detriment to the film, there had to be a ridiculous script to accompany it. The dialogue was extremely awkward and had no flow. It didn't make Bruce Willis look like a badass, it made him look like a grumpy old man. I know he is getting old, but if he's going to continue to make Die Hard movies, they have to keep up his image as the hardcore, badass John McClane. Nobody watches these movies to see a grumpy old man running around with a gun.

      Another major downfall of this movie was the plot. I won't even waste your time explaining it to you. I will just say that the action scenes were ridiculous rather than exciting. The characters seemed more concerned with damaging everything in sight than attacking their respective opponents. If this plot were to actually take place, there would probably be about 100 innocent people dead just from the ridiculous car chase in the beginning of the movie.

      All of this said, I must say that I am hoping for a Die Hard 6 to come out. It would be a shame for such a great film series to end on such an embarrassing movie. This series needs redemption, so I hope it will be moderately successful to encourage a 6th film in the series.

      Knowing that the film has already grossed over $112 million, I would recommend that you do not waste your time or money seeing it. Cross your fingers and hope for Die Hard 6: Redemption! 3/10