A Good Day to Die Hard (6/4/2013)

Rated R for violence and language.

Starring Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Sebastian Koch

Directed by John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines and Max Payne)

I’m a die-hard Die Hard fan, but even I was skeptical walking into this one.

To say I had mixed feelings when I first heard they were making a new Die Hard movie would be an understatement. With every sequel there is a greater chance to ruin one of the greatest action franchises in movie history. And with the fifth installment and my favorite actor pushing 60, I was more fearful than ever.

After Live Free or Die Hard was given a PG-13 rating and had the infamous “Yippee-Kai-Yay” line sanitized, Die Hard fans have drawn some pretty big lines in the sand…or on the web. All I ask for is some fun action and clever one-liners that this franchise deserves.

So when A Good Day to Die Hard was given an R rating, the internet was buzzing. Then the early reviews started to roll in, and it seemed like everyone hated it… Big surprise.

Generally, when a film franchise reaches its fifth installment, I have lowered my expectation so far that a “Coaster” rating is a compliment. But this is Die Hard…this is Bruce Willis…and on Valentines’ Day my wife wants to take me to see my favorite action movie franchise instead of a ‘chick-flick”… “Yippee-Kai-Yay!”

So let’s start with the story. In short, John McClane travels to Russia to help his son get out of prison, then gets caught up in a battle between the CIA and Russian terrorists. Honestly that’s really all you need to know, because I’m pretty sure that’s all the filmmakers knew.

As far as the characters go, we knew everything about John McClane by the end of the second movie so there wasn’t much in the way of character development. We did meet Jack and a new villain, but again there wasn’t much in the way of character development with them either.

Some other problems were with the script, pacing and the casting. Jai Courtney wasn’t Bruce Willis’ first choice to play his son…and he wasn’t my first choice either. There’s a certain something lacking in this film that doesn’t tie the action moments together very well. A lot of the dialogue in the beginning feels forced and seems to distract instead of enhance the film.

The truth is, A Good Day to Die Hard is a classic “check-your-brain-at-the-door action movie. It’s over-the-top and completely unrealistic… but so very entertaining. Don’t forget that John McClane jumped off the roof of a building tied to a fire hose in the original Die Hard.

I laughed at all the expected “Die Hard lines”, and I really did enjoy the stellar action moments…especially the car chase in the beginning and every shootout throughout. It certainly isn’t the best Die Hard movie…but I’ll watch it again. It’s “Theater Worthy.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex & nudity but plenty of violence and profanity. There are over 15 F-words and several uses of S-words, D-words and H-words.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. In a pivotal scene, Jack says he is “out of moves” and ready to give up. But John “encourages” him to keep going. What were some of the things he said to “encourage” Jack?


2. Would those kind of comments encourage you?


3. Read Ephesians 4:29
   
   “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
   
   Compare and contrast the scene in the movie with this passage.


4. Later in the film John and Jack have a “heart-to-heart” moment. Do you remember some of the things they say to each other at that point in the movie?


5. If you were Jack, which of the two conversations would you prefer? Why?


6. What can you do this week to have those kinds of conversations with your family and friends?