A Good Day to Die Hard

Reviews

Per Gunnar Jonsson
My god what a disappointment! The original movie had a script worth watching and some good action and special effects. This one, well this was a typical Hollywood script written by someone who either was incredibly stupid or just too arrogant to care. It is a script that I would expect from a SyFy channel production. There was absolutely nothing that made sense in this script. The actual plot about Chernobyl that was ludicrous to say the least. I’m sure the special effects guys had a great day doing the car chase at the beginning but it was just exaggerated and silly to watch. Obviously there are no cops or anything in Moscow since they could drive around smashing cars forever without anyone seeming to care. They walk into Chernobyl and sprays some magic fluid onto the highly radioactive place and voilà, the radioactivity is gone and they can take off their protective suits. What a load of bull! They steal a car and drive to Chernobyl (which is around 1000 kilometres away and the roads in Russia are NOT western highway standard) and they still manage to get there in time to catch the bad guys who are in choppers. Not to mention the fact that they actually get near the place without being stopped. I can go on with this but it is only more and more depressing. Oh, my favourite (sarcasm), Switzerland have obviously invaded France since Grenoble is now in Switzerland. Funny that I, who lives a couple of hours drive from Grenoble, have not heard about this. That is just so typical dumbass American script writer who have never set foot outside of Hollywood. Maybe it was supposed to be funny but I honestly do not think so and in any case, it was not funny. The only reason this movie gets a 4 out of 10 star rating is because the special effects are indeed impressive if you can push yourself to look past the ludicrousness of them and it is Bruce Willis after all. It is a shame that they obviously handed the franchise over to some idiot(s) that obviously where utterly incompetent at what they were doing.

Wuchak
Big, dumb, fun action flick in Russia dies hard to entertain RELEASED IN 2013 and directed by John Moore, "A Good Day to Die Hard" is the Third of (currently) five installments in the Die Hard series. In this one John McClane (Bruce Willis) travels to Moscow to aid his unruly son, Jack (Jai Courtney), only to discover that Jack is an undercover agent. Father & son team-up to stop a nuclear weapons heist. Sebastian Koch is on hand as a focal point in the heist. The Die Hard flicks fill the bill if you're in the mood for big, dumb, fun action thrills. Don't get me wrong because a lot of work goes into making these kinds of films and it takes talent & genius to pull them off. I mean "dumb" in the sense that the focus is on unbelievable action rather than deeper themes beyond "genuinely good people may be flawed and somewhat profane, but they're courageous and never give up in the face of evil." Thankfully, this installment throws in some entertaining father/son character development in between the wild action sequences. McClane’s daughter also appears for good measure (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The story isn't quite as engaging as "Live Free or Die Hard" (2007), but it was good enough and the action scenes are out of this world, including a long vehicle chase in Moscow in the opening act. Director Moore ups the ante with quick-editing for this one. Some parts are eye-rolling absurd, but everything's done with a quasi-realistic tone, which sorta helps the viewer go along with the ridiculousness rather than tune out. The Die Hard flicks are the natural progeny of over-the-top films like 1977's "The Gauntlet" where the action scenes are so overdone they're cartoony, but entertaining. There's a thin line that filmmakers must tread with these kinds of blockbusters because they can easily fall into overKILL, like 2001's "The Mummy Returns." Thankfully, "A Good Day to Die Hard" pretty much evades that ditch by giving us entertaining protagonists & antagonists, amusing one-liners, worthy bits of character development and a compelling comic booky story. Speaking of the story, one of the highlights is the infamous Russian location of the final act. Another highlight is hottie raven-haired Yuliya Snigir. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour, 38 minutes and was shot in Budapest, Hungary, with the Chernobyl scenes done at Old Soviet Air Force Base, Kiskunlacháza, Hungary, along with establishing shots of Moscow. WRITERS: Skip Woods. GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)

RalphRahal
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) is the weakest entry in the series, losing everything that made Die Hard great in the first place. The plot is thin, the script feels hollow, and the father-son dynamic that should have added some depth comes off as forced. The action is big, but without a strong story or real stakes, it all feels empty. Bruce Willis looks like he is just going through the motions, and the villains are completely forgettable. Instead of feeling like a Die Hard movie, it plays out like a generic action flick that just happens to have John McClane in it. The directing is a mess, with an overuse of shaky cam and quick cuts that make the action frustrating to watch rather than exciting. The cinematography lacks the creativity and tension of previous films, making everything feel flat despite the high production value. The score does its job, but it does not leave an impact, much like the rest of the movie. It is all explosions and gunfire with no heart, making this a disappointing and unnecessary sequel. If there was ever a sign that the franchise should have stopped earlier, this was it.
Movie Recommendation
- Jack the Giant Slayer2013-02-27The story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.More...
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey2012-12-12Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit enjoying his quiet life, is swept into an epic quest by Gandalf the Grey and thirteen dwarves who seek to reclaim their mountain home from Smaug, the dragon.More...
- The Avengers2012-04-25When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!More...
- Olympus Has Fallen2013-03-20When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As the national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning's inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger disaster.More...
- Live Free or Die Hard2007-06-20John McClane is back and badder than ever, and this time he calls on the services of a young hacker in his bid to stop a ring of Internet terrorists intent on taking control of America's computer infrastructure.More...
- Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters2013-01-17After getting a taste for blood as children, Hansel and Gretel have become the ultimate vigilantes, hell-bent on retribution. Now, unbeknownst to them, Hansel and Gretel have become the hunted, and must face an evil far greater than witches... their past.More...
- Django Unchained2012-12-25With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.More...
- Despicable Me 22013-06-26Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.More...
- Oz the Great and Powerful2013-03-07Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he's the great wizard of prophecy, there to save Oz from the clutches of evil.More...
- Avatar2009-12-15In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.More...
- Die Hard: With a Vengeance1995-05-19New York detective John McClane is back and kicking bad-guy butt in the third installment of this action-packed series, which finds him teaming with civilian Zeus Carver to prevent the loss of innocent lives. McClane thought he'd seen it all, until a genius named Simon engages McClane, his new "partner" -- and his beloved city -- in a deadly game that demands their concentration.More...
- Iron Man 32013-04-18When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.More...
- Parker2013-01-23A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist.More...
- The Call2013-03-14Jordan Turner is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue. But when teenager Casey Welson is abducted in the back of a man's car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.More...
- Die Hard 21990-07-03One year after his heroics in Los Angeles, John McClane is an off-duty cop who is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a snowy Christmas Eve, as he waits for his wife's plane to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, terrorists take over the air traffic control system in a plot to free a South American army general and drug smuggler being flown into the US to face drug charges. It's now up to McClane to take on the terrorists, while coping with an inept airport police chief, an uncooperative anti-terrorist squad, and the life of his wife and everyone else trapped in planes circling overhead.More...
- G.I. Joe: Retaliation2013-03-27Framed for crimes against the country, the G.I. Joe team is terminated by Presidential order. This forces the G.I. Joes into not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.More...
- Life of Pi2012-11-20The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper's son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.More...
- The Hunger Games2012-03-12Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. The world will be watching.More...
- Fast & Furious 62013-05-21Hobbs has Dominic and Brian reassemble their crew to take down a team of mercenaries; Dominic unexpectedly gets sidetracked with facing his presumed deceased girlfriend, Letty.More...
- Skyfall2012-10-24When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong, agents around the world are exposed and MI6 headquarters is attacked. While M faces challenges to her authority and position from Gareth Mallory, the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, it's up to Bond, aided only by field agent Eve, to locate the mastermind behind the attack.More...
Similar Movies
From Russia with Love...
1963-10-10Agent 007 is back in the second installment of the James Bond series, this time battling a secret crime organization known as SPECTRE. Russians Rosa Klebb and Kronsteen are out to snatch a decoding device known as the Lektor, using the ravishing Tatiana to lure Bond into helping them. Bond willingly travels to meet Tatiana in Istanbul, where he must rely on his wits to escape with his life in a series of deadly encounters with the enemy.You Only Live Twice
1967-06-13A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.The Spy Who Loved Me
1977-07-07Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.The Living Daylights
1987-06-29After a defecting Russian general reveals a plot to assassinate foreign spies, James Bond is assigned a secret mission to dispatch the new head of the KGB to prevent an escalation of tensions between the Soviet Union and the West.Face/Off
1997-06-27In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.Judgment Night
1993-10-15Four young friends, while taking a shortcut en route to a local boxing match, witness a brutal murder which leaves them running for their lives.The Fifth Element
1997-05-02In 2257, a taxi driver is unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl who is part of the key that will ensure the survival of humanity.Canary Black
2024-10-10Top level CIA agent Avery Graves is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband. Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive and help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want.Torrente 5
2014-10-03Crooked cop Torrente gets out of jail in the year 2018 to find a different Spain from the one he knew.The November Man
2014-08-27An ex-CIA operative is brought back in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect.Spider-Man 2
2004-06-25Peter Parker is going through a major identity crisis. Burned out from being Spider-Man, he decides to shelve his superhero alter ego, which leaves the city suffering in the wake of carnage left by the evil Doc Ock. In the meantime, Parker still can't act on his feelings for Mary Jane Watson, a girl he's loved since childhood. A certain anger begins to brew in his best friend Harry Osborn as well...Spider-Man 3
2007-05-01The seemingly invincible Spider-Man goes up against an all-new crop of villains—including the shape-shifting Sandman. While Spider-Man’s superpowers are altered by an alien organism, his alter ego, Peter Parker, deals with nemesis Eddie Brock and also gets caught up in a love triangle.Die Hard
1988-07-15NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her offices Christmas Party, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.Jaws 2
1978-06-16Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.Jaws: The Revenge
1987-07-17After another deadly shark attack, Ellen Brody decides she has had enough of New England's Amity Island and moves to the Caribbean to join her son, Michael, and his family. But a great white shark has followed her there, hungry for more lives.The Matrix
1999-03-31Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.The Matrix Reloaded
2003-05-15Six months after the events depicted in The Matrix, Neo has proved to be a good omen for the free humans, as more and more humans are being freed from the matrix and brought to Zion, the one and only stronghold of the Resistance. Neo himself has discovered his superpowers including super speed, ability to see the codes of the things inside the matrix and a certain degree of pre-cognition. But a nasty piece of news hits the human resistance: 250,000 machine sentinels are digging to Zion and would reach them in 72 hours. As Zion prepares for the ultimate war, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity are advised by the Oracle to find the Keymaker who would help them reach the Source. Meanwhile Neo's recurrent dreams depicting Trinity's death have got him worried and as if it was not enough, Agent Smith has somehow escaped deletion, has become more powerful than before and has fixed Neo as his next target.The Matrix Revolution...
2003-11-05The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.The Revenge of the Wo...
1997-03-27A psychotic man and an obsessed police officer make life unbearable for an unlucky actor by making him the scapegoat for a string of kidnappings.Bullitt
1968-10-17Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses. This thriller includes one of the most famous car chases ever filmed.