Yes, Another "Die Hard" Movie

I'm one of the few people who seems to have liked the fourth "Die Hard" movie, the PG-13 actioner with Justin Long and the extended cameo by Kevin Smith. However, I respect the opinion that "Die Hard" should stick to R-rated territory, and its hard action, cheerfully profane roots. "A Good Day to Die Hard," will definitely be seen as a return to form by some longtime fans. Alas, its quality is so poor that I'm sorry to report that this is the worst of the "Die Hard" franchise, and not by a small margin either. That's not to say that the film isn't still a fun watch, but in a very B-movie, turn your brain all the way off, and leave your expectations at the door kind of way.

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is still a working cop, but decides to take a vacation to Moscow in search of his missing son Jack (Jai Courtney), who he never had the best relationship with. Jack turns out to be working for the CIA, and in the middle of a mission to rescue a political prisoner, Komarov (Sebastian Kock), and keep him out of the clutches of a baddie named Alik (Radivoje Bukvic). The plot hardly matters much, a father-son bonding story interlaced with a mishmash of old spy game tropes including a couple of twists and misdirections that are telegraphed very far in advance. When Komarov's daughter Irina (Yuliya Snigir) shows up, she so looks the part of the femme fatale, you wonder why the filmmakers bothered to pretend for any length of time that she wasn't one. Rest assured that "A Good Day to Die Hard" has lots and lots of action scenes, including gunfights, car chases, and a big showdown involving a helicopter that takes place at Chernoble.

That showdown is very enjoyable, but getting there requires withstanding some pain. The first third of the movie is nearly unwatchable, thanks to the worst camera work I have ever seen in a mainstream film. This is full-on shakeycam hell, where the operators are deliberately jerking the camera around to add extraneous motion, panning and zooming constantly. Even in simple conversation scenes, they refuse to hold still, so the frame is frequently bobbing up and down, making it look like the characters are on a boat or a carnival ride. The first big car chase through Moscow appears to have some impressive stunts, but the cinematography, full of quick cuts and close-ups, renders it utterly nauseating to watch. The filmmakers clearly meant to ape the style of "Bourne" series, except without the technical chops or the editing knowhow to keep the action coherent.

Fortunately the shakeycam settles down after the first act, giving way to a pretty typical action movie. The script is dumb, but not egregiously so. The supporting characters run the gamut of Russian movie stereotypes, but it's nice to see Moscow portrayed as a modern cosmopolis and there's no sign of any of the old anti-Soviet sentiments we might have seen in an older picture. Jai Courtney is stuck in a thankless role, playing John McClane's bullheaded, hostile offspring, who never adequately explains why he's so ticked off at his old man. Courtney and Bruce Willis are strong enough actors that they manage to establish a decent rapport as the movie goes on, but they don't get much help from the tepid dialogue. The attempts at wisecracking are particularly lackluster.

The action is pretty good though, and the large scale carnage reminded me of all those cheesy old 80s action flicks with so many machine gun battles and explosions that the original "Die Hard" played a big part in popularizing. Compared to Schwarzenegger and Stallone, and the rest, I can still buy Bruce Willis as an action star, and he can still pull off some of these impossible stunts. I expect that the action is what most audience members are really coming to "A Good Day to Die Hard" to see, and on that score they won't be disappointed. On the other hand, this is a very poor "Die Hard" installment, lacking all but the most superficial hallmarks of the series. McClane's personality has been mellowed and softened to the point where he hardly seems like John McClane anymore.

Inevitably there will be a sixth "Die Hard" movie, possibly titled "Old Habits Die Hard," possibly involving John McClane as an irascible grandpa, showing yet another generation how to survive being blown up, shot in the non-vitals, thrown through windows, and being crashed into while operating a large motorized vehicle. All I can hope is that it will be directed and written by filmmakers who care a little more than the people who made this movie, who won't do the bare minimum and hope the fans' affection for the series can make up the difference.

And with a competent cinematographer.
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