Home Entertainment Bruce Willis definitely doesn't look like a lawyer in this new trailer for A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

Bruce Willis definitely doesn't look like a lawyer in this new trailer for A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

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I can use many words to describe Live Free or Die Hard aka Die Hard 4, but most of them would consist of four letters and would probably get some stern looks from the more morally inclined among you. Despite that film’s failing to live up to its predecessors, it still made more money than a Eurotrash terrorist scheme, which obviously means that John McClane is back on the job, and this time he’s bringing his son with him.

The previous trailers were more about classical music and explosions, and this one is… well it still has those, but just with a little bit more Eurotrash terrorist.

 Iconoclastic, take-no-prisoners cop John McClane, for the first time, finds himself on foreign soil after traveling to Moscow to help his wayward son Jack–unaware that Jack is really a highly-trained CIA operative out to stop a nuclear weapons heist. With the Russian underworld in pursuit, and battling a countdown to war, the two McClanes discover that their opposing methods make them unstoppable heroes.

I have to admit, that’s a pretty good looking trailer. There’s just one problem: Max Payne. The trailers for that film looked gobsmackingly good, and then the movie itself ended up being stinkier than a blue cheese enema. And the guy who made that celluloid turd, John Moore, is the same guy that made this.

So although Jai Courtney is a seriously rapidly rising star, and this film also features a lithe Russian girl stripping out of bike leathers, I’m going to reserve judgement on this until the end credits roll.

Last Updated: January 7, 2013

5 Comments

  1. James Francis

    January 7, 2013 at 11:14

    Hmmm. Eh. Ah. Damnit. I dunno. It looks great and like it is bringing all the goods. But I can’t get over the sidekick thing. Jai Courtney just is not nearly as cool as Samuel L. Jackson or Keenan Ivory Wayans.

    Reply

    • ElNicko

      January 7, 2013 at 11:41

      Hey Zeus !!

      Reply

  2. Justin Hess

    January 7, 2013 at 12:10

    Look, none of this really matters without the principle people involved understanding what makes the Die Hard films work. It’s not splosions or gunfights (though those are a significant part of it). It’s not one liners or Bruce Willis pursing his lips in his customary fashion.

    It’s John McClane either scared or freaking out due to the situation he’s in. Him freaking out is what endears him to the audience, makes him human and helps to sell the drama of the film.

    Sadly, because Bruce Willis has far too much pull, that resulted in a severe lack of freaking out on his part in Die Hard 4 and it’s pity that it’ll probably be the same with this new film.

    The one guy who understood what made the Die Hard films work (he directed parts 1 and 3, the best of the series) is also the guy who they’ll never hire because of the controversy hanging over him: John McTiernan.

    So basicallly, I’m resigned to this film being sub-par and kak

    Reply

    • James Francis

      January 7, 2013 at 15:22

      Freaking out? Don’t know if I agree. What sells McClane are two things. Both could also be rules for movie villains: Never corner McClane and try to not execute your master plan when he is in the area.

      The third movie missed this, because he was never cornered and the villain involved him intentionally. Not the case with 1,2 and 4. It’s also why 4 managed to hold its own.

      I agree that McClane’s human qualities had something to do with it. He did for tough guy action icons what Jackie Chan did for kung fu movies. That has also been Bruce Willis’ main action shtick. 16 Blocks, Sin City, Last Man Standing, Bandits, 5th Element, Mercury Rising… he plays the anti-hero underdog a lot.

      But the end of Die Hard 2 is where McClane stopped being the underdog antihero and turned into bad news for bad guys. To make up for that, they added more explosions – esp in 4 and no doubt 5. But human McClane died when he used a Zippo to kill a Boeing.

      Reply

      • Justin Hess

        January 7, 2013 at 15:58

        Watch the first and the third. A large part of what makes those films work are Bruce Willis freaking out and scared, particularly the first one.

        Like “Why didn’t you stop ’em, John? Cos then you’d be dead too, asshole.” Or “How the fuck did you get into this shit, John?”

        He’s freaking out and, at key points, even shitting himself. It’s what separates him from musclebound lummoxes like Dolph Lundgren and Arnie.
        Yeah, he can do insane, impossible shit, but his REACTIONS are resolutely human. Like I said, it’s what endears him to audiences. The fact that he is still capable in these situations allows him to be active in the story, but no matter how capable he is, he is still more human than more seemingly invulnerable action heroes and he still shits himself.

        At least that’s how the character should be

        Reply

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