A Day to Die
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
A Day to Die
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that A Day to Die is a dull, poorly made Bruce Willis action movie (and not the first to co-star Frank Grillo). It's quite violent, with lots of guns and shooting, blood spurts, deaths, innocent victims, grenades, rocket launchers, explosions, hostages, punching, fighting, kicking, and hitting with blunt objects. A pregnant woman is kidnapped; she tries to escape, but she's tripped and held down on the floor. A scene shows other women in revealing outfits lap dancing and twerking, as well as briefly topless. Extremely strong, constant language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," the "N" word, and more. Drug dealers are part of the plot, a character shoots heroin, and packages of drugs are shown; there's also some casual drinking and cigarette smoking.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In A DAY TO DIE, a special ops team is called in to help with a hostage situation at a high school, and everything goes south. Some time later, team member Connor (Kevin Dillon) is working as a parole officer; he shoots and kills a drug dealer in a dispute over one of Connor's parolees. Unfortunately, drug lord Tyrone Pettis (Leon) catches him and demands $2 million to make up for his loss. For collateral, Pettis kidnaps Connor's pregnant wife (Brooke Butler). Connor must reassemble his old team, including his brother Tim (Gianni Capaldi), Dwayne (Vernon Davis), Steve (Alexander Kane), and their captain, Mason (Frank Grillo). They steal a pile of money from a rival drug lord, but it's not enough. After a standoff, the team and Pettis decide to join forces to take down crooked police chief Alston (Bruce Willis).
Is It Any Good?
Sometimes Willis' low-budget action movies have quirky little touches that distract from their awfulness, but this one has none; it's as lazy, nonsensical, and junky-looking as they come. A Day to Die starts with one of the movie's most baffling sequences, in which the so-called heroes blow up a high school with innocent victims inside. Not only does it not make sense story-wise, but the sequence is hard to follow on a technical level. The cinematography, here and throughout the rest of the movie, is garish and wildly jerky, and the editing is so inept as to be confusing. Random images pop up at jarring, inappropriate times.
The writing doesn't get better either. An attempt to discuss how drugs and racism relate to American history feels wedged in and ineffective. Characters' decisions make no sense, and things like a "heist montage," in which a character narrates just how the team is going to break in and steal the money, is dropped in favor of a dull, messy shoot-out. Willis sleepwalks through another performance, and the others don't fare much better. Dillon is miscast. He's 23 years older than his on-screen wife, and their pairing is squirm-inducing (they call each other "baby" dozens upon dozens of times). Even Leon's Pettis, who sports a stylish wardrobe and thinks he's using his drug money to uplift his community, is flatly dull. The only thing A Day to Die manages to kill is two hours of your life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about A Day to Die's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How is drug use depicted? Is it glorified? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
Is teamwork depicted in a positive way? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters: March 4, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: May 17, 2022
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dillon
- Director: Wes Miller
- Studio: Vertical Entertainment
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Run time: 105 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violence, pervasive language, drug use and some sexual material/nudity
- Last updated: October 8, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
RED
Well-cast action comedy is entertaining -- but very violent.
-
The Expendables 2
The Expendables are still very violent but much improved.
-
Fast Five
High-octane heist sequel is violent but exciting.
-
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Spy franchise returns for more action-packed thrills.
-
Copshop
Over-the-top, gory violence in fun B movie shoot-'em-up.
For kids who love action and thrills
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate