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Parents' Guide to

A Good Day to Die Hard

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Fifth in violent action series is also least entertaining.

Movie R 2013 97 minutes
A Good Day to Die Hard Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Shivom Oza
Shivom Oza Adult
February 18, 2013
age 14+

A Good Day To Die Hard (2013) Review by Shivom Oza - A Bad Film For 'Die Hard'

In the fifth installment of the 'Die Hard' film series, 'A Good Day To Die Hard', Bruce Willis is back as John McClane. This time the American cop travels to Russia to help his son Jack McClane crack down a terrorist plot. Although the action pieces are well-conceived, shot and executed, the story just doesn't make the cut. Back up the ordinary plot with below-the-par dialogues and performances, and the end result is a disappointing film. Die Hard 5 lets the 'Die Hard' title down, big time. While Die Hard 4/ 'Live Free Or Die Hard' had Officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) rescuing his daughter, this one involves his estranged son Jack McClane (Jai Courtney). Jack has been staying in Russia as a spy working for the CIA. He has been working to prevent a major terror plot. Also, he is supposed to protect the Russian political prisoner Yuri Kumarov (Sebastian Koch), whose life is threatened by Viktor Chagarin (Sergei Koleshnikov), a corrupt, influential Russian official and Alik (Radivoje Bukvić), who is presumably a gang-lord. John learns about the impending danger to his son's life and he sets off for Russia. Over there, the father-son duo comes face-to-face with all these troublemakers. What follows are numerous gun-shots, car crashes, explosions among other novel action sequences. The plot is a let-down. The story was equally implausible in the fourth film and one realizes leaps of faith need to be taken into consideration for such big-ticket actioners, but Die Hard 5 is just not gripping enough. The only bright spots in the film are the wonderful action pieces and some witty banter between Willis and Courtney. Most dialogues focus on Willis' age, baldness, gumption etc. At other times, he is taking jibes at his son. You may welcome a few scenes with a reluctant guffaw, but it doesn't take too long for the proceedings to become outright boring. Director John Moore has made a good action-scene catalog. Feature film, not quite! This film should disappoint 'Die Hard' loyalists as well! Shivom Oza
KING I.
KING I. Parent of 18+-year-old
June 23, 2018
age 18+

Watch this for time pass

Nothing like 80s
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Following a few opening jokes about his old age, John McClane (Bruce Willis) heads to Moscow to try to help out his son, Jack (Jai Courtney), who's in trouble with the law. It turns out that Jack is actually a CIA agent who's helping rescue Russian political prisoner Yuri Komarov (Sebastian Koch) and secure a secret file related to Chernobyl. John gets in the way of the plan, and, before long, father, son, and prisoner are on the run from Russian thugs. After a double-cross and a daring escape, the two McClanes decide to infiltrate Chernobyl itself to prevent the bad guys from getting their hands on a load of weapons-grade uranium. Will they save the world before they destroy it?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (22 ):

It's very likely that this entry will be the death of Die Hard. Twenty-five years after the original film in the series, John McClane now has a grown son who serves as his comic sidekick, like Samuel L. Jackson in the third entry and Justin Long in the fourth. But Courtney was cast for his brawn and not for his banter; the characters' "tough love" talk is actually more cruel than funny. Moreover, director John Moore (The Omen remake, Max Payne, etc.) is a camera shaker who often jolts the action off-kilter.

The script by Skip Woods hits all the right marks, but it also relies on some ludicrous twists and ridiculous plot holes. For example, father and son survive a gas explosion, unscathed, merely by ducking behind some stone pillars. Not to mention that the use of Chernobyl as a setting for a showdown is in questionable taste, and the movie humorously shrugs off the possibility of radiation poisoning for our heroes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about A Good Day to Die Hard's over-the-top violence. How does its impact compare to what you might see in a horror movie? Or a more realistic drama?

  • Why are the main characters allowed to simply kill bad guys, rather than bring them to justice? What differentiates the "good guys" and the "bad guys"?

  • How did you feel about the "tough love" relationship between the father and son? Why did the father ridicule his son for having feelings and weaknesses?

  • How does the Die Hard series strike you as a whole? What's John McClane's appeal? Is he a role model?

Movie Details

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