A Good Day to Die Hard (20th Century Fox)

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After taking on terrorists in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York City and other parts of the United States, where else will officer John McClane find himself in the wrong place at the right time?

Bruce Willis returns to the role that made him a star in A Good Day to Die Hard, the fifth film in one of the most successful action franchises of all time. Has the series really run out of steam, or is there plenty of spark left in this 25-year series?

This time, McClane is in Russia trying to find his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney) who gets arrested for murdering a local gangster. Turns out, Jack is working as a CIA operative who has to protect a billionaire (Sebastian Koch) from a group of terrorists led by the evil Alik (Radivoje Bukvic). John soon finds himself involved reluctantly in the mission, which once again puts him in odds with Jack.

As the day goes on, the mission gets into so many twists and turns that it puts the two of them in danger. All it takes for them is to set aside their personal differences to save the world from destruction.

Anyone who didn’t like the previous film Live Free or Die Hard, thinking it wasn’t the Die Hard they grew up with, will sigh with relief when they see this.

Unlike its PG-13 rating, this film’s R rating brings enough blood, explosions and curse-filled dialogue to satisfy any action junkie. It also improves a little more with its story and uses John and Jack’s relationship as the driving focal point. At first, they don't agree with each other, but become more understandable as the film goes on.

Willis and Courtney’s performances help the film. Willis manages McClane very well as always.

If you have been watching the series in the exact order, you can see the evolutionary process Willis created with his character. At 57, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Courtney holds his own, playing the hard-edged son with the right amount of action and drama. It seems he, too, has a future in action movies, as Willis was in 1988.

Although the series are known for memorable villains, this film made it unclear as to whom the villain was. Without spoiling it, the movie attempts to introduce a new bad guy just to surprise viewers.

None of the villains have the same panache as Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons from the other films. They’re just generic characters whose only purpose is to stand around looking evil. If they ever decide to make a sixth film, they could probably fix that issue by writing a more interesting villain.

Overall, A Good Day to Die Hard is miles above the previous film. Any action fan who wasn’t impressed by The Last Stand or Bullet to the Head may find something to enjoy. Yippee-Ki-Yay!

THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for violence and language)

THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)