A Good Day to Die Hard
John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working undercover, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces.
Callum reviewed
November 9, 2025•
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ – A Good Day to Die Hard – Father, Son, and One More Shot of Mayhem
A Good Day to Die Hard may not be everyone’s favourite in the franchise, but for me, it’s a blast of nostalgic chaos that proves Bruce Willis still had one more explosion left in him. Sure, the purists might say the Die Hard saga should have ended quietly years ago, but there’s something undeniably satisfying about seeing John McClane navigating a new world of modern tech, global espionage, and bigger-than-ever set pieces — still outgunned, outnumbered, and somehow always a step ahead.
This time, McClane finds himself in Russia, tangled up in a plot involving nuclear weapons, double-crosses, and his estranged son. The father-son dynamic adds a surprising layer of heart beneath the usual debris of bullets and broken glass. Jai Courtney holds his own, but it’s Willis — with that weathered smirk and half-grumbled one-liners — who keeps the film anchored. He is the Die Hard franchise, and without him, the name just wouldn’t stick.
The critics called it too loud, too big, too over the top — but isn’t that what Die Hard has always been? It’s a modernised update of the formula: sleeker tech, faster pacing, and a few nods to the old-school grit that made McClane an everyman hero in the first place.
It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s comfort food for action fans — an explosive, self-aware salute to one of cinema’s most reluctant heroes.
🥃 Pairing: A double shot of vodka — cold, clean, and unapologetically strong, just like McClane’s last hurrah.