--- title: "A Good Day to Die Hard: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-good-day-to-die-hard/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-good-day-to-die-hard" critics_score: 31 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Good Day to Die Hard (2013): what the critics said Critics' score 31 from 22 reviews: 0 positive, 1 mixed, 21 negative. The reviews are close to unanimous, and they are unkind. Of twenty-two we read, twenty-one are negative and none is positive. Most critics call this the weakest entry in the series, and the complaints cluster on one point: John McClane has become an invulnerable action figure, and once nothing can hurt him there is no tension left. What faint praise exists goes to the scale of the stunts, to Willis for holding his own in a few accounts, and, at The Hollywood Reporter, to the mercifully short running time. The spread is narrow. Critics differ only on where to lay the blame: some on the Moscow setting, which several say could be anywhere; some on the father-son pairing with Jai Courtney, which The Wrap and Variety find flat and Digital Spy counts as the one fresh element. The single mixed verdict, from The AV Club, still calls it the worst film in the franchise, which tells you how the rest of the field reads. ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating C-. 14 February 2013. Labels it the worst film in the series by far, turning McClane into an invulnerable superhero with no tension or human cost. Singles out the lazy, obligatory script and the absence of any real stakes or vulnerability. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-good-day-to-die-hard-1798175805) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2013. The film fails to overcome the odds against a fifth entry in the series and suffers from being an unnecessary addendum to the original trilogy. The Moscow setting and father-son dynamic are singled out as missteps that undermine the action and supporting characters. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/good-day-die-hard-review/) ## Film Comment — John Wildman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a tired, by-the-numbers sequel lacking imagination, zest or inventiveness, with a yawner plot, bland villains and little charisma from the cast including Willis and Courtney. Destruction and expected twists are delivered but fail to engage. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/a-good-day-to-die-hard-bruce-willis/) ## Los Angeles Times Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2013. The review calls the film an uninspired victory lap for the franchise, with big stunts but no heart or exhilaration. It singles out the pro-forma performance and muted catchphrases for complaint. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-feb-13-la-et-mn-die-hard-review20130214-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Richard Roeper Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2013. The critic finds the film a generic, explosion-filled action sequel that strips away character depth from John McClane. He singles out the over-the-top set pieces and lack of meaningful father-son connection for complaint. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-good-day-to-die-hard-2013) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2013. The franchise has lost its charm; the film lacks compelling villains or magnetic heroes and relies on overblown action that proves deadening. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/a-good-day-to-die-hard/5051955.article) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2013. Describes the film as a generic international actioner reverse-engineered from its tagline, stripping away any lingering humanity or vulnerability from the series. Singles out the ham-handed direction and thin plotting that prioritizes the son's setup over McClane. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-good-day-to-die-hard/) ## The Guardian — Xan Brooks Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2013. The critic finds the film directionless and indifferent to its own story, with McClane reduced to yelling catchphrases amid generic action set pieces that could be set anywhere. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/14/good-day-die-hard-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2013. The critic calls it the weakest entry in the franchise, with preposterous and laughably directed action sequences that lack any sense of danger or logic. Notes the short runtime as a minor positive amid the overall cheesiness. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-good-day-die-hard-2-421267/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 February 2013. The critic sees the film as a frantic, logic-defying action spectacle that has lost all character development. He singles out the excessive, video-game-like stunts and shift to Chernobyl for complaint. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/02/25/ways-to-win) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2013. The review portrays the film as a noisy, uninspired entry in the geezer-action genre with elaborate but unexciting set pieces. It singles out the simple-minded plot and half-clever lines for complaint. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/movies/a-good-day-to-die-hard-with-bruce-willis.html) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2013. The critic finds the film a tedious, trashy throwback to 1980s action movies, with laughable plotting and uncharismatic supporting cast, though Willis holds his own. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-good-day-to-die-hard-1) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2013. The review deems the sequel subpar and cynical, with McClane shoehorned into a Moscow-set story. It singles out the weak father-son chemistry and generic plot for complaint. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/a-good-day-to-die-hard-1117949241/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2013. Finds the loud action boring and the film lacking good lines, fights, or purpose, leaving the franchise in its death throes. Singles out one mildly effective revenge killing amid the general emptiness. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2013/02/movie-review-a-good-day-to-die-hard.html) ## The Times — Kavin Maher Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2013. The critic calls the film the most tedious and lazy entry in the series, a charmless exercise in brand exploitation that shows contempt for its audience through its lack of plot or character interest. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/a-good-day-to-die-hard-gwpf7dttw5z) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating D+. 13 February 2013. The film is a joyless, faceless, tedious actioner where McClane is a non-entity and the father-son dynamic uninspired; stunts are impressive but overall monotonous and uninspired. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-john-mcclane-becomes-a-non-entity-in-the-faceless-tedious-mcactioner-a-good-day-to-die-hard-20130213/) ## Digital Spy — Emma Dibdin Rating 2/5. 14 February 2013. Everything feels like an obligation in this limp, paper-thin sequel where Willis is weary comic relief; the action has jaw-dropping scale but no one seems to care, leaving viewers half-rooting for the villains. Jai Courtney provides some new energy but the family dynamic and overall execution disappoint. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a458683/a-good-day-to-die-hard-john-mcclane-returns-in-limp-sequel/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating D-. 13 February 2013. The critic finds that John McClane's personality survives but everything else in the film dies horribly, with a convoluted plot, poor action geography, atrocious pacing and cheap effects. Willis tries harder than in the previous sequel, but the movie fails to understand what makes a Die Hard film work beyond the catchphrase. [Read the review](https://collider.com/a-good-day-to-die-hard-review/) ## Paste — Annlee Ellingson Rating 5.8. 15 February 2013. The film puts McClane out of his element overseas in a more James Bond-like story with political intrigue, where he is on his heels and not fully in control. It honors the series with callbacks and in-camera stunts but feels like a potential passing of the torch, with schmaltzy father-son moments and a score suggesting a shift in the franchise. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/a-good-day-to-die-hard) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2013. The film is a letdown that fails to live up to the intelligent plotting and character work of earlier entries in the series. The critic singles out the nonsensical plot and awkward father-son dialogue for particular complaint. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/good-day-die-hard-review-cats-cradle-and-enriched-uranium-77606/) ## Den of Geek — Simon Brew Rating 1/5. 14 February 2013. The film is called out as pretty terrible, a bad Die Hard and bad action movie that disposes of the series' DNA in favor of loud, incoherent set pieces with too-high stakes and little investment. Solid sequences exist early but it grows dull and ridiculous, with a disappointing Willis performance. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-good-day-to-die-hard-review-2/) ## /Film — Russ Fischer Rating 2/10. 14 February 2013. The critic finds the film a sketchy, cheap outline of a Die Hard movie with a disinterested Willis and poor editing; praises the marketing for making it look better than it is. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/524981/a-good-day-to-die-hard-review-one-really-bad-day-for-fans-of-john-mcclane/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-good-day-to-die-hard.md