Bruce
Willis has demonstrated incredible versatility in a career that has
included such diverse characterizations as the prizefighter in Quentin
Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” (1994 Palme D’Or winner at Cannes), the philandering
contractor in Robert Benton’s “Nobody’s Fool,” the heroic time traveler in
Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys,” the traumatized Vietnam veteran in Norman
Jewison’s “In Country,” the compassionate child psychologist in M. Night
Shyamalan’s Oscar®-nominated “The Sixth Sense” (for which he won the People’s
Choice Award) and his signature role, Detective John McClane, in the “Die Hard”
films.
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox |
John
McClane – the hard-talking detective who always seems to be in the wrong place
but doing the right thing – has become one of Hollywood’s iconic characters and
Willis has enjoyed the role, reprising it in four sequels. The latest Die Hard
movie, “A Good Day To Die Hard” sees McClane in Moscow, searching for his
estranged son, Jack (rising Australian star Jai Courtney).
Bruce
Willis reprises his iconic role as police detective John McClane in A Good Day
to Die Hard, set against the backdrop of deadly corruption and political
vendetta in Russia. McClane arrives in Moscow to track down his estranged
son, Jack, (Jai Courtney), and is stunned to discover he’s working undercover
to protect a government whistleblower, Komarov (Sebastian Koch). With
their own necks on the line, the McClanes are forced to overcome their
differences in order to get Komarov to safety and thwart a potentially
disastrous crime in the most desolate place on Earth - Chernobyl.
Willis
is McClane, and he embraced the opportunity to pay another visit to the beloved
character that has a habit of finding himself in the wrong place at the right
time. Does trouble find John McClane or does John McClane seek it
out? “Well, he’s certainly attracted to trouble,” says the actor, “but
yes, trouble also seems determined to find him.”
“I find it an interesting exercise
to reach for the bar we set with the series, and I enjoy checking in with
McClane at different stages in his life,” Willis continues. “In this story,
he’s at a point where men tend to reflect on their past. For McClane, it’s the
estranged relationship with his son. They haven’t spoken in some time, and the
first news he’s received of him is about his arrest in Moscow.”
“This
is a twist on the usual scenario in which McClane is the unexpected party guest
who ruins some criminal mastermind’s well-conceived plan,” says Young. “This
time, he spoils his own son’s painstaking and dangerous undercover operation.
With Jack’s cover literally blown, he and his father try to get Komarov safely
out of Moscow and into Chernobyl, where he can retrieve the incriminating files
that will put Chagarin away. The shell-shocked Russian suddenly finds
himself stuck between the feuding McClanes, a more dangerous proposition than
prison, as John appears to be half-cocked and fully loaded. But the three
men are intent on making their way out of town by any means necessary, and
begin to form an uneasy alliance.
Under a hail of gunfire, the McClanes manage a desperate escape, and must
regroup to figure out how to get to rescue Komarov, who is now in the hands of
Alik’s men. Jack McClane is out of answers, and must turn to John for
help.
Says Jai Courtney: “Jack takes
a methodical approach to his work, probably out of a backlash to his father’s
knack for winging it and hoping for the best. But he’s now in a situation
where there’s no book to guide him, he has no answers and is at the breaking
point. His dad’s instincts are to never quit, regardless of the cost, and in
this terrible situation Jack sees that very clearly - maybe for the first time.
It gives Jack deeper insight and respect for John’s values. It’s a turning
point.”
Adds
executive producer Jason Keller: “John and Jack find themselves off the grid,
in deep trouble, with no help. Jack doesn’t know what to do, and his father
pulls him back and says that we can do this. And the key moment in the film
happens when Jack chooses to swallow his pride and accept John’s help. Now you
have two McClanes working together, which is more than our bad guys ever
bargained for.”
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