Action Heroes Die Hard

Tweet

It's been two weeks now, but I'm still reeling from the travesty that was Die Hard 5.  Under any other title, it could barely even be described as a mediocre action flick, a genre which whilst entertaining is hardly known for it's quality plot lines and character acting.  But, as part of the Die Hard franchise, it's an unsightly blot on the action movie landscape.

In fairness, if I'd done my homework before watching it I would have been less surprised.  This shameful entry to one of the best action movie franchises of the past 30 years was written by Skip Woods, the man best known for bringing us Swordfish, as well as helping to destroy the X-Men reputation with the woeful Wolverine spin-off.

The one-dimensional Russian bad guys seem better suited to a Rocky and Bullwinkle movie.  Or perhaps an intro scene from a video game.  The car chases are yawn-inducing, the family scenes are cringeworthy, the plot is tedious at best, and what is going on with the sinister tap-dancing villain?

There was a time when John McClane was a genuine tough guy.  Over the past 25 years though, the Die Hard franchise has fallen further than Hans Gruber fell from the Nakatomi Plaza.  In this fifth installment, it seems to have landed with a bone-crunching splat on the pavement of Hollywood, and should be left now to die in peace.

Assuming this is now the end of the Die Hard series, I can't help but wonder who will fill the shoes left behind by Bruce Willis.  The actors who defined the idea of the action star since the days of my childhood are mostly old enough to be collecting a pension and it's time those who are still clinging on, to hang up their guns.

Van Damme is one of the youngest, at a mere 52.  Seagal is now 60 years old, Stallone is 66, Schwarznegger is 65, Mickey Rourke is 60.  Chuck Norris is 73.  He should be retired in Florida by now, yelling at kids to get off his lawn and taking naps in the afternoon.  Not starring in The Expendables 2.

There seems to be a worrying trend in Hollywood for older action stars.  Sean Connery was 73 before he finally retired, after the embarrassment of The League of  Extraordinary Gentlemen.  Clint Eastwood was 78 when he made Gran Torino, and it still isn't clear whether he has permanently retired from an acting career.

Liam Neeson is 60 now, but in the past five years seems to have found a new lease of life as an action star who is raking in the big bucks at the box office.

Given the advancing years of all these aging actors, there can only be a few years left in their limited shelf life.

It makes me wonder who are the upcoming actors prepared to take over the mantle.  Sure, there are plenty of great leading men under the age of 40.  But few that can really be described as pure action heroes, made in the same mould as those who are nearing (or have passed) retirement age.

The only name that immediately springs to mind is Jason Statham.  You know exactly what to expect from a movie that stars 'The Stath'!  Who else will join him though?  Let me know in the comments.