By Geno McGahee
One of my favorite action films of all time, if not my favorite, is DIE HARD. It was beyond an action film. It was an event and it has stood the test of time. When I saw the trailer for SKYSCRAPER, I began to think DIE HARD and I’m not the only one. There is even a poster that shows the Rock in the same pose as Bruce Willis on the DIE HARD poster. An action film using the 1987 classic as a base for a film is nothing news. Jean Claude Van Damme’s SUDDEN DEATH, Steven Seagal’s UNDER SIEGE, Sly Stallone’s CLIFFHANGER and Harrison Ford’s AIR FORCE ONE are just a few that looked at DIE HARD and said “yes, that’s the one!” It’s been a while since we’ve seen one, but SKYSCRAPER is certainly one that borrowed but it was able bring its own vibe and story, becoming its own entity rather than a ripoff.
Will Sawyer (The Rock) had a history of saving people with his military career and police work, but it all ended on a night of a hostage situation. A father took his family hostage and when Will tried to intervene, an explosion took place and he was left without a leg and burns. At that point, he gave up and went into security. He has a wife, Sarah (Neve Campbell) and two kids, Georgia (McKenna Roberts) and Henry (Noah Cottrell). It was good to see Campbell back. I always liked her as an actress and I wonder if the SCREAM franchise hurt her chances to branch out. She really brings her A game in this film and shows what she can do. Perhaps it’ll lead to more substantial work.
A skyscraper has been built in Hong Kong is the biggest building ever made and Will is brought in, through a friend, to make sure that it’s secure. When he leaves for the monitoring station, in another building, bad guys enter and start setting up. Unfortunately, Sawyer’s family is on the 98th floor and a fire is started on the 96th floor. They are trapped. As they discover their dire situation, there are thugs with guns trying to kill Will, including his buddy that got him the job. There is a lot of money to be made being a terrorist, but they can’t handle the Rock. I wish he started using the Rock Bottom in films again. He’s only used it once, maybe twice, since he’s taken over the action genre. It’s time to get a Rock Bottom in his next time. For non-wrestling fans, I’m not talking about the Rock’s ass. The Rock had a wrestling move called the “Rock Bottom.” I don’t believe he was talking about his own ass either. Who knows…maybe it means two things.
Kores Botha (Roland Moller) is heading up the group of bad guys and he has all the signs of an action movie terrorist: has accent. He’s no Hans Gruber, but he does rather well as the leader of the terrorist group, but there’s not a lot of development in the character. Without spoiling it for those of you that haven’t seen it, Botha has some bad blood with the owner of the building, Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han) and Will and his family are getting caught in the crosshairs.
The Rock’s comedic timing is once again on display, but not shown enough. At one time, he starts talking about duct tape and notes that “if duct tape can’t fix it, you didn’t use enough duct tape.” It’s an ongoing joke throughout the movie and it was pretty funny. I would have liked to see the Rock’s natural humor infused into it, but they kept this pretty serious, but they filled it with nonstop huge action throughout.
One of the coolest scenes of the film, and they knew it because they used it in the trailer, was when the Rock used a crane to run and jump into the building. It’s scary just to watch. It’s a very intense scene too, with helicopters and gunfire and that incredible leap. It’s not the only really cool part, it’s just the most memorable. While Will gets in, Sarah gets out, and she has an action history in her past, which she will need as she takes on the bad guys that are working with the Botha’s crew. If Neve can beat up a serial killer in a Halloween costume, she can take on terrorists.
The end of the film is a tip of the hat to DIE HARD, I think, with Long Ji having his hands tied together with duct tape, only to reveal a gun, which is sort of what Bruce Willis did in DIE HARD. SKYSCRAPER knows what it is and knows the comparison, obviously, but, it’s not a rip off.
The building is burning and Will is fighting the bad guys and trying to save his daughter at the same time. It is a suspenseful final act with some really cool scenes, leading to the ending. SKYSCRAPER is a very good super action film. The Rock shows why he is a superstar, showing his humor and his sensitivity, mixing with his natural action abilities. Neve proved to be the right addition to balance it out and the pacing of the film moves at a great speed. It’s not as good as DIE HARD, but what is? The CGI was heavy in this, losing some of the genuine feel that you would get in the 1980s, prior to CGI. DIE HARD felt more real. In the end, the film is a winner and I highly recommend it. SKYSCRAPER is a lot of fun, but could have been developed a little bit more.
Rating: 7.5/10
