Like "Die Hard" you will like "Armageddon"

Rating: 8/10 (4 April 2013)

Armageddon is what most expect from Bruce Willis; it is much like his "Die Hard" films, all action, not much plot, you get it without having to figure out any hidden mystery.
The picture begins with NASA faced with a disaster, not a war as they first presume, rather it is a Earth destroying large meteor heading straight for earth, which all destroy all life on earth. Nuclear experts tell the heads of government no nuclear rocket will as much as deflect this huge meteor. They say it may be possible to blow it into peaces, which will pass Earth if a nuclear device was buried inside the meteor, as that will cause the needed pressure to explode the meteor, yet that is not possible because it would require humans to fly to the meteor and drill a deep hole to place the explosive in the centre.
Enter Bruce Willis; he is that lone individual who lives beyond the conventions of society. He has made a career out of drilling where most cannot, or will not attempt. Like him, his men are all on the edge of social convention; they are good at one thing, drilling and taking risks and getting into trouble!.
We see into Willis' character in the beginning when he finds out his one love, his daughter, has fallen in love with a man just like him, while Willis accepts being a reckless character, he does not want this life for his daughter; he has higher hopes; she should marry into respectability.
Willis, it seems clear, respects and admires, yet dislikes socialites; he finds then too restrained, too civil and Willis is one of the best portraying the outcast hero with a good conscience. All his men are like him, in one way or another, they are social misfits who have a propensity for eschewing social convections. One is a genius with two doctorates, yet he prefers the high dollar rough-neck work, and loves taking risks; he is a degenerate gambler. Another is like a Hells Angel, another, the perpetual adolescent. You get the picture, they are all misfits; however, they have found a way to earn money through the most individual of them all, their boss, the one man they admire, Harry Stamper, the ultimate super ego of all tough guys!
When the high government officials, who of course are the USA, as we know, when it comes to big weapons and missiles, the US is still tops at developing such devices, they locate Harry for his drilling expertise. However,Harry is not too impressed with the government trained conformists; they copied one of his drills and assembled it wrong. He tells Dan the man (played with excellence by Billy Bob, who seems believable, a feat in itself), his chosen crew are inept at doing the job and that it would take real drillers, his own men to get the job done.
When the government officials meet these misfits, they cannot believe these men could follow their way to the public connivance, yet alone manage a mission for trained specialists! Here is the twist" Dan knows it is a big risk, yet he knows it is the only chance to save the world, use derelicts, or die!
Off they go with a few astronauts flying them to the meteor, salvation by the wildest!
This is typical Willis at its best, just as one sane person imagines a man could do what Willi8s does in "Die Hard", this is a pure fiction adventure fir entertainment. There is no need for suspension of disbelief, as all this action-packed picture is not much different that comic book heroes where the bad boys have redemption.
Willis dies in this one, blown into infinity by the nuclear blast, a fitting death a super hero. Now his more sane, I mean more attuned to the conventional, his daughter's love mate can take his place and be married; we assume they live happily together, taking the same risks, but A. J Frost, (played great by Ben Affleck), as the cooler man who will take replace Harry; he is not as hot as the volatile Harry Stamper-your- lights-out if you anger him. LOL!
If you like pure fictional adventure and the "Die Hard' movies, you will ;like this longer movie with none stop action. It has the same pace as "Die Hard" more a bizarre cast of bad boys with good hearts and us not as slow as "Last Man Standing", "Unbreakable", or "Hostage", along with other movies staring Willis. with the exception of "The Jackal", which is excellent, yet less fantastic.
I would say, given its length, it is right up there with the "Die Hard" films and the somewhat comic tragedy "Striking Distance".