A Day to Die
Last night, I randomly started watching A Day to Die, starring Bruce Willis. After ten minutes, I switched to a different movie. The terrible film was loaded with plot holes, flawed characters, basic mistakes, unrealistic media (public) reactions, and a complete lack of common sense. I wish I could get those ten minutes back.
The experience made me want to yell at the writer: Why on earth are you trying to tell this awful story? Isn’t there enough mega-cop-going-rogue stories? Have you ever spoken to a police officer to understand their job? Here’s a fun fact. Police departments do not give their officers rocket launchers!!!!!!!
Yet, there is another perspective. I am a small-time author without a team of advisors, directors, producers, or actors. Who selects my book and article topics? Only me. How? I write what I would like to read, which means I am not an expert in what the public wants.
So… I guess the screenwriter of A Day to Die enjoyed unrealistic police movies, and the movie executives agreed. What they needed to do was take a step back and ask themselves, “Is this a good enough story to spend millions producing?” Obviously, something went very wrong with this entire project.
Have I ever made a big writing mistake? Well, almost. When I started my writing adventure in 2016, I had big plans for my fourth book. I have to be honest. The plot was so good that I envisioned a big-time movie and knew, at the very least, I had a bestseller-grade idea. Perhaps Bruce Willis could have had the lead role.
My concept was that the main character (modeled around a spirited version of myself) gets rich by exploiting the banking system. He was mega-arrogant, ultra-selfish, and his only positive aspect was being too intelligent.
Around 2017, I was ready to start writing, and as I finalized the plot in my head (this was before I discovered outlines), I realized readers would hate every aspect of my story. What is worse is that I realized I would not enjoy reading it. Thankfully, I shelved the project.
So… what was going on in my bonkers mind all those years, thinking I had the best plot in the world? From my perspective, the appeal was a bold character overcoming all odds through intelligent decisions. Err… He uses his mind to get rich illegally, and this mentality gives him the edge to act like a jerk. Yeah…
It’s a shame that so many people put effort into A Day to Die. There are so many fantastic stories that they could have worked on. (Did I mention I have published four books worthy of being converted into scripts?) Yet, I read a few positive reviews about this film. Hmm. Perhaps the police do issue rocket launchers…
You’re the best -Bill
March 30, 2022 Updated July 18, 2026
The experience made me want to yell at the writer: Why on earth are you trying to tell this awful story? Isn’t there enough mega-cop-going-rogue stories? Have you ever spoken to a police officer to understand their job? Here’s a fun fact. Police departments do not give their officers rocket launchers!!!!!!!
Yet, there is another perspective. I am a small-time author without a team of advisors, directors, producers, or actors. Who selects my book and article topics? Only me. How? I write what I would like to read, which means I am not an expert in what the public wants.
So… I guess the screenwriter of A Day to Die enjoyed unrealistic police movies, and the movie executives agreed. What they needed to do was take a step back and ask themselves, “Is this a good enough story to spend millions producing?” Obviously, something went very wrong with this entire project.
Have I ever made a big writing mistake? Well, almost. When I started my writing adventure in 2016, I had big plans for my fourth book. I have to be honest. The plot was so good that I envisioned a big-time movie and knew, at the very least, I had a bestseller-grade idea. Perhaps Bruce Willis could have had the lead role.
My concept was that the main character (modeled around a spirited version of myself) gets rich by exploiting the banking system. He was mega-arrogant, ultra-selfish, and his only positive aspect was being too intelligent.
Around 2017, I was ready to start writing, and as I finalized the plot in my head (this was before I discovered outlines), I realized readers would hate every aspect of my story. What is worse is that I realized I would not enjoy reading it. Thankfully, I shelved the project.
So… what was going on in my bonkers mind all those years, thinking I had the best plot in the world? From my perspective, the appeal was a bold character overcoming all odds through intelligent decisions. Err… He uses his mind to get rich illegally, and this mentality gives him the edge to act like a jerk. Yeah…
It’s a shame that so many people put effort into A Day to Die. There are so many fantastic stories that they could have worked on. (Did I mention I have published four books worthy of being converted into scripts?) Yet, I read a few positive reviews about this film. Hmm. Perhaps the police do issue rocket launchers…
You’re the best -Bill
March 30, 2022 Updated July 18, 2026
