John Moore

Personal life

Moore's partner is Fiona Connon, a makeup artist whom he met through an industry friend early in his career in Ireland. They have one child, Buzz. The family reside in the US, and occasionally visit Ireland. In 2015, Moore expressed a desire to return home, but the nature of his work in Hollywood rendered it impractical.

Moore told the BBC in September 2004 that he firmly professes a belief in God. When asked if he was either religious or spiritual, Moore replied:

Ah, what's that line from the movie [Flight of the Phoenix]? "Religion divides people, spirituality brings them together." Well, I think religion is dangerous but essential, and it's undeniable. I think to divide spirituality and religion is an academic argument that just doesn't cut it in the real world."

In 2013, Moore opened up about his struggles with alcohol. He has been sober since 2008, following what he describes as an intense period of drinking upon finishing promotional duties for Max Payne.

Critical evaluation

Despite his films receiving mixed or negative reviews from critics, for the most part Moore's films have proved popular with audiences. Critic Armond White, noted for his contrarian opinions, has described Moore as "a Peckinpah-esque, neo-Eisenstein stylist whose grade-B material (Behind Enemy Lines, Flight of the Phoenix, The Omen) has kept him from receiving the acclaim he deserves". In his review of Max Payne, White had stated that Moore "explores genuine, contemporary anxiety [and that] his images are richer than his plots".

Daniel M. Kimmel, writing for the New England Movies Weekly, found Moore's film A Good Day to Die Hard to be better than Live Free or Die Hard and stated that the car chase scene "is well worth the price of admission". With a 3.5/5 rating, Kimmel summed up his review saying, "it's probably a good day to end the series at last, but it's an action-packed and entertaining finale." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail criticized the action scenes as being "messy", but concluded his review saying that the film "continues the franchise without undue embarrassment."

Filmography

Short film

Feature film