Die Hard 2
Review: I absolutely love ‘Die Hard.’ I think it’s the best action movie ever. I think John McClane is one of the best action heroes & Hans Gruber is one of the best movie villains. And I also think it is a Christmas movie (article coming Dec. 22 defending this take) & it’s one of my favorites, that I rewatch annually. I think this film is a very solid action movie that tried its best to recapture the magic of the iconic original. While it misses the mark there on most fronts, it is still a good film in it’s own right. In this one we see McClane at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Eve waiting for his wife’s plane. Of course, chaos ensues as a group of ex-military execute their plan to aid a foreign military leader. I’d say if you liked the first movie and haven’t seen the sequel, watch it! But, don’t expect it to be as good at the first. Also, this is random, but I thought Reginald VelJohnson’s role as Al Powell was going to be much bigger. Another side note is that I think the tagline of this ‘Die Harder’ is really good and could’ve just been the title of the movie.
High: John McClane is the part of the film that does successfully recapture what worked so well in the first. He’s just as good. He’s charming (ask the several women that hit on him throughout the film). He’s clever. He’s got good one liners. He’s also not invincible, which is what makes him such a great action hero in my opinion. He’s just a dude who finds himself in crazy situations and figures out how to solve them. Also, when he hit the ‘yippee-ki-yay’ towards the end of the film I fist pumped and audibly said ‘Yes!’
Low: It unfortunately just doesn’t do enough to set itself aside from other action films or the first film. This isn’t necessarily bad, I just won’t quite hold it in the same revere I hold the first. I think the reasons I would point to are the setting & the villain. The airport setting just doesn’t quite have the same charm as being contained to a skyscraper. Secondly, Colonel Stuart (William Sadler) just isn’t as good as Hans Gruber. He’s more forgettable and also bringing in General Esperanza (Franco Nero) & Major Grant (John Amos) made for a trio of unmemorable antagonists. I think the movie could’ve been better served from just Amos’s character being the villain because he was great. The plan was also a tad more convoluted than the first which is never good.
Rating: 7.5/10
