Die Hard With A Vengeance

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Runtime: 128 minutes

Directed by: John McTiernan

Starring: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene, Colleen Camp

From: 20^th Century Fox

About time I got around to seeing this for a review here and on Letterboxd:

This is a film I've seen before, but the last viewing was long ago. I was lucky enough to have my first viewing be theatrically back in the summer of 1995, when as a 14 year old a parent took me to see it, and the experience was pretty awesome. As Die Hard is one of my all-time favorite movies, I am glad I got to see a sequel as it premiered.

While it definitely mirrors the original film at times (perhaps too much so) I can still say it's a very good thrill ride. John McClane returns as the flawed, entirely human hero; he spends the entire film with a hangover and by the final act, he is beat to s*** and his clothes change color due to blood, dirt, and all sorts of substances. What a game that he and someone else has to play... it is Simon Says but there are no laughs as a madman blows up some buildings in New York City and has a devious scheme.

No surprise that Jeremy Irons made for a great villain, the NYPD also is allowed things to do that are tied to the story, and the action scenes are all pretty thrilling but a tremendous asset was having McClane always playing off someone, and it being the expected “polar opposite” character. Samuel L. Jackson as Zeus was apt casting as even though the two characters usually did not get along and arguments were common, the relationship was always engrossing and never tiresome.

There is a preposterous moment or two and the ending not being as strong as what preceded it is because it was reshot, but even then I can still give this pretty high marks. For me this was the last true Die Hard movie; besides the 4th and especially the 5th not being too good as films period, they betray the John McClane character by not having him being a totally human and relatable character and instead he might as well be a T-800 due to how indestructible he becomes. At least it is easy for me to just pretend this was only a trilogy, and a quality trilogy at that.