Hi there everybody and welcome to another throwback review where I will finally be continuing my series of reviews for the Die Hard franchise! I know it’s been a while since I did a review for this particular series but I like to finish what I start and these are movies I just like to talk about so might as well. Now as I’ve mentioned in my previous reviews the original is one of my favorite movies and I actually really like the sequel, Die Harder, and find it somewhat underappreciated but with this film I find that it’s reception and reputation has changed over time. Like most of the movies in the series it was an original premise with the script titled Simon Says that was repurposed into a Die Hard sequel and at the time it got a pretty mixed reception from critics despite being a financial success (at the time it was biggest global grosser of that year). That being said it’s come to gain a lot more appreciation over time as many consider it not only their favorite of the sequels but also one of their favorite action films of that decade. I do agree with that consensus as I really enjoy this movie a lot and it is my second favorite right behind the original. Let’s discuss why that is as we go on another adventure with John McClane, one where the scale is greater than before.
Things kick off with at a department store in New York city and police, scrambling to get to the bottom of this, get a call from a man who calls himself “Simon” who claims to be the one responsible for this. He threatens to set another one off unless one John McClane, who has been suspended for a while, wears something… um very offensive while standing in the streets of Harlem. Next thing you know John attracts a by stander named Zeus Carver who saves his life from a gang and now he ends up getting caught up in John’s mission. When at the police station they find out that some liquid explosive was stolen (which was used for the bomb) and Simon demands that Zeus remain with John and that both play along with his “game”. He gives them a series of timed challenges that they must compete before a bomb sets off for each one so now the two must race against time in order to stop Simon before it’s too late, although there may be more to this game than they think.
Right off the bat, one of the things I love most about this movie is how it manages to change things up with the Die Hard formula. Instead of McClane having to stop terrorist in a single location, he has to play a game of cat mouse throughout the city in order to stop bombs from going off and it manages to go bigger without forgetting what makes this franchise work as well as it does when it’s at it’s best. It sets up the situation very well and once John has to work with Zeus it becomes a non stop thrill ride that is nicely paced and exciting throughout. Thanks to the ticking clock element the writers are able to put us on the edge of our seat constantly and this is especially true when it comes to the actual moments of puzzle solving. As John and Zeus are trying to solve Simon’s riddles I couldn’t help but try and figure them out as well and I just love those parts of the movie so much with the whole cat and mouse element being really investing. Other than that though the movie is also able to balance the action and plot with some solid character beats that further makes the people we are following all the more relatable and there are a couple of interesting plot turns that do occur that are genuinely surprising and nicely set up. Plus it may actually be the funniest of the series for me as the dialogue is sharp and the lead’s interactions with one another had me laughing for a long time as it’s rooted in that aforementioned relatability in how these characters respond to the situation they are in. Really my only gripe with the movie would have that it does loss a bit of steam by the time it got to the end. It felt like the writers didn’t know how the movie should end and decided to go out with an action packed finale, which while fun, did feel a bit rushed and wasn’t as strong as what came before. Still it wasn’t bad as there still are some fun pay offs here and I loved everything that came before so much that I can forgive the movie for just wanting to end things off in a more conventional manner (although I do find the alternate ending to be more interesting).
After sitting out the second installment, John McTiernan returns behind the director’s chair and he is able to work his magic once again here. One of the cool things about this movie is how they were able to film on location in New York and I really like that decision as it made the setting feel all the more lived in and he makes good use of the environment. It’s always an impressive feat whenever a setting is able to feel like a character in and of itself and I feel that New York here fits that bill perfectly and McTiernan is able to emphasize the scope very nicely. He is also able to once again film some really phenomenal action set pieces with each standing out from each other while also being exciting, brutal, and full of genuine suspense. The manic cab drive through the streets of New York is thrilling and nicely done as well as the subsequent Subway scene while there are plenty of fun fisticuffs and chases throughout as well as times where our heroes have to get out of a sticky situation. For me though the sequence involving some cops having to get some kids out of a building before a bomb is supposed to go off had me on the edge of my seat and I was actually pretty stressed out as I honestly thought that it could go off. I might consider it the most intense sequence in the whole series, which is really saying something. More importantly they are investing to watch because I care about these characters as they are not invincible and when they get hurt I could feel it. Also I feel Michael Kamen’s score adds to them as well as he is able to make the proceedings feel even more intense and there were certain music choices that weirdly worked like when “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” starts playing during Simon’s bank heist.
Of course one of the highlights of the movie is seeing John McClane in a different kind of situation than in the previous two movies with there being a buddy cop angle thrown in with him teaming up with Zeus. This was smart as both play off each other very well with both Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson having amazing chemistry. Unsurprisingly Willis is once again great as the average joe cop (who is divorced from Hollie and is a bit of a drunk when we first see him which fits in with the unpredictable nature of the character) who can be stubborn but wants to do the right thing and Jackson is perfect as the hot headed shopkeeper who is unwillingly thrusted into McClane’s problem. They have something of a love hate relationship and there is definitely a lot of relatability in how they are put into a situation they really don’t want to do, but they are each still likable in their own way and it was a joy seeing them try and figure out Simon’s riddles and puzzles. On that note Academy Award winner, Jeremy Irons, comes in to fill the villain role up as the mysterious mastermind himself who (spoilers if you haven’t seen the film) is eventually revealed to be Simon Gruber, the brother of the first movie’s main baddie and his master plan is to steal a ton of gold from the Federal Reserve Bank. On paper it sounds like a lazy idea but he works thanks to Irons who is able to make Simon menacing but also have a bit of smugness that adds to his personality and distinguishes him from his brother. He made for a worthy adversary to our duo and I like how he is shrouded in mystery for a good chunk of the movie till we finally find out who he really is. He makes for a worthy addition to the franchise and I was surprised at some of the directions his character went in with regards to the story. I also thought his henchmen like Sam Phillips as the femme fatale, Katya, and Nick Wyman as the tough Mathias served their roles nicely and had a moment or two to shine. One last thing I really appreciated about this specific installment was the lack of any doubting authority figures as the people on the job namely Larry Bryggman’s Inspector Cobb, Connie Camp’s Detective Kowalski, and Graham Greene’s Detective Lambert don’t spend so much time doubting McClane and telling him he what he shouldn’t be doing but rather they all work together to try and stop Simon’s reign of destruction with their share of disagreements but they all have a certain amount of trust in one another which I like. It was a rather refreshing aspect that I did appreciate as it didn’t try to re hash that trope that we saw in 1 and 2 and this applies towards many other aspects of the film too.
Overall, Die Hard with a Vengeance is my favorite of the Die Hard sequels and is just a darn great action movie in it’s own right that is up there with my favorites of the genre. It’s thrilling, it’s investing from beginning to end, it changes up the franchise formula in certain ways, the humor really lands, the action is exciting, and the characters work in different ways. I can see why it’s reputation has grown over time as I had an absolute blast when I watched it for the first time and I feel it comes pretty close to being on the level of the original. It remains one of my favorite third installments in a movie series and it’s one I’ll find myself revisiting whenever the occasion arises. So that just about wraps up my thoughts on Die Hard with a Vengeance and be on the look out for next time as we wait more than a decade for John McClane to return in Live Free or Die Hard where he faces a new kind of terrorism of the technological kind.
Rating: A
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