I'm In A New York State of Mind..."Die Hard With a Vengeance"

Do I look Puerto Rican to you?

The Story:

John McClane (Bruce Willis) returns, and this time New York City is being held hostage by terrorist Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons).  He's planted a bomb in one of the thousands of New York schools, but wants to play a game of Simon Says with McClane.  After inadvertently helping McClane with his first test,  Harlem shopkeeper Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson) is forced by Simon to help McClane the rest of the day.  Can McClane save the day again?

Ah... that's better.

John McTiernan returns to the franchise, and reinvigorates it with a return to form from the first, with a terrorist act covering up for an elaborate heist.

And why not tie this to the first even further by bringing the best villain family line back into play, as Jeremy Irons steps into the role of Hans' brother.

Yes, if you're going to do Die Hard, you might as well borrow all of the elements that made it work so well in the first place.

It's fun, and it crackles from start to finish.

The banter between McClane and Zeus is gold throughout.  Yes, there's even a subtle lesson in racism tossed in for free, but often overlooked because it actually works in reverse.

It could be argued that part 3 departs too much from McClane as the solo hero and enters buddy cop territory.

Eh.

I see the point, but at the end of the day, it's McClane with a novice who is along for the ride by force, not so much by choice.

While McClane doesn't do much of the claustrophobic sequences this go round, he ends up running amok in New York which can be even more unsettling than being trapped in ventilation or elevator shafts.

If you're going to close out a trilogy, again, like many franchises, you end with a solid bang that is better than the second while falling short of the first.

Die Hard with a Vengeance did that admirably.

They had no idea there would be another movie over a decade later...


Oh, and if anyone can honestly explain to me how they do the water jugs to disarm the bomb, I'd love to hear it.  I laugh during that scene every time because it makes absolutely no sense. :)

Final Grade: A

Rewatchabililty/Purchase Factor: My second favorite in the series, and just a fun movie to watch.  The chemistry between Jackson and Willis is a lot of fun to watch and enjoy.

It's a Good Week to "Die Hard"

Yippie-Ki-Yay...

The Story:

New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) flies out to Los Angeles see his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) for Christmas.  When he arrives at the Nakatomi Tower for the Christmas party, he has no idea that the party is about to be commandeered by terrorists led by the enigmatic Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman).  Managing to escape, McClane systematically takes down the terrorists one by one, but there is more to this group than terrorist motives.  McClane is going to save his wife...

Or die trying.

I think we all know where I stand on this movie.  It's in my personal Top 10 list of greatest movies I've ever seen.

It totally reinvented/reinvigorated the action genre of film in the late 80s.

We had grown so used to Stallone, Arnold, Chuck and the rest of the kick-butt generation, that McClane was an odd choice for a hero.

He's not big.  But he's tenacious.  His willpower alone is what sets him above, and apart, from the rest of the crowd.

It didn't hurt that Bruce Willis had charisma and charm to spare as the wiseacre.  Those who watched him on Moonlighting knew he would become a star.

Think John McClane is David Addison...with an attitude! :)

His one liners didn't come across forced, they came out as a snarky response to the bad guy... McClane was the everyman action hero.  He's not ripped and buff, but he would use his smarts and adrenaline to try and save the day.  That connection is one that the audience can grab and connect with.  25 years later, this movie still impresses as much as it did back in the day.

It really is a blueprint for how to make an action movie correctly.

The counterpoint for the everyman action hero, you have to have a great villain.

This is where most movies go wrong.  You can't just have a cardboard cutout/stereotype.

You need someone charismatic that audiences hate...but like.  Like to hate.  Hate that you like him.

Rickman owns Hans Gruber, so much so, that every installment since has been trying to catch that lightning in a bottle.  You've got the hero, but how's the villain? 

Sadly, every installment falls short, but when you come out this strong as a franchise, there really is nowhere to go but down.

I let the teens see Die Hard for the first time last year for Christmas...

Yes, this qualifies as a Christmas movie.

They sat glued to the screen.

I was so proud. :* )

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I loved it so much, I begged and whined a little... and they upgraded me to the Blu Ray set for Father's Day.  I have the best family ever!  It gets watched at least once a year... for Christmas!