Year of Release: 1990
Director: Renny Harlin
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Reginald VelJohnson, William Sadler, Franco Nero, John Amos, Dennis Franz, Art Evans, Fred Dalton Thompson, Tom Bower
Genre: Action, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review:
Director Renny Harlin made a splash in the early 90s, after he directed "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master", and particularly after the huge hit that was "Die Hard 2" (he was at some point going to directed the maligned "Alien 3"). Unlike the predecessor feature, which utilized a confined space to build tension, and smartly up the ante on the challenges faced by John McClane, the sequel took him to Washington, D.C. , specifically the airport, right before Christmas. His wife Holly is on a flight, and McClane is there to pick her up, since they're spending Christmas with her parents. Turns out, there are terrorists wanting to highjack a drug lord who is being brought over to be tried in the US, and they will stop at nothing, including causing massive fatalities, to make sure they get that man safely and that their escape is spotless. Once again McClane has to be the lone ranger, fighting against incredulous airport security and police, to call out attention to the conspiracy and plot which are taking place.
"Die Hard 2" bears less of the ingenious and dexterous hand from John McTiernan, who navigated the original film to its original status as one of the finest action films ever made. However, it's a film that manages to retain some of the spirit that the original film had, most of it due to Bruce Willis' easy charisma and willingness to work with some of the convoluted plot holes that emerge. It's a film that lacks some finesse, and character development, instead going for the quick editing and big explosions that defined some of the action films of the early 90s (for instance, Tony Scott's "Last Boy Scout" and even Michael Lehmann's maligned "Hudson Hawk", both of which featured Bruce Willis). The supporting characters are for the most part forgettable, as is for instance the roles of the designated villains, who fare far worse than Alan Rickman, who created a formidable foe in the original film. It's a mildly entertaining, yet also quickly forgettable film.
"Die Hard 2" bears less of the ingenious and dexterous hand from John McTiernan, who navigated the original film to its original status as one of the finest action films ever made. However, it's a film that manages to retain some of the spirit that the original film had, most of it due to Bruce Willis' easy charisma and willingness to work with some of the convoluted plot holes that emerge. It's a film that lacks some finesse, and character development, instead going for the quick editing and big explosions that defined some of the action films of the early 90s (for instance, Tony Scott's "Last Boy Scout" and even Michael Lehmann's maligned "Hudson Hawk", both of which featured Bruce Willis). The supporting characters are for the most part forgettable, as is for instance the roles of the designated villains, who fare far worse than Alan Rickman, who created a formidable foe in the original film. It's a mildly entertaining, yet also quickly forgettable film.
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