Rent Die Hard with a Vengeance on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Jonathan Hensleigh (written by), Roderick Thorp (certain original characters by)
Directed by: John McTiernan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Green, Aldis Hodge
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
Verdict
It's a solid action movie, but you can see it leaning to more ridiculous stunts and situations that stretch believability that became more prevalent later in the franchise. This is better than the second one with a better villain and a good sidekick as John McClane must once again play the hero. The villain is distinct and has a purpose. John's sidekick is a great foil and has a commanding presence. Throw in a few riddles and a theft and you've got a Die Hard movie.
It depends.
Review
This opens with a literal bang as a villain claiming to be Simon (Jeremy Irons) detonates an explosion. He demands John McClane (Bruce Willis) put himself in harms way down in Harlem. This doesn't provide much time for characterization other than showing that McClane is having a rough time as he tries to sober up en route.
The problem with the second movie was the faceless villains. Their only point was to create a plot for McClane. The second movie was missing someone like Alan Rickman who was great in the first one. The third movie corrects this flaw while bringing back the original director and even giving McClane a side kick, Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson).
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| Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis play Zeus, John McClane |
Jackson always brings a certain gravitas. His character doesn't particularly like McClane, but he also wants to prevent any harm. The two of them end up running all over New York to stop a bomb with mixed results.
McClane is more sarcastic this time around, and the movie has a lot more comic relief. It feels like more of a blockbuster meant to appeal to the masses. The action is persistent and the riddles provide a nice brain teaser and break in the action. That's on top of this plot and heist. The villain is a commanding present that hearkens back to the first movie, maybe even a little too much.
McClane is definitely more superhuman this time out, from how he drives to surviving a flood. In the first movie he was regular guy in an extraordinary situation. In his third time tasked with saving the city, the plot and his antics become a bit more ridiculous. The writing isn't bad, as McClane's reoccurring headache proves relevant to the plot.
This movie is the tipping point. After this one, the Die Hard movies aren't even worth watching. You can see the sign of things to come with this franchise, though this movie is still decent enough to be worth watching if you're interested.
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