"DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" (1990) Review
"DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" (1990) Review
Following the success of the 1988 action thriller, "DIE HARD", I had been surprised to discover that 20th Century Fox had released a sequel to cash in on its success. This decision had surprised me, considering I had always associated sequels to summertime blockbusters from the likes of George Lucas or Steven Spielberg. Despite my surprise, I went ahead and viewed "DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" in the theaters. And just recently, I had decided to do a rewatch on this film.
Like its 1988 predecessor, "DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" or simply "DIE HARD 2" featured police detective John McClane and his adventures on Christmas Eve. And like "DIE HARD", this movie was based on a novel - namely Walter Wager's 1987 novel, "58 Minutes". "DIE HARD 2" found McClane, now working for the Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.), in Washington D.C. for a Christmas gathering with his wife's family. The movie began with McClane at the Dulles International Airport, waiting for his wife Holly's plane to land. A group of military terrorists led by a disgraced U.S. Army officer named William Stuart took control of the airport and the air traffic control system in order rescue a corrupt, foreign military leader named General Ramon Esperanza, who was also headed for Dulles under extradition for using U.S. funds to buy drugs. Realizing that Holly's plane and several others circling above Dulles were in danger of running out of fuel and crashing, McClane leaped into action in order to halt Colonel Stuart's plot. Unfortunately, the police detective found himself at odds with the airport police and an Army commander who did not want his assistance.
I was surprised to discover that "DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" proved to be an even bigger box office success than the 1988 movie. In fact, it almost made as twice as much as its predecessor. I found this surprising, since it is rare for a direct sequel to succeed even more than the first film. But I could see why it had proven to be such a big success. Like the first film, it was based on a novel about a group of people being held hostage in a confined area for the sake of the villain's goal. In the case of "DIE HARD 2", the main villain - Colonel Stuart - wanted the airport security and any other law enforcement to maintain their distance, while his men plot to rescue ally General Esperanza and prevent the latter from being turned over to Federal law enforcement. Like the 1988 movie, the movie took its time is presenting its characters, the setting and the narrative. For that, I am grateful to both Steven E. de Souza and Doug Richardson's screenplay, along with Renny Harlin's direction.
Like any solid action-adventure film, "DIE HARD 2" could boast some well-shot action sequences. Mind you, there were a few that struck me as decent, but not exactly mind blowing - like McClane's encounter with a two of Stuart's men inside one of Dulles' baggage sorting areas and the shootout between Stuart's men and another group of Army commandos, led by the villain's former mentor, Major Grant. And if I must be brutally honest, I was not that impressed by the film's final confrontation between McClane and Stuart on the wing of an airplane in which the latter was trying to make his escape. I found it unnecessarily clumsy and anti-climatic. But I was more than impressed by one particular sequence in which McClane rescues Dulles' airport engineer Leslie Barnes from Stuart's men, when the former tried to use an unfinished antenna array to communicate with the stranded circling airplanes. I thought Hardin did an excellent job in filming the shoot-out and fight scene that followed. But if there was one scene that I found memorable - and very tragic - featured Stuart's retaliation against McClane's rescue of Barnes that involved a British airline.
"DIE HARD 2" also featured some very competent performances by the entire cast. But if I must be honest, there were no performances that I found particularly memorable. The entire cast, including leading man Bruce Willis, did their jobs. However, I must admit there were four performances that I found the most grounded - namely Bonnie Bedalia as McClane's wife, Holly Gennero; Art Evans as airport engineer Leslie Barnes; Fred Dalton Thompson as the airport's air traffic flight director Ed Trudeau; and Franco Nero as General Ramon Esperanza. I felt they had given the most grounded or subtle performances in the movie.
As much as I liked "DIE HARD 2", I do not love it. I never have, if I must be honest. There were aspects of this film that prevented it from being a personal favorite of mine. One . . . the plot. In order to rescue General Esperanza from custody and facing a trial in the U.S., Colonel Stuart and his men had taken control of an entire airport, held many planes flying above the airport hostage and demanded a 747 plane as the group's getaway vehicle. Why engage in such a complex plot to rescue Esperanza, when Stuart or a few of his men could have easily rescue the man before he left his own country? Or quickly and quietly rescue Esperanza from F.B.I. custody? These guys were trained military commandos. They could have easily accomplished their task without such a big hullaballoo. This is why I found the plot rather convoluted . . . probably more so than the narratives in other DIE HARD films.
Earlier, I had pointed out that I did not find any of the film's performances memorable. And I stand by that. Although I had no troubles with the performances, I do believe that most of the cast had been stymied by some rather bad dialogue. Yes, I am aware that "DIE HARD 2" was one of those action flicks from the 1980s and 1990s filled with the usual cheesy dialogue. However, I feel the dialogue featured in "DIE HARD 2" had went beyond cheesiness and bordered on bombastic. I found it rather embarrassing to watch an actor or actress set up a particular witicism, only to fall flat due to the terrible quality of the dialogue. Sometimes, the performances within the cast also came off as nearly bombastic . . . to the point I thought I had been watching a stage production within a film. At least John Amos, who had portrayed Barnes' mentor, Major Grant, managed to spout a few good lines. However, one of the worst offenders - as far as bad dialogue goes - came from William Sadler's Colonel Stuart. I thought some of his dialogue was truly bad. I felt sorry for Sadler, a superb actor who has proven capable of conveying a great deal of wit and humor in many of his other roles. Thanks to the film's screenwriters, his Colonel Stuart sometimes came off as a flat character with terrible or no wit.
But if there was one aspect of "DIE HARD 2" that really annoyed me, is that I had come away with the feeling that it tried to repeat many aspects of the 1988 film that made it such a hit. The movie was set during the Christmas holiday . . . check. Large group of people held hostage by terrorists in a public space . . . check. One of the hostages happened to be a loved one of the film's protagonist . . . check. A scene featuring many deaths, due to the villain seeking retaliation against one of McClane's actions . . . check. McClane in conflict with the local law enforcement . . . check. The movie's law enforcement leaders proved to be not-so-bright and almost incompetent . . . check. The movie ended with John and Holly being driven away by a supporting character (in the case of "DIE HARD 2", a custodian named Marv), to the tune of Vaughn Monroe's "Let It Snow" . . . check. The movie even featured the return of two other characters from "DIE HARD" - Reginald VelJohnson as L.A.P.D. officer Al Powell; and William Atherton as William Atherton as news reporter, Richard Thornburg. VelJohnson only made a cameo appearance in the movie. However, Altherton's Richard Thornburg, who was a fellow passenger on the same flight as Holly, repeated his arc from the 1988 film. His nose and pursuit for a story nearly endangered the lives of the passengers and crew aboard his plane and the others circling above Dulles Airport, just as it had endangered Holly in "DIE HARD". Despite the different setting and a different goal for the main villain, watching "DIE HARD 2" almost felt like watching a remake of the 1988 film. Almost. And that was not a good feeling for me.
Ironically, there was one aspect of the 1988 movie that "DIE HARD 2" had failed to recapture - and I wish it had - was McClane forming a connection or an ally to help him during his adventures. "DIE HARD" had Reginald VelJohnson. The other three movies had also allowed McClane to connect with one particular character to serve as an ally. Unfortunately, "DIE HARD 2" had failed in this endeavor. During the movie's 124 minutes running time, McClane managed to form an alliance or connection with a character to help him or for him to help. But those connections had never lasted. Much to my disappointment.
But you know what? Despite my complaints about "DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER", I still managed to enjoy the film. In the end, I thought director Renny Harlin and screenwriters Steven E. de Souza and Doug Richardson managed to created a fun and exciting action flick for moviegoers. And although I cannot recall any outstanding performances in the movie, I cannot deny that the film's cast, led by Bruce Willis, did a solid job in bringing their characters to the screen.
R.I.P. John Amos (1939-2024)