Awhile back I revisited the Rambo films, today I opted for another set of action flicks. The first Die Hard is truly a classic, and it has been maybe a decade (maybe more) since I’d seen it. I’m happy to say that it has still held up. NY cop John McClane is in Los Angeles to visit his estranged wife Holly at her ritzy new job, during a Christmas Eve party on the 30th floor of her employer’s high rise. As luck would have it, terrorists have circled this night to attack the building too, in an attempt to steal a few hundred million out of the owner’s industrial safe. The building goes on lockdown and John is the only good guy inside, trying to keep the 30 hostages alive while slowly whittling down the bad guys, led by the late great Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. If you can look past the obvious 80s problems (the supposed German Hans has Rickman’s distinct English accent), this is about as awesome an action flick as there is. Just the right amount of over-the-top explosions, gun fights, hand-to-hand combat, and even an exploding helicopter. It is a wild ride that turned Bruce Willis from comedic actor to action star. ★★★★½
It was about five minutes into Die Hard 2 that I realized I had never seen this one (I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen the 3rd one, coming up). John has made up with Holly and moved to LA to be with her, but in this film, they are spending Christmas in DC. At the airport where John is awaiting Holly’s arrival, police are expecting drug lord and deposed military leader Esperanza, who is being extradited to the USA. Esperanza isn’t going quietly though. He has a team on the ground, led by sinister ex-military Colonel Stuart (William Sadler), on hand to sabotage the airport’s systems in order to demand safe transport of Esperanza to a new flight off US soil. And these terrorists aren’t willing to negotiate, taking down a commercial plane to show they mean business. McClane has to step in, just as he did in the first film, and talk down the local cops who (once again) don’t believe him, and make sure things get done all by himself. It’s an OK movie, but it suffers from many of the problems that plague action movie sequels: higher body counts, more explosions, and (unnecessary) minor roles for returning characters from the first film. Not really one I’d watch again, but it has its moments. ★★★
The franchise takes a misstep with the third film, Die Hard with a Vengeance. McClane is tied up against the Gruber family again, this time against Hans’ brother, a terrorist/bomber going by the name of Simon. Simon has set off a few bombs around New York, and is leading McClane on a wild goose chase around the city to try to defuse more bombs before they go off. McClane is aided by a good samaritan, Zeus (Samuel L Jackson), who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. All of the bomb threats are a coverup though, Simon is really after the New York Federal Reserve and the billions of dollars in gold bullion in its basement. The action levels are still high in this movie, as you’d expect, but they ratchet up the comedy too, and it takes on an almost buddy-cop kind of feel. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The film also suffers from having way too many coincidences (when Zeus and McClane get separated, they reunite, constantly, at the most opportune of times). Some really great tense moments can’t cover up all the inconsistencies. ★★½
I guess it’s a good thing I decided to watch these films: I hadn’t seen this one either! Live Free or Die Hard is the fourth in the set, released in 2007. In this one, they tone down the comedy (outside of McClane’s one-liners, those aren’t going anywhere), and return to its pure action roots. McClane’s devotion to his job has finally ended his marriage, and he’s become an alcoholic over it. He is pulled into service again when cyber-terrorists hack Washington DC’s systems. Traffic lights are staying green in all directions, causing accidents and log jams, effectively shutting down the city. McClane is teamed up with a hacker of his own, Matt Farrell, who tells the cop that the hackers are not going to stop with traffic lights: they are attempting to cripple all computer-controlled infrastructure, including utilities like power, phones, and television. The bad hackers, led by a wonderfully diabolical Timothy Olyphant, are in it for more than just greed, they want to prove a point about the weakness of the system after 9-11, and will stop at nothing to get it done, including kidnapping McClane’s adult daughter as ransom. The ending chase scene turns the ridiculous factor up to level 10, but outside of that miscue, this is a very entertaining film. ★★★½
A Good Day to Die Hard is one that I had seen, back in 2013 at the theaters, just before I started my blog. Unfortunately it hasn’t gotten better with time. Undoubtably the weakest of these films, it is about McClane trying to rescue his adult, estranged son Jack when Jack is arrested for attempted murder in Russia. It turns out Jack has been a spy for the CIA, undercover in Russia for three years, to get close to and rescue the dissident Yuri Komarov. But who’s side is Yuri really on? It’s the shortest film in the series, but even at 97 minutes, it feels longer, and the plot becomes too convoluted for its own good. It’s a bummer to end such a great series on a dud, but you can’t always go out on top. ★½
- TV series currently watching: Raised by Wolves (season 2)
- Book currently reading: Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert
Jons Movie Takes 