Die Hard 2

The action poetics is absolutely fantastic and the end result is excellent. It's no wonder, because only aces were involved in Die Hard 2. Renny Harlin directed it, Stuart Baird edited, Oliver Wood was the cameraman, and the cast of actors is also impressive. The action is, of course, brilliant and blood is really not spared. Script-wise, it’s more ambitious and much less predictable, while still occasionally being literally an action exhibition. The airport is an attractive setting, and if we add professional mercenaries, marines, a drug baron, and a stubborn airport police captain to the mix, we have a plot for three movies together. McLane is just as badass as in the Nakatomi building and keeps delivering one tough wisecrack after another. This is how a golden action gem of the 90s should look like. (28/09/2006)

It’s Christmas again and John McClane is waiting for his wife to arrive at Dulles International Airport in Washington. I know no better way of spending this stifling summer afternoon (12 July 2006, temp. 90°F in the shade) than in the company of John McClane and a band of terrorists capable of any atrocity. Bruce Willis is simply flawless as McClane and 16 years later he’s just as cool as ever. Renny Harlin handles action and suspense perfectly and lots of déjà vu lines like: "Just once, I'd like a regular, normal Christmas. Eggnog, a fuckin' Christmas tree, a little turkey..." They pleasantly lighten the mood of Die Hard 2. Too bad that they don’t make movies like this any more. (12/07/2006)

Almost a redefinition of the thriller, wonderfully blending the weariness of traditional 80s machismo with the speed, velocity, and elusiveness of the 90s. Because of this, the film is almost completely devoid of the classic action-rest-action-rest scheme and maintains a relentlessly frenetic pace from the very first frame. The shuffling through the crowded airport (where everyone is walking in all directions, someone is standing, someone is sitting, everyone is carrying something) comes right out of the screen, and the action hasn't even started yet. Once all hell breaks loose, a prime example of working with space as an organism begins. Back and forth the hero runs from hypermodern control towers to the guts of dank corridors and ventilation shafts to giant crammed airport concourses, picking up one bomb after another. The emphasis on building chaos on set is evident in every detail. Tables are filled with all sorts of knock-offs, characters are usually doing multiple things at once, blood spurts to the point of splatter, walls are plastered with photographs, bulletin boards, and posters, extras are constantly on the move and if there aren't any around at the moment, like in the first action sequence, at least there are suitcases rolling around the conveyor belt in all directions. For the jaded New York cop, for whom the pinnacle of technological advancement is frozen pizza, it's all understandably utterly exhausting even without dozens of terrorists with their insane plan, which is why I see the most charming scene in all honesty as the last one after the plane arrives with McLane's wife, when John staggers bloodied among the people on the runway, desperately calling her name. By then, though, he knows that she survived and her plane has landed safely on the ground. So he has no reason to worry about her anymore. After all, he's just completely exhausted and in need of his wife, because after all that, he just wants a hug. (13/05/2019)

"Another basement, another elevator. How can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?" The first installment is a well-deserved cult film, but I have to go against the stream and praise the second part, Die Harder, even more. Renny Harlin starts from scratch, letting McClane be vulnerable again as a cop who occasionally gets shaken up, and naturally handles the transition into a rescuer with ease, which is both natural and surprisingly well-developed. The situation, reminiscent of Nakatomi Plaza, is intensified by the airport setting. The only advantage that the previous adventure retains is in the main villain, as the airport phantom is not of the same caliber as Hans, but rather a sadistic bad guy. Die Harder is a bit better than the first mainly because of the action, which looks even rougher and more graceful than its older sibling. (17/06/2007)

It's hard to tell how that Bruce does it, but he gets me every time. John McClane's character is one of his most successful. Even though he doesn't make me cry here like he did in Armageddon, I'm still glued to the screen and drooling. John always knows what to say and he always knows what to do. To me, he's a hero whose every move I trust. And it wouldn't be the same if he didn't throw in a good line here and there. The best in the most over-the-top situations, eh...? Since I have a thing for airports, I like this one a little bit more than the first one. 4.5 stars. (20/08/2011)