Die Hard 2

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)

John McClane has the worst luck. It's Christmas again, and once more, he's in a serious mess. At this rate, even if he barricaded himself at home with his family, terrorists would probably find a way to attack his house, and he’d still have to deal with it. Last time, he flew from NYPD to Los Angeles. This time, as an LAPD officer, he's visiting his wife's family in New York. The terrorists aren’t just clever thieves this time; they're elite soldiers with a plan to free a South American dictator and drug lord. Die Hard 2 is a solid follow-up to the iconic 80s film, but it suffers from typical sequel issues. The action is constantly trying to outdo the first movie, aiming for more epic and bombastic scenes, which isn’t always a good thing. Many moments are taken to greater extremes, sometimes detracting from the film. There are glaring plot holes and script errors, largely due to the aforementioned extremes. It seems like the creators were so focused on making everything cooler that they overlooked some script flaws. Despite its negatives, Die Hard 2 remains highly entertaining. There are plenty of legendary one-liners you can’t help but love. McClane empties countless magazines and takes on a whole slew of villains. He even manages to blow up an entire plane, escape a dozen grenade explosions, and kill a mercenary with an icicle. John McClane is still the ultimate badass, maintaining his cool personality even in the most intense situations. Of course, he delivers his iconic line, “Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!” because it wouldn’t be Die Hard without it. Die Hard 2 is a quality action film with its flaws, but if you can overlook them and not overanalyze, you’ll thoroughly enjoy it. It’s a fun ride that doesn’t disappoint on repeat viewings. (09/01/2020)

A 1990s example of a faithful genre flick that adds new ammo to a worn out template with allusions to new technologies, the obsolescence of McClane’s methods, and the direct clash of the old school (represented by McClane inside the story, as well as the 1980s action drive on the surface) with these newcomers (a hacker’s threat and the self-aware wink and homage to predecessors). The narrative is perfectly structured into several small blocks and it manages to retain the coherent impression of the first one, the action scenes are all entertaining (save for a couple of surprising exceptions), the development of the villains makes sense and Willis drops wisecracks as if his life depended on it. The golden 90s at their best, but with a slightly worn-out package. Harlin was good. 90% (10/04/2019)

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)

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)