Where's John McTiernan When You Need Him?

Rating: 3/10 (20 March 2002)

The reins for the sequel to `Die Hard' are passed from John McTiernan to Renny Harlin and although Harlin is McTiernan's equal technically, he fails to bring McTiernan's subtlety to a project badly in need of it. Part of the problem, it should be noted, is with the script (written by Steven E. deSouza--who also co-wrote the original--and Doug Richardson) which ignores the element of chance that the first was predicated on; here, Detective John McClane uses his super-sleuth skills to uncover a plot to commandeer Washington's Dulles Airport by a soldier of fortune (William Sadler, no Alan Rickman, sorry to say) and the thing just kind of lumbers off from there. Harlin, though, concentrates far too heavily on gory situations and shocking premises (the destruction of a jetliner filled with passengers, for example) to make the ride enjoyable and though there is great satisfaction in the climax, there's simply too much to detest and not nearly enough audience involvement.