A sequel that had to exist and they absolutely did justice to the original

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2007)

I had to really base this review on my true feelings of seeing Die Hard 2. The problem with reviewing Die Hard 2 is if any channel anywhere in Cable land decides to air a Die Hard film...it's this one...I've see Die Hard 2 so many times that it hurts...I always seem to catch the same parts and the same lines on TV over and over again despite the fact that Cable TV attempts to bleep out the language with hilarious voice overs such as "Yippee Kai eh Mister Falcon---TBS" So I watched Die Hard 2 again beginning to end for this review and I must say the film truly is great in it's own right. I mean plugged up against the magnificence of the Die Hard original...it pales in the shadow but nonetheless has some really important features that make it a necessary and worthy sequel to greatness. Director Renny Harlin took over from the unmatchable greatness of John McTiernan and Harlin was the perfect pick because his career and films, much like McTiernan has had greatness and not so great. Harlin seemed to know the characters and story and what was necessary to create the brilliance of another Die Hard film. Still there was a different and distinctive style in Harlin's film over the original. The sarcasm and biting humor was toned down a great deal and the supporting cast wasn't nearly as important as John McClane and the terrorists but setting the film in an airport was sheer brilliance. The most important thing was not lacking and that was unstoppable, kick ass, edge of your seat, things blowing up ACTION!! Bruce Willis returned to his familiar role as tough, rugged, ripped good guy cop John McClane waiting for his now reconciled wife Holly to land in Washington and join him and their kids at her parents home. John with instincts in tact smells something funny going down and everything from there on in is typical Die Hard.
Bruce Willis is still amazing in this role and although I don't think the second installment had near the bite and brawn of John McClane that the original had he's still amazing at it and a true action hero further implementing that modern day action cowboy name. Bonnie Bedelia also returns as McClane's once estranged wife that pulled him into the first terrorist plot. Much the same as last time Holly is at the whim of terrorists only this time she is in a jet circling the airport the terrorists have taken control of. Bedelia still has that very strong female role down pat and she suits the idea of a woman who can handle McClane. She also has the pleasure of verbally torturing slimy News anchor Richard Thornburg who happens on the same plane as her played by William Atherton also returning from the original. He gets more of a substantial role and is even more slimy and the perfect adversary for Holly who makes short work of him. William Sadler is terrific as the lead terrorist Col. Stuart although he still doesn't hold a candle to previous lead terrorist in Die Hard played by Alan Rickman but he does a decent job as a man determined to achieve his goal. He's military, decisive, violent, and determined like any great terrorist in films. Franco Nero is also good as the major drug dealer the terrorists are negotiating to have released and escape. Add in the cameo and supporting roles by Reginald VelJohnson, John Amos, Dennis Franz, and Art Evans as McClane's newest sidekick and you've got a great cast.
Most importantly the action is swinging within ten minutes of the film's beginning. A gunfight in the baggage claim, suddenly terrorists have control of the flight towers, then they are crashing a 747 filled with people yards from John McClane who is dropping to his knees in terror, a snowmobile chase across an icy lake with machine guns blazing, a high speed Jet chase and finally an unbelievable explosion that is still one of the great explosion scenes in film history. Die Hard 2 lives up to it's name sake and certainly does not disappoint in any fashion. It might not have quite the same wallop that the original had but it also doesn't take away from the series but whole heartedly adds a new chapter that is more than welcome. If you haven't see Die Hard...or Die Hard 2...you don't even know what an action film is. 8.5/10