Solid Sequel with Spectacular (and Stupid) Moments

Rating: 8/10 (23 August 2015)

Pretty much a remake of "Die Hard," this time set in an airport. Considering how derivative the story and characters are, combined with how quickly they turned this big budget film around -- literally two years after the original -- it's noteworthy how good "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" actually is.
The reason it works rests on emulating what worked the first time around and pulling it off: tons of interesting characters on all sides, a genuine movie star performance from Bruce Willis in his signature career role, escalating stakes on a limited narrative playing field, spectacular FX that hold up 25 years later. Characters from the original "Die Hard" are cleverly and effectively worked into the plot, the new characters are all pretty good in perfectly typecast roles (Dennis Franz as blowhard a$$hole cop; Fred Thompson as steely voice of authoritarian reason).
Weaknesses again are too many needlessly stupid characters and plot elements, and too many machine guns that never hit our hero while he almost always plugs the bad guys with perfect marksmanship. And the conniving television journalist actually comes off as more creative and likable in the sequel, so what happens to him doesn't feel as necessary or satisfying.
While the villains this time aren't quite as interesting, the subtext of American military and intelligence services corruption at the heart of the global drug trade is unexpectedly daring. And the final fight on the plane wing is as thrilling as it is absurd.
Also worth noting upon release you could see this movie in 70mm and it was absolutely spectacular on the huge screen (where I saw it at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C., a truly memorable cinematic experience).