Great sequel!

Rating: 10/10 (26 January 2004)

To anybody who has been put of watching this terrific film by bad reviews, don't because you are missing a terrific action film and a great sequel that is a worthy follow on from the first film. What is established here is that we are not getting a continuation of the first film's story; McClane finds himself facing a new terrorist threat and this time it truly is a terrorist threat. No hiding a robbery here, the baddies are sheer evil terrorists willing to do anything to get what they want. What is so great about this set up is that director Renny Harlin and writer Steven De Souza get to have fun by drawing comparisons to the events of this film and the first installment. It's Christmas Eve, Holly is on a plane flight back to John, but terrorists are threatening to crash planes unless a drug lord being transported to America is handed over to them and John McClane finds himself in the middle of it all. Harlin uses this as the main thrust of the film's humor. McClane finds himself having to crawl through air vents again and remarks at his exasperation at how the same thing can happen to the same guy twice, Holly asks John at the end 'why does this keep happening to us', and McClane is told that he is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. The humorous angle is dealt with fantastically.
The action sequences, coming from the man who would go on to give us Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight are spectacular, although there is more of a leaning towards explosions and spectacular death scenes than the building of suspense that we had in the first film, but Harlin had a bigger budget than McTiernan did for Die Hard, so that may be the reason. In light of 9/11 the film does have the sense that it wouldn't even be made today. The controversial moment where William Sadler's villain crashes a commercial jet to teach McClane and Dulles Airport a lesson is shocking, from the use of imagery (we see the passengers screaming for their lives) to the (admittedly very well done) shot of the plane exploding, it does leave one with a churned stomach. Add to this other sadistic moments such as the icicle in the eye, one of the villains going through an airplane engine and a bad guy being flattened by scaffolding and there is a slightly more darker air to the action sequences. McTiernan wanted to make the violence in Die Hard almost goofy and cartoon like, one gets the impression Harlin is out for realism.
In saying that is a fine action film. Willis is his usual charismatic self, Bedelia and Atherton make a nice comedic double act, Dennis Franz is a wonderfully vindictive airport police officer and Sadler a chilling villain, if admittedly not as memorable as Alan Rickman. This is fun stuff and is hugely enjoyable. Terrific.