Cinematic brilliance

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 2016)

For me, this Bruce Willis actioner is perfect. It has it all; cheesy one-liners ("You're the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time!" "Story of my life..."), lots of brutal action, some really nasty baddies, great special effects from Industrial Light and Magic, and lots of suspenseful and thrilling situations. Of course, it's not on par with the original, untouchable classic, but then what is? By basing this story on an unconnected book, about an airport being taken over by terrorists, the producers wisely moved away from simply doing a rehash of the first film with new locations and plot twists.
Director Renny Harlin is at home with the many action scenes here with are fast, furious, and pull no punches. Lots of baddies die in various ways, my favourites being the man whose head gets stuck in a luggage compactor, and the nasty creep who gets an icicle through his eye for his troubles. The action bits in the DIE HARD series are my favourites of any film; I don't know what it is I like about them, but it's just the style and their efficiency which impresses me.
The acting is very good, once again, from an excellent cast. Bruce Willis has firmly settled into his leading action man role, playing the kind of laconic, down-to-earth lawman which he would essay throughout the early '90s. Bonnie Bedelia lends glamour and an icy cool to her role as Willis' long-suffering wife, while William Atherton gets to redo his obnoxious reporter role from the first film. As for the baddies, they're excellent again, with the exceptionally nasty-looking William Sadler being the chief villain. John Amos is highly likable as the ultra-tough army sergeant. Even Italian favourite Franco Nero turns up as a wicked general.
I love that immortal dialogue by Willis, especially the self-referential lines. I love the fantastic, poetic ending which has to be one of the best endings of any action film, EVER. It's just sheer brilliance (everybody I know who's seen the film agrees with me). I love Dennis Franz as the foul-mouthed pencil-pusher. I love the escape-by-ejector-seat scene. Basically, I love everything about this film and I could watch it again and again for the rest of my life. Unsurprisingly, it's one of my absolute favourites.