They should have quit while they were ahead

Rating: 5/10 (7 September 2005)

Some people seem to have the idea that "Die Hard 3" is the best in the series. Some clarification is needed here, because it's actually the worst. It starts out on the right note with an interesting premise (mysterious stranger toying with John for unknown reasons), but at the halfway point, right about the time we actually see the villain, it gets so sloppy it's almost as if they're improvising the plot as they go. I'm too tired to go through all the things wrong with it, but suffice it to say the villain seems to have more people working for him than the entire New York City police department.
The main downfall of this one is that McTiernan got confused and thought he was making a "Lethal Weapon" movie. Someone really should have mentioned to him that he was supposed to be making "Die Hard," but too late he pulled in Sam L. Jackson as a store owner with absolutely no reason or motivation of any kind to be helping McClane. He's just there to yell a lot and cause racial tension. The awesome lone-wolf formula from the first two movies becomes the overused, irritating buddy-cop formula (only Jackson's not a cop, just some random black guy). Jackson is a great actor, but his character has no real place in this movie.
Add some sub-par acting and an ending so abrupt it's almost like the screenwriter just gave up, and the result is a total wash. I'm not saying it's terrible--it has its moments--but it's nowhere near as good as the first one. I understand they're making a fourth one. I don't have high hopes for it. They should have quit while they were ahead.