The thrill of the original comes back with a vengeance

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2009)

After massively underestimating how to follow-up the first "Die Hard" film, John McTiernan was the one who took back the reigns ... with a vengeance. Although it deviates from the one-location danger scenario of the first two films, deciding to take a crazy hell-bent ride around New York City, it brings the winning elements that disappeared in "Die Hard 2" and brings them back while adding bigger action and suspense.
After giving up control of the director's seat to Renny Harlin for the "Die Hard 2" in order to make "The Hunt for Red October," McTiernan, couldn't have been pleased to see the direction the franchise was going and it must've contributed to his decision to produce "Die Hard: With a Vengeance" almost five years later. It's a good thing, because if a third Die Hard had been greenlit by anyone else, the results probably wouldn't have been the same.
Taken from a Jonathan Hensleigh script that was once it's own film called "Simon Says" and changed to fit the character of rebellious cop hero John McClane (Willis), "With a Vengeance" definitely feels like its own film. A few elements are carried over, such as the villain is the brother of first movie baddie Hans Gruber, whose name is Simon (Jeremy Irons), but the premise is unique to the franchise.
Instead of one location like the tower in the first and the airport in the second, "With a Vengeance" makes New York City its playground and challenges McClane with riddles and time trials to avoid civilian casualties. It's different for the series, but Hensleigh works in McClane nicely and even gives him a bad-ass buddy in Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Zeus Carver, a Harlem electrician that gets dragged into McClane's mess and accuses everyone of being crazy "Pulp Fiction"-style.
Most important is the return of a distinct antagonist. "Die Hard 2" did not have a strong villain and McClane's peril did not seem as pressing. If cinema has learned any lesson from the James Bond franchise, it's don't let your antagonist go faceless. "With a Vengeance" learns this lesson and insures itself by making this villain related to the one in the first film. Irons is great. Not Alan Rickman great, but great.
"With a Vengeance" is full of exciting action sequences from taxi drives through central park (on the grass, that is) to an explosion in the subway. The riddle-me-this thriller does seem forced, but there's certainly no lack of excitement and the twist halfway through makes it all well worth it.
The only thing to dislike about the movie is it's harsh confrontation of racism. Jackson plays this white-wary black man who makes everything about race. The Lethal Weapon series has always been fine just pairing a white and black cop, but the script awkwardly forces this racial dialogue into "With a Vengeance" instead of making the tension between McClane and Carver just natural personality clash.
But it's a big upgrade from "Die Hard 2," and for the other fans disappointed with the sequel, it apologizes for that quite well. I suppose "Die Hard" 'purists' who wouldn't approve of McClane having a "partner" in this movie or its riddle-oriented structure might not enjoy it as much of the original, but on the entertainment scale, it's easily on par.