The Franchise Died Hard with a Vengeace After this One

Rating: 8/10 (24 August 2015)

Die Hard with a Vengeance: The third film in the franchise, the last good one in the franchise. Had the series ended here Die Hard would have went out on a high. As it happens, that's not what happened unfortunately. In this film John McClane is called back onto the force after being suspended (for some unknown reason) when a bombing occurs in New York City by a man named Simon. Simon plays a dangerous game of Simon Says with John and a black stranger with a vendetta on whites (who John comes in contact with in the first round of Simon Says in a hilariously terrible situation). Together they race around the city trying to stop bombs from being set off by playing along with the rules. They soon learn that Simon is the brother of Hans Gruber, the man John killed back in the original Die Hard. Soon after, John learns of Simon's real plan to rob the Federal Reserve, and works with his sidekick to stop him. This movie is a fast paced action, and never lets that up. Each scene is crafted to bring on the excitement, as it suspends you in fear as well. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson make a great team. They work well off each others energy, and you see growth out of each of them throughout the film. This movie does have weak points, mainly being that the movie does play off the action movie clichés. Cheesy one liners, bad guys that cant aim if their target is 2 feet away from them, explosions galore, impossible escapes, and more. But the film is so much fun that you can forgive it for these details, and actually just appreciate them as good fun. A great movie that should have ended Die Hard on a high, this is one to see when you just want a great action film.
8/10