Cements itself as a fine action series.

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2004)

So, you would think as the third film, Bruce getting a little bit older and the supposed ridiculousness of having a third bad day that Die Hard With A Vengeance would be a terrible film, trying aimlessly to do something new with an old hat, that it would struggle. Not at all. Die Hard With A Vengeance is a superb third installment of the franchise and in being so good it cements itself as one of the best film franchises. The story here is excellent, mixing in thrills and spills with the usual plethora of humor that we've come to expect as we watch McClane pit his wits against the brother of Hans Gruber, Simon. A stroke of genius is taking the Die Hard formula and applying it to the buddy cop genre as McClane teams up with Zeus, played fantastically by Samuel L Jackson. The initial hatred that turns to friendship is played out with great humor throughout, from the possible racist hate that they have to their arguing over the tasks Simon sets them (the best being over the women in St Ives and McClanes' curiosity over what they were doing).
The plot is more topical that one would expect (the first two becoming more topical as time went on). The bombing plot appears to be ripped from the headlines, but the film is entertainment and as the film goes on we realize that Simon, like his brother, is not a mere terrorist, but an exceptional thief, with the twist being that Simon is after the gold of Fort Knox. McTiernan once again casts an English man in the villain role, with Jeremy Irons playing Alan Rickman's brother. Irons is great, although, like William Sadler in Die Hard 2, Irons is in the shadow of Rickman a tad, but he rises to the challenge enough playing a character of sheer genius and evil.
Being made at a time when action movies rely on special/visual effects and explosions, Die Hard With A Vengeance is something unique, somewhat. Yes there are plenty of spectacular action sequences (the train bombing and the Central Park trip being highlights) but McTiernan knows that these films rely on nice character development and humor as well as an entertaining plot to make the film work and that is what we get here. There are some interesting twists to the narrative and the chemistry between Willis and Jackson is great. If the fourth film ever gets made they should bring back Zeus as this could put the franchise into a new gear. The buddy element works fantastically as the bickering and bantering between the two characters makes the film so much fun to watch.
I love these films and the third one is terrific. Of course there are many debates over which of the sequels are the best, but I believe that they are both great. The third one ensures that this will remain a classic series and I hope that the fourth one (if it gets made that is) will retain the integrity of this entertaining and fun series.