Simon Says.

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2016)

McClaine is suspended from the NYPD and his life is in shambles. A man who calls himself Simon (Irons) wants McClaine back in action. It turns out Simon is actually Hans Gruber's brother. A Harlem store owner, Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson) gets caught right in the middle of it, forcing Zeus and McClaine to team up and stomp bombs all over New York. This is the best sequel in the series by far. It's essentially a 'buddy, buddy' film, but a damn good one at that. It starts off like any typical buddy film. Zeus and McClaine don't see eye to eye and forced to team up under unique circumstances. What I loved about this sequel is that it strays away from the first two. he second sequel was a tad forced and overblown. This one felt genuine and that's probably because McTiernan was back direction in lieu of Renny Harlin. Some may get offended by the racism in this movie and I wouldn't blame you at all for that. I think it's done in clever fashion. Die Hard III did it in such a hilarious way, I can't help but laugh at it. The 'I hate Niggas" sign McClaine is forced to wear around his neck in this movie is classic! One thing that never disappoints in the Die Hard series is the action! There is a lot of stuff here to feed the adrenaline junkies. You can't go wrong with Willis and Jackson causing chaos and raising hell in New York. New York really added to the atmosphere here and made it feel more gritty. My only complaint is there are some lulls in the second half. Nothing that will ruin your experience, but it's noticeable. Bruce Willis is excellent as McClaine. He really seems motivated in this one. His character has nothing to lose in this one because he no longer has Holly and he's almost a full-blown alcoholic. It made him more of a loose cannon. Willis had some great lines and is a lot of fun to watch. He's the perfect anti-hero. Jackson is just as good as Willis. His intensity is off the charts and I relished every second he was on-screen. His chemistry with Willis is great. Jeremy Irons is very good for the most part, aside from the iffy accent. I enjoyed his rhymes.
Overall, this is truly a great sequel. It has plenty of laughs, plenty of action, and everything you could want in a sequel. Willis and Jackson make one of the greatest 'buddy' teams of all time as far as I'm concerned.
8.3/10
Favorite quote
Zeus: You can stick your well-laid plan up your well-laid ass!