A fantastic energetic sequel

Rating: 9/10 (24 August 2008)

In the third instalment of the Die Hard series, detective John McClane must obey a bomber's rules whilst trying to get along with electrician Zeus and recover from a really bad headache.
With an explosive beginning, literally, Die Hard with a vengeance starts as it means to go on with top notch action, adrenaline and an amazing appetite for adventure.
Willis (Moonlighting) returns as the iconic McClane and is juxtaposed with Samuel L Jackson (Pulp Fiction) as the nervous but intelligent electrician Zeus and as in Pulp Fiction, the two perform their hearts out in another excellent Die Hard film.
Filled with humour and one liners, both characters are enjoyable to watch and make the plot even more intense with witty dialogue.
Like the previous Die Hard films, there is plenty of action and a fast tense situation to keep you gripped to your seats. This time, there is a mad bomber on the other end of the telephone telling McClane riddles, and these little puzzles make the film intriguing and very intense as the stakes are raised with every puzzle, and include very dramatic national panics. There is a lack of realism, but the fast flowing nature will keep you hooked.
However this time there is less claustrophobia as McClane travels all over New York to solve the many puzzles. Though I loved the claustrophobic surroundings in the first two films, spreading his wings was necessary for McClane to be seen as a more wild and courageous man with more to do with himself, such as driving a taxi across a national park and searching for a bomb on a train, which were pure adrenaline rushes.
Jeremy Irons (Reversal of Fortune) is excellent as Simon and raised the bar for Jackson and Willis.
McTiernan returns to direct and uses his knowledge to great effect with the action sequences all perfectly shot to create the right dramatic effect.
The third Die Hard is fast, exciting and beautifully executed by cast and crew to make a memorable action thriller.