Die Hard with a Vengeance

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Director: John McTiernan

Writers: Jonathan Hensleigh, Roderick Thorpe (characters)

Cast: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene, Colleen Camp, Larry Bryggman, Anthony Peck, Nick Wyman, Sam Phillips

Synopsis:

Lt. John McClane (Willis) is brought back off suspension when a terrorist blows up a department store in downtown New York City. The terrorist, a man named Simon (Irons), threatens to set off more bombs unless McClane completes the tasks he sets out for him. Simon has some sort of personal grudge against McClane and has him run around New York City, along with a civilian named Zeus (Jackson), participating in increasingly more elaborate tasks. McClane and Zeus soon discover that there is more to Simon's plans than meets the eye, but will they be able to find him in time before he escapes.

First Impression:

I missed this one in theaters but managed to catch it on home video not long after. I quite enjoyed the movie on first viewing, and it's one I revisit frequently. I rank this one fairly high in comparisson to the two previous films in the series. In fact, I probably enjoy it as much as the original entry. It's been a while since I watched it, so I'm excited to see how/if it holds up.

Story/Direction: 

"I'm not jumping through hoops for some psycho! That's a white man with white problems. You deal with him. Call me when he crosses 110th street."

Die Hard with a Vengeance represents a few firsts in the series. First of all, it's the first time McLane gets a sidekick (more on that later). It's also the first movie in the series to take place in the city that John lives and works in. Finally, it's the first film in the series to not take place during the Christmas season. There's always an element of risk when an established film franchise deviates from its established tropes, but it works here. Of course, the main reason why there's this deviation is that this movie wasn't originally supposed to be a Die Hard film. According to the DVD's special features, it was supposed to be an original film called Simon Says, but it was decided to turn it into the third entry in the Die Hard series during pre-production. Regardless of the whys, the change-up works well, and the overall story beats are interesting enough to keep the audience engaged. Plus, as an added bonus, there's a solid enough background for the film that watching the two prequels isn't a requirement, but the filmmakers still threw in enough references to please long-term fans of the franchise.

John McTiernan returned to the series in this film after skipping Die Hard 2. I've always been a fan of McTiernan's, as I think he's got a good handle on how to do a good action movie. He keeps the film moving at a good pace, and you hardly feel the two hours go by. He's also quite good at building up tension. If I had one gripe about the film's story, it's the end. I found the end to be a bit underwhelming. It wasn't so bad that it undermined my enjoyment in the rest of the film, but it certainly was a bit of a letdown. From what I've heard, there was a darker, alternate ending filmed which sees Simon get away and McClane track him down and kill him somewhere in Europe, which I think would have worked better. But, I assume that the studio didn't want to scuttle future sequel plans by adding a grimmer ending.

Acting:

Normally, when I review a movie series, I try not to discuss an actor more than once and highlight other cast members. However, when it comes to Die Hard, it really is all about John McClane. The thing that really stuck out for me in this viewing was John's arc throughout the trilogy and how good a job Bruce Willis actually did. The first film sees John in a tough place in his life as he tries to save his marriage and his family after being estranged for so long; the second film shows us John in a much better place in life as he's reconnected with his family. However, this film depicts a John McClane that has given up. His marriage has failed, his job is in the toilet, and he has nothing to look forward to. It's a fascinating arc that, I think, Willis nails.

I also gotta highlight the performance of Samuel L. Jackson as Zeus. This was the first film I ever saw that included the talents of Mr. Jackson, and I have to say, I was a fan of his immediately. Not only is Jackson a great actor, but he has a great sense of comic timing, which added a needed amount of levity to a film that could easily drift in very dark places. The chemistry between both the principal actors was really what makes this film work, and I enjoyed the banter between Zeus and McClane almost as much as the action sequences.

Action movies are often only as good as the villain, and Jeremy Irons does a solid if not a spectacular job here. Much of this has to do with the character Simon, who is not particularly interesting as a villain. However, Irons does a good job making the character somewhat mysterious with not entirely revealed motives. The only beef I really have is his German accent tends to waver a bit. 

Finally, I gotta give a quick shoutout to Canadian treasure Graham Greene. A woefully underrated actor that's always a joy to see. It's also nice to see Native Canadian/American actors cast in roles that aren't part of westerns.

Visuals:

It's a Die Hard movie, so the majority of the visual effects are pyrotechnic in nature. Most of it is done well, but there is one particular scene early in the movie that really stands out. It involves a bomb going off in a subway tunnel near Wall Street Station. Nowadays, such a sequence would likely be computer-generated, but it must have been quite the undertaking filming this in-camera with all of the moving parts involved. It's a pretty awesome scene that sets the stage for the rest of the movie. 

There is also a bit of rear projection work with a flooding aqueduct tunnel. It looks a little wonky, particularly on a high definition TV, but I give it a pass because realistic-looking water effects are something SFX departments still struggle with today.

Score/Music:

Michael Kamen returns to write the score for this film, and, again, it's solid if not spectacular. There are some familiar themes peppered throughout the movie, mostly from the previous two films, but I also thought I recognized some music cues from the Lethal Weapon series as well. One nice touch that I thought worked well was the use of When Johnny Comes Marching Home as Simon's theme. The song was initially about men returning home from the American Civil War, but it takes on a new meaning when applied to this particular villain, which I won't expand on too much due to spoilers (in case someone reading this hasn't yet seen this 25-year-old movie). Opening the film with Hot Town Summer in the City by Joe Cocker was also a nice touch.

Action:

When you sit down to watch a Die Hard movie, you're expecting great action, and this movie doesn't disappoint. There are several great action sequences, including a race in a taxi through Central Park, a visceral fight in an elevator and a car chase on the freeway. McTiernan is an old-school action director that knows how to frame his shots so the audience can clearly see what's going on. Top marks all round for what, I think, is the best action in the series. 

Final Verdict:

I still really enjoy this movie and this series in general. The action is great, and the stories are fun and engaging. If you've not seen this movie and love action, it's a must-see. If you have seen it, then I recommend giving it a revisit.