Die Hard 2 (1990)

Great fun re-watching this after checking out the original for the first time. One of the very best filmic franchises out there, to be sure.

I was 10 in 1990, I loved Die Hard, and I hated Die Hard 2.

Now I'm 40 and I am rewatching this and.... compared to movies today it is pretty good. If this was made in 2020 it would be a 10 out of 10 star smash blockbusting hit that all of America raves about except the "everything is political all the time crowd."

But it didn't, it came out in 1990 and because of that it was a subpar sort of BS action movie that in no way lived up to the first one.

The thing is... I'm writing the review in 2020. Today it's a good movie if you compare it to most everything in the theaters today and especially to the new Die Hard movies.

If anyone were ever to need to write a training manual for terrorists that demonstrated how to maximise the chaos and destruction at a facility; then they could do a great deal worse than engage the services of Bruce Willis. In this cracking action adventure film, he is "Lt. John McClane" who finds himself amidst a hijacking - but this time it's not the plane that's being hijacked, it's the whole airport - and all so a drug-dealing general can escape justice with the help of some rogue highly trained military types. Willis has bags of charisma, and he needs it as he has to persuade sceptical authorities and other cops of the critical risk - and all before an incoming flight carrying his wife (with quite a fun little sub-plot of it's own) runs out of fuel. The dialogue is sometimes quite pithy, and Tom Bower is fine as "Marvin" (the janitor who gets roped in too). It does lack menace, maybe Willis' style of characterisation is just a bit too laid back; the smile and the glint - but it's still an end to end action thriller with plenty of pyrotechnics and near misses to fill a couple of hours in a world of mindless cinema. It's not quite as good at the first one, but there's not that much to it.

Die Hard 2 (1990) is a solid action movie that delivers high-energy sequences and a familiar setup, but it lacks the magic that made the first one a classic. The plot follows a similar structure, with John McClane once again caught in a high-stakes situation, but the tension does not feel as sharp this time. The script has its moments, keeping McClane’s signature humor and attitude intact, but it leans more on spectacle than smart problem-solving. The airport setting feels expansive, but it does not create the same sense of claustrophobic intensity as Nakatomi Plaza, making the action feel bigger but less impactful.

Renny Harlin’s directing keeps the pace fast, and the cinematography does a good job of maintaining momentum, but the action sequences feel more chaotic than calculated. Bruce Willis still carries the movie with his charisma, but the villains are less memorable, and the overall conflict does not feel as compelling. The score and sound design are effective in keeping the energy high, but they do not add much beyond standard action beats. Die Hard 2 is an entertaining sequel with plenty of action, but it feels like it is trying to recreate the first film rather than build on it.

"Die Hard 2" treats the character of John McClane as if he is some sort of an all purpose celebrity action hero this time around. His energy levels are inexhaustible, he is always in the wrong place at the wrong time and yet he still knows exactly the right thing to do at the crucial moment in any given situation, and he is even capable of eschewing assistance and going it alone against a group of ruthless terrorists. However, this is still a brilliant and superbly paced action film in spite of all this where the exciting break neck momentum is never allowed to falter for a second - it would have been fatal if this had been allowed to happen - and the violent action scenes are sensational and of the highest calibre.