Die Hard With A Vengeance

Now we come to my personal favorite in the “Die Hard” franchise, and one of my favorite movies of all time, the 1995 classic, “Die Hard with a Vengeance.” Roger Ebert had said, “There was a time when the James Bond movies started with one sensational stunt sequence, and we were grateful for it. Now there are movies that are essentially nothing but sensational stunt sequences, one after another, each one a feat of staging, until we're reeling in our seats from input overload. "Die Hard With a Vengeance" is the kind of movie where, toward the end, you start looking for the kitchen sink.”

Once again, Bruce Willis reprises his role as Detective John McClane, this time in New York, suspended from the police force, borderline alcoholic, and not on speaking terms with his wife. There’s one scene where the chief takes out McClane’s badge and throws it across his desk. McClane asks, “Does this mean I’m back on active duty?” Ebert commented on that moment, "I heard knowledgeable chuckles in the audience from those who appreciate the fine old traditions, such as that all hero cops are rogues who are either under suspension or heading for it.” I’m not going to lie, the line's pretty funny.

Literally a minute into the movie, a Manhattan department store is realistically bombed, which will give you a scare, and McClane gets a phone call from the bombing terrorist, Simon, played by the most over-the-top actor in the world, Jeremy Irons. Simon tells McClane to stand on the corner of a Harlem street with a sandwich board that says a certain racist word that no one would want to wear around their neck. Luckily, McClane is saved by store owner Zeus, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who gets added to Simon’s sick, twisted game of Simon Says.

The movie follows its usual pattern of a series of stunts along with violent action sequences. Simon seems to be some sort of a God, since he knows everything that is going on. He sends McClane and Zeus around Manhattan putting their lives on the line with these strange missions that could not be in any "Mission: Impossible" movie. One of the missions is driving a cab down the sidewalks of Central Park. Simon seems to plant the bombs in every conceivable location in the city – subway train, at first, then in a school.

Simon is not only a bomber, but he has a reason why he is having McClane do all these missions, and having a private army at his command. He apparently is the older brother to Hans Gruber from the first Die Hard movie.

Willis and Jackson dominate this movie, making it more like a buddy duo. Their dialogue seems to be heavy on the required racists talk, but they don’t show that they have racist feelings toward one another. Maybe using the N-word makes the action heroes like Macho Men. As actors, they play well off of one another. Ebert describes it as, “Jackson's observant detachment a good counterpoint to Willis' manic desperation.” It’s interesting to note that when Simon gives them the missions, Zeus seems to be the one who solves it. Ebert comments one of the missions, “although I was not quite clear how they used the three- and five-gallon jugs to measure out exactly four gallons of water; a fourth grader can probably enlighten me.”

Near the end of the movie, expect a scene where one of the bomb squad members is sweating over the bomb that has a digital countdown. He had to decide which wires to cut. Ebert mentions, “The motivation behind Simon's plan is ingenious, and I will not discuss it, except to say I am a little hazy about how the trucks got to Canada.” Jeremy Irons as the villain joins British actors who have played villains: Anthony Hopkins, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, and Tim Roth. Irons uses a type of speech which makes him sound bitter.

Irons’s performance and the rest of the supporting actors fall into second place to Willis and Jackson, who go on “Fear Factor” activities: slide down a cable from a bridge to a ship, a wall of water chases a truck on a canal, a subway car travels out of control through a station, and cars fly into the air like airplanes. Ebert describes this movie as, “basically a wind-up action toy, cleverly made, and delivered with high energy. It delivers just what it advertises, with a vengeance.”

Here’s a tidbit: this movie is based on urban bombings which will make you remember the Oklahoma City tragedy. Willis addressed at the press conference of “Die Hard with a Vengeance” not to ask him about Oklahoma City because he didn’t want to underestimate that tragedy by discussing it with the movie. Sounds like a smart thing he did.

Overall, you should watch this movie if you like the “Die Hard” series. John McTiernan is back as director, and he does an even better job on this film. I give this film a 10+, it is that good. Stay tuned next week when I continue “Die Hard month.”