McClane is back. He's a NY cop again. He is separated from his wife Holly, suspended from the force and nursing a hangover. Enter a new villain: Simon. Simon (Jeremy Irons) is planting bombs all over NY and is forcing McClane to run all over town, solving riddles, that, if solved correctly, will disarm the bombs. Enter a sidekick: Zeus. Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson) is an unwilling bystander that is forced into this game by chance in the film's opening scenario. Zeus is smarter than McClane and the two (begrudgingly) work together to successfully disarm the bombs (or somewhat limit their destruction). This first act is fast-paced, thrilling, creative and funny. As it turns out, Simon is actually Hans Grubers brother (heard of him?)., and he wants revenge on McClane. This was a superb reveal. And then, in another superb reveal, Simons actual motive is not revenge, it is to distract and divert police attention away from his real plan. To rob the Federal Reserve of all its gold.
PROS: Being set it NYC, during the day and definitely not during Christmas, gives this Die Hard a fresh feel.
Irons and Jackson work well here. Dumping the whole "Holly" subplot that dragged Die Hard 2 down (no offense to Bonnie Bedillia, the character was never written well). Great supporting cast, especially McClanes NYPD coworkers. Notably Graham Greene.
CONS: Third act gets a little outlandish (although the scene on the boat when they move the dead body still makes me laugh). The ending seems anticlimactic and lazy. Does not match the rest of the film.
OVERALL: A worthy sequel to the original, more tightly paced and realistic (in Die Hard land) than DH2. Definitely has aged better than 2 as well, It's nice when sequels are creative and fun, shows the filmmakers are making an effort for the audience and not just cashing in on a franchise. NYC is a perfect supporting player. Just a really well done fun action thriller from the 90s.
PROS: Being set it NYC, during the day and definitely not during Christmas, gives this Die Hard a fresh feel.
Irons and Jackson work well here. Dumping the whole "Holly" subplot that dragged Die Hard 2 down (no offense to Bonnie Bedillia, the character was never written well). Great supporting cast, especially McClanes NYPD coworkers. Notably Graham Greene.
CONS: Third act gets a little outlandish (although the scene on the boat when they move the dead body still makes me laugh). The ending seems anticlimactic and lazy. Does not match the rest of the film.
OVERALL: A worthy sequel to the original, more tightly paced and realistic (in Die Hard land) than DH2. Definitely has aged better than 2 as well, It's nice when sequels are creative and fun, shows the filmmakers are making an effort for the audience and not just cashing in on a franchise. NYC is a perfect supporting player. Just a really well done fun action thriller from the 90s.