Joel Silver was never a producer to shy away from giving the audience more of what they wanted. For the sequel to his 1988 action hit Die Hard, he tapped into director Renny Harlin and together, they pushed for more action, more humor, more stunts and… more of everything else the audiences got in the first film. But does that make a good sequel? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Die Hard series with Harlin’s 1990 film Die Hard 2.
We talk about the overall tone of the movie, what works with it and what doesn’t, and what may be forgivable in context of this being an over-the-top action film. We chat about how McClane is largely more unlikeable in this film and blame the writers with taking him down this road. We discuss the nature of terrorist films as summer entertainment – something John McTiernan had issue with when making the first film – and ponder if this film really kicked off a trend that made this kind of violence more okay for summer popcorn fare. We laugh at some of the more nonsensical plot elements scattered throughout this film and debate where the line is for one’s suspension of disbelief in a movie like this. And we praise Michael Kamen’s use of music throughout, even when he has to bring John Sibelius’ ‘Finlandia’ in for the parade of planes.
It’s a film that is full of problems that may or may not bother you – we certainly don’t come to any consensus here – but it’s still a fun entry into the Die Hard franchise. Check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
Film Sundries
- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • Netflix
- Script Transcript
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original theatrical teaser
- Original poster artwork
- 58 Minutes by Walter Wager
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
- Sponsored — Audible Recommendation
- Finlandia by Jean Sibelius
- The Wait (Andy’s short film)
- Still Waiting: The Making of ‘The Wait’
