Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995)
John McTiernan’s Die Hard is an all-time classic. Filled with quotable one-liners, a deliciously despicable Alan Rickman villain and the global debut of Bruce Willis’ dirty vest – the film re-defined the action-disaster movie trope. Die Hard 2 was a mildly enjoyable disappointment. But then, there was Die Hard With A Vengeance – the third instalment in the franchise, and easily a superior sequel. Why? Because it has Samuel L Jackson in it.
Die Hard floated on the easy charisma of Bruce Willis. With anyone else in that film, it would have been an actual disaster. Die Hard 2 felt like it was treading water because – apart from suffering a lesser director in Renny Harlin – it continued to rely heavily on that same charm, despite the fact that we’d seen it all before. Die Hard had John McClane’s wife stuck in a skyscraper, Die Hard 2 had her stuck on a plane.
Same set-up, different setting. Die Hard With A Vengeance, however, grabbed that film franchise mojo and not only yanked it right back into place with John McTiernan back at the helm, but inflated it to twice the size with a double-helping of that charm and charisma.
It’s a different setting, different stakes, and even a different time of year. Mrs McClane gets the day off. Everything is dialled up to 11 – with Samuel L Jackson providing Willis with his best ever scene partner, and Jeremy Irons providing a formidable villain with a clear connection to the first film. Die Hard With A Vengeance exceeds both its predecessors in every way, and remains the most enjoyable sequel of that franchise.
