December 19, 2009: Die Hard 2
I wouldn’t have figured that I’d be reviewing two Die Hard films in as many months. This isn’t the result of a marathon, just the revisiting of a new action film on home video followed by the viewing of a Christmas classic to get away from the obligation of awards season movies. Not that I’m not happy to watch a Die Hard movie any day of the week.
Die Hard 2 (1990) arrived just 2 years after the first film, and as I recall at the time it was hated by many people, and it only seems to have diminished in people’s memories since then. I find this to be a shame, since I always kind of liked it even right from the start, although admittedly I was at exactly the right impressionable age at the time to just soak it right up. I will freely admit that the story is borderline ridiculous, as is the premise that in an airport full of authorities the intrepid and off-duty police detective John McClane (Willis) is the only one who could possibly stop the terrorists. There are corny one-liners and over-the-top fights, which don’t pay due respect to the honest and intense action classic which the first film undeniably was. However, I contend that it would have been near-impossible to impress with such a simple and clean approach a second time, and leaning in the dirction of the Schwarzenegger and Stallone movies of the day was exactly the expected marketing path for this new Bruce Willis franchise. I make no apologies for understanding that Hollywood is driven by and exists because of piles of money, and any art which may sneak out of that quagmire of popular culture is just a side effect. Sure, people who make movies say they make movies because they love movies, and to an extent I do believe that’s true, but I come to it all with a healthy dose of cynicism.
So, we’ve got Bruce Willis chasing down a bunch of terrorists at an airport during a snowstorm in Christmas week, shooting people and blowing things up and being a thorn in the side of those with careful criminal plans. There’s lots of swearing, lots of blood and occasional nasty gore. A relieved reunion with McClane’s endangered wife at the end of the film. Leon Redbone crooning over the closing credits. Supporting performances from Fred Dalton Thompson, Dennis Franz, William Sadler, John Amos and even the guy who played Meat in the Porky’s movies (Tony Ganios).
And let’s not forget about director Renny Harlin. Ah, Renny. Die Hard 2 was his first big directing gig following the solid commercial performance of one of the Nightmare on Elm Street films. I think of him as having been a decent director if a little prone to bombast, but I suppose that’s largely because of this and Cliffhanger (1993). He had pretty much squandered any credibility as a good filmmaker after Cutthroat Island (1995) and Deep Blue Sea (1999), although admittedly I haven’t seen his recent work. His high-profile marriage to Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis really helped to elevate his profile in the 1990s.
So what to do about about Die Hard 2? See it if you are looking for an offbeat Christmas movie. See it if you’ve been wondering what all this “Die Hard” stuff is all about, but go in knowing that it’s the goofy sequel and not the respected original. Finally, please see it if you saw it once, nearly 20 years ago, and dismissed it as junk at the time and never gave it a second chance.
I wonder what “classic” really means?
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