With the hectic life of yours truely, I've been having problems actually writing out my usually epic reviews for not one movie, but all THREE movies of the DIE HARD trilogy. Okay, so what do I do?

With the $100 million budget, plus blow and whores, that the best Hollywood can provide, I hereby introduce RRA'S FRANCHISE REVIEW. I'll take epic mini-size reviews of all movies of a certain franchise. Expect later to see MONTY PYTHON, THE MAN WITH NO NAME, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and of course STAR TREK(all 10 flicks!) in the nearby future.

However, lets take a review through three adventures of one New York City Policeman in John McClaine, who has three very very bad days. Though thankfully not as bad as Jack Bauer, but still I rather not be in his shoes(and McClaine doesn't have any!)

DIE HARD (1988)
Directed by John Mctiernan

I remember my trip to Europe in 2002 and encountering some major movie buffs over in France. We had a good time, chatting about the great stuff that Godard, Scorsese, and so forth. Then we got into action movies, and of course we wouldn't shut the hell up about LEON and the original ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. Then I was surprised to hear my Froggy pals praising DIE HARD.

Okay, so why was I sorta bewildered? Consider that for a movie where a "regular" Joe that's "All-American" lays the smackdown on an all-Euro-squad, I would figure they would despise such super gogo Americana action cinema of the 1980s.

Rewatching it recently, I think I have a good idea most moviebuffs dig DIE HARD, though alot of it isn't what it all seems. Though how it became one of the most influential movies within the American action genre is one where it actually had fresh ideas and facets way back in the summer of 1988, to which Hollywood quickly copied with SPEED, PASSENGER 57, UNDER SIEGE, you name it.

After Ahhnuld and Stallone turned it down, Hollywood scratched its head when sitcom star Bruce Willis was given the part. However, it was brilliant casting in its own. Instead of some muscle-laden ubermensch being totally unintentionally homosexual, we have basically a street cop from New York City who went over to a Los Angeles skyscraper to spend Christmas with his ex-wife when shit does hit the fan. He's worked the streets for 11 years, hes a fucking smart-ass, and he's dealt with punks before.

Of course, he's never had to deal with real professional criminal punks who's taken over the skyscraper. Worse yet, hes got no shoes, and only armed with his service revolver. So basically, hes having to wage an intensive and rather painful guerilla war against these terrorists.

I think the reason why the Frenchies love Willis in this movie is that really, hes a bastard. Oh sure, we are quickly charmed by his witty remarks, but notice how in this picture, his ex-wife doesn't like being around her. Later in the 3rd DIE HARD movie, we see his co-workers hating to deal with him. Fact is, years with him, we would probably grow tired of his bullshit and would want to ditch him as well. Like LEON, McClaine is an asshole that doesn't care if you respect or even like him, but he forces you to do both by the finale.

Better yet, unlike STallone and Ahhnuld of the 80's, John McClaine gets his ass kicked in this movie. He nearly falls to his death in the corridor vents, almost got smashed while riding on an elevator, he painfully gets shot on the shoulder. Of course, nevermind that without shoes, he has to walk across the floor full of broken glass shears, and then proceed to pull those bloody fuckers out one by one. Really, would you buy Arnold or Stallone doing this? Hell no! Hell, maybe my favorite underrated scene of this picture is when after all the shit that McClaine has had to survive, an elevator blows up really for no reason, and hes quite pissed for this quite awful Christmas.

Then again, Willis's low-level speak goes in great conflict with the great Alan Rickman, a would-be mastermind who thinks hes in control of the situation, up to his last moments on God's green Earth. Hes smug and arrogant, but this facade blows up in his face when he has to deal with this "poison pill". I mean, look at Rickman's face after Willis zinged him with the legendary "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!" I tell ya, Rickman displayed the best face I've ever seen in a movie of someone that's been given a total verbal bitchsmack. Like Willis, this movie did wonders for Rickman's career.

Though we can't forget McTiernan. Already having tackled PREDATOR, one of the great true action "man" movies of all time, made for a masterpiece of action. With Director of Photography and future blockbuster director Jan De Bont, McTiernan still makes for inspiring cinematography and angle shots that still put to shame the garbage that is put out in recent action pictures by MTV-influenced hacks. Ya, I'm talking about you, Mr. Bay :p To this day, their work is studied in film schools around the world, even if De Bont's career has been quite lousy lately, and McTiernan is actually in federal prison right now.

A riveting movie that's an heroin shot for action junkies with every viewing, its a masterpiece. While we see pretty boys try to be as "badass" and "wiseass" as Willis, he was the real genuine article, for in another universe, Willis could very have turned out to be a bartender.

Film Rating - ***** - Masterpiece

DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990)
Directed by Renny Harlin

If this movie was made without any connection to the DIE HARD universe, it would be considered a good solid DIE HARD knock-off.

Instead, we get quite a flat and uninspiring sequel to a great film. What made DIE HARD fresh was apparently forgotten, for DIE HARD 2 is very strict and by the numbers. Instead of Willis being an asshole of a cop who had to deal with well-meaning but inept bureaucrats(RIP Paul Gleason) and against memorable adversaries, we get the opposites. Somehow, Willis is now back with his wife, everything super cool with him, but then he meets an one-dimensional prick of an airport security cheif (Dennis Franz) who is a dick simply to get the audience easily behind Willis, which is totally unnecessary.

What makes this film not work as well is how after Rickman, the still-talented William Sadler is just no match as a follow-up nemesis against Willis. If anything, Sadler plays the very generic-ass baddies of the 80's and 90s, that of American super soldiers who do some bad shit in the name of defeating communism(though considering when this movie was made, these guys could have waited at least a year or two ) and other stuff that is just "whatever" to my senses.

Better yet, McClaine falls off a plane and shakes it off. We don't get a bloody poor chap who had to step on glass. No, hes Arnold and Stallone in terms of being immortal to the elements it seems.

The only two things I can dig about this average-ass movie is that the talented lawyer-turned-actor-turned-U.S. Senator-turned back to acting Fred Dalton Thompson does a good job as the Flight Director, and that the filmmakers had the balls to actually CRASH a plane full of men, women, and children and kill them. Too bad they weren't so inventive with the rest of the picture.

It is interesting how this was Renny Harlin's major breakthrough in Hollywood, and like his other movies like CUTTHROAT ISLAND and CLIFFHANGER, hes reliable for decent if nothing spectacular action work. I bring this up because McTiernan couldn't make this movie because he was screwed by the intense schedule to make for his successful post-DIE HARD picture in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.

Film Rating - **1/2

DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (1995)
Directed by John McTiernan

After the amazingly successfully bland X3, err I mean DIE HARD 2, a sequel was on the books but delayed for several years because of financing issues.

In 1995, John McClaine returned to kill more terrorists as we go take a wind-up toy adventure in John's native New York City. However, its been several years after his highly publicized defeat of the baddies in Los Angeles, and hes back to where he was beforehand, and quite worse off now, for hes quite obviously a full-blown alcoholic, and an even bigger asshole. No wonder his co-workers in the NYPD really tried to resist having to give him his badge back. However, a mad bomber named "Simon"(Jeremy Irons in a rather enjoyable performance, much like Rickman's in the first picture) demands that McClaine play a few "wargames" all throughout the Big Apple, with our hero forced to take a partner in pedestrian Zeus(Sam Jackson), who's gotten himself into one fucking bad day.

We get the McClaine that was so damn great to watch way back in 1988. He's a prick with a major hangover as he is having to deal with this mysterious menace, and oh ya, he gets the shit kicked out of him. However, as hes proven again and again, while he is a bastard, he is quite reliable whenever baddies appear. He's got some sort of TERROR-RADAR or something.

What I dig really though is that unlike the other movies of this franchise, we see that Willis isn't the only "good guy" trying to save the day. We see his co-workers at his NYPD precinct run all over the city, trying to deactivate bombs left and right, and keep it all hush hush without causing for a major riot. Funny how such teamwork in such a summer blockbuster $100 million action movie is absolutely absent in all those also-quite-expensive MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE pictures from Tom Cruise.

Interestingly, throughout this action toy of a movie, I did realize that this was the first movie that Willis and then-rising movie star Sam Jackson did after working on PULP FICTION.

Anyway, notice how this movie makes NO mention what so ever of the major events from DIE HARD 2, but an essential plot detail being directly linked to the first movie is displayed. Really, after getting his director's chair back on DIE HARD, McTiernan made sure that DIE HARD 2: AVERAGE HARDER was unofficially "ignored", and this being the only properly "true" sequel.

Film Rating - ****

There is word that DIE HARD 4.0(I know, lame title) is in major works to make for a summer 2008 release, just in time for the 20th anniversary of McClaine's first grand close-confined adventure. I doubt it'll be good, but hey....who figured back in 1988 that Willis would go from sitcom star to major action hero?

How you can rate the 3rd one higher than the second one is beyond me. The 3rd one blew chunks.

Because he can!

The third was my favorite. I'd rank them:

1) Die Hard With A Vengence
2) Die Hard
3) Die Hard 2: Die Harder

Iceman, be careful of three strikes or you're out in The Republic of Ronnieland.

Besides, I laugh when at the time, DIE HARD got either praised or slashed to bits. Hell, Ebert gave it ** score, but then with DIE HARD 2, he gave it ***1/2, and Siskel put it on his Top Ten list of 1990. I know, huh?

Again Iceman, if DIE HARD 2 had removed every touch of that DIE HARD universe, and stand on its own, I probably would have called it a solid DH-knock off, like UNDER SIEGE. At least it would explain how the main protagonist went from a charming asshole with his people around him tired of him to that of the poor victim that never believes him, despite pretty obvious evidence. I mean for fuck's sake, you think with dudes with machine guns in the luggage area would be dismissed as "punks" in our post-9/11 world?

On the other hand, DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE itself has some pretty silly shit in it too. From the fact that considering the gold bars, it would have taken like hundreds of trucks, or at least several trips back and forth, instead of the 14 trucks that took all the gold and then left (hell, even the scriptwriter admits its silly). Nevermind such things as Willis and Jackson falling from a bridge and onto a ship to which they simply walk it off, or better yet, my personal favorite: Willis' lucky shot that ends the movie.

If anything, DIE HARD 2 is average compared to DIE HARD 3 Iceman, and I dare you to refute this, is that...well, I respect William Sadler, he's cool. However, his character is as bland as that recent DA VINCI CODE movie. I mean, I had great fun with Rickman and later Irons playing German baddies who think they are criminal masterminds, and while yes they display brilliant touches, they aren't as smart as they think they are.

Basically, the baddie is good in DHWAV, there is elements back from DIE HARD that made the first one so fresh back in 1988, and better yet, Willis still plays it as a charming asshole, instead of simply some wiseass "nice" guy like in DIE HARD 2.

However, opinions are opinions.

P.S. - Irish, you liked DHWAV over DIE HARD?

Yup. I told you that when I wrote my Die Hard review

Vengeance takes the tired buddy cop routine, and even decides to go along the racial tension convention set by Lethal Weapon (trace it back further still to In the Heat of the Night). But that said, it does it very well, I think, with added charm of Jackson and Irons. I remember loving it when I was younger.

But I don't think anything will beat McLane walking bare-foot over all that glass in the first film.

Although I liked all the film, I agree that 2 is quite weak in comparison to the others. The villain was no fun, although I did enjoy John Amos.

To this day, if I hear the "Bing!" of an elevator door, I still get a bit of a chill down my spine if I'm alone.

I didn't mind the two sequels, but the first one without a doubt is one of my favorites. I loved it!!

And yes Capo, couldn't you just feel his pain walking on all the shattered glass barefoot. Great movie!

Although I thought his name was John McCain all this time.


TIS

"I have a machine gun now...HO HO HO"

BTW, when you all watch that scene again, notice that when Rickman touches his head to tilt it, you could see the "corpse" briefly blink. :p

Yup. I told you that when I wrote my Die Hard review [/b][/quote]While we're on that Irish, why? Not that I care(since both are good pictures), but I would like to hear your reasons.

Yup. I told you that when I wrote my Die Hard review [/b][/quote]While we're on that Irish, why? Not that I care(since both are good pictures), but I would like to hear your reasons. [/b][/quote]It was the first movie of the trilogy I saw. I loved how Jackson and Willis worked together. I thought Irons did a GREAT job playing Simon (as you said, "I had great fun with Rickman and later Irons playing German baddies who are criminal masterminds"). I also loved how thoughtout the script was. Sure it would have taken more than the 14 dumptrucks to clean out all that gold, but still the sheer brains to plan and execute a plan like that impressed me. SPOILERS, to be able to pull everyone at of that area with the threat of a bomb in a school and to then clean house was brilliant IMO. END OF SPOILERS

Oh, okay. That makes sense! Thanks!

I would rank the trilogy as follows:

Die Hard
Die Hard with a Vengence
Die Hard II

The premise of II was good, but was so unbelievable that it failed as a good sequel. It was also one cliche after another. III's idea was clever, but the movie tended to drag once the crooks left the Fed Reserve bank vault.

There was nothing really bad about the first one. When McClane pushed the terrorist out the window and lands on Powell's car, I mean come on, that was priceless. I also liked the ingenuity of the terrorists and the execution of their well-constructed plan.

As far as Die Hard 4, please say it's just a bad dream.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (2007) - ***

This is DIE HARD 2, but without the contrived as yippe-ki-yah mother fucker hell antagonist bureaucrats. Its still incredibly over-the-top and really, instead of the tough bastard who just rumps out through some very very BAD days, he is indestructable like a cartoon, though he does break his shoulder, gets his head smashed into a window, and gets shot hard.

But really, when he falls out a window and hits pipes on the way, only to walk away from it...or survives a jet fighter plane crash (!)...whatever.

My point is, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD isn't as awful as we expected, and actually its better than the red-headed stepchild DIE HARD 2, but not by much.

If anything, this is good for director Leni Wiseman. I thought of him as another hack trying to make a career off trying to be the next Michael Bay(urgh!) and ripping shots from THE MATRIX...and he still does, but without the complete bullshit of Baynito Michaelini that drives me gonkers....nor absurd leather.

In other words, he's already pulled a trick that Bay hasn't yet: Improve as a director. Who knows, maybe Wiseman has a promising future (technically he already is, since hes banging Beckinsale hard. You go man!) but one question about LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD does bug me:

Why hasn't Homeland Security hired John McClane yet? He's more reliable than the overrated Jack Bauer (NOTE TO Don Cardi & XDXC: Yeah I said it. ;D) and without the whineyness or Bauer's tendency to drop the ball, and hey...he's had a longer track record (its been 19 years since DIE HARD. Think about that statistic.)

Still, maybe my biggest problem with LFODH is that its a decent action gutter picture, but its not worthy of the DIE HARD franchise label. Like DIE HARD 2, its an exaggerated action movie that tries to ape the original DIE HARD.

BTW, where is Irish and his review? Surely he'll go ape about how great it is, even a ***1/2 rating score (I'm calling it first folks!)

The Franchise Ratings Update:

DIE HARD (1988) - ***** - Masterpiece
DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990) - **1/2
DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (1995) - ****
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (2007) - ***

They are all great films but the first is a modern classic!
Funnily enough it was on TV again this week in UK-land...
I watched it for the hundred and umpteenth time

Ronnie, is there a RonnieRocket review of DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE on the boards?

I thought that film was very underrated. Sam Jackson was great.

Pizzaboy - Yeah, scroll up babe. Its after my DH and DH2 reviews.

Yogi - yes DIE HARD is a classic....and I just love the little touches in it. From Karl giving money over to Argyle after the Japanese Exec gets his brains blown out (as if henchmen had a bet as to whatever the Exec would squeal or not.)

Duh, stupid me. Three bottles of wine last night AND I have the middle age thing going on, so pardon my stupidity.

Great review Ronnie. I really think DHWAV was one of the best films of 1995.

Yes, I'm serious.

Another Die Hard fan here,lost count on how many times ive seen this film,Great Action

Die Hard 4/5
Vengence 3.5/5
Die Hard 2 3/5

The first is a masterpiece; the second a solid retread; the third an inventive action film more in the Lethal Weapon vain.

Your (great) point on the third movie is ironic, since the original script SIMON SAYS came this...this...THIS DAMN CLOSE...to being the basis for LETHAL WEAPON 4.

"Willis later confirmed that it was PG-13, but claimed that if you didn’t know it wasn’t rated R you wouldn’t suspect it because the action and intensity is still there, even though there was one usage of the word "fuck"[17] He even claimed that this film was the best of the four by saying “It’s unbelievable. I just saw it last week. It’s better than the first one. I personally think, it’s better than the first one.”["

You know, I respect Willis and all, but....

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Or should it be, "How long he reverses opinion after the movie leaves theatres?"

From best to worst...

1. Die Hard
2. Die Hard 2: Die Harder
3. Die Hard with a Vengeance
4. Live Free or Die Hard

Hey man, got a question. Why you think DH2 is worth more than DHWAV? Just wondering...