#Die Hard with a Vengeance

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(Are you all right?) "Yeah. It's laundry day."

Bruce Willis as John McClane Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) dir. John McTiernan

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Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995)

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Why is he so..🥺😳?

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"Die Hard" (1988) Directed by John McTiernan (Action/Thriller/Christmas) . . "Die Hard 2" (1990) Directed by Renny Harlin (Action/Thriller/Christmas) . . "Die Hard With A Vengeance" (1995) Directed by John McTiernan (Action/Adventure/Thriller) . . "Live Free Or Die Hard" (2007) Directed by Len Wiseman (Action/Thriller) . . "A Good Day To Die Hard" (2013) Directed by John Moore (Action/Thriller)

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VENGEANCE

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Die Hard with a Vengeance's John McClane by Akira Toriyama.

[anthonysperkins]

"Hey, fellas! Mickey O'Brian, aqueduct security. Hey, listen. We got a report of a guy comin' through here with eight reindeer..."

Bruce Willis as John McClane Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) dir. John McTiernan

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Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)

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Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Die Hard with a Vengeance marks a turning point for the series. Bruce Willis’ John McClane is starting to have a lot more in common with the typical invincible movie action heroes and less with the audience members watching him on the big screen. The setting is also a big departure from what we saw earlier: the action takes place in the entirety of New York rather than in an isolated location. That’s alright. It wouldn’t make sense for what we saw in Die Hard and Die Hard 2 to happen AGAIN. This movie’s trying something different and with the team up of Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, it's a refreshing change.

After a bomb is detonated in New York City, the man responsible, “Simon” (Jeremy Irons), gives the NYPD an ultimatum: John McClane (Willis) must follow a series of clues and riddles to disarm various explosives spread throughout the city. If he doesn't, more people will die. Helping McClane is Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson), a civilian who tries to intervene and unwillingly becomes a player in this deadly game of “Simon Says”.

Directed by John McTiernan, the film feels like “Die Hard” in several ways and doesn’t in others. McClane still has his smart mouth and approaches the clues he has to unravel in unconventional ways. He might not be trapped in a building or an airport but he is forced to confront Simon, who has the city trapped. Jeremy Irons’ character also makes this feel like Die Hard because he’s a charismatic, intelligent foe whose initial plan hides something much bigger and grander. Another detail about him (I won't spoil it) ties this picture back to the first. It feels a bit contrived but assuming you buy it, the motivations all make sense.

At its weakest, Die Hard 3 falls prey to its own fantastic stunts. Even with McClane being a trained police officer and his “abilities” rubbing off on Zeus, there are some stunts here no one could survive in real life. They certainly make the film feel bigger than the first two but this also makes it feel too long. Don’t get me wrong. The action is great. You get car chases, time-sensitive puzzles, foot races, shootouts, hand-to-hand combat, explosions, narrow escapes, and more. It’s just that you look at this movie, you flashback to a few years prior when a lack of shoes was a big deal and it feels like that gap is too wide.

A large part of this film’s success is due to the performances, or rather the natural charisma of its leads. Willis has proven himself twice in the series already and he does so again. As mentioned before, Irons is great as a bad guy you love to hate. Finally, there’s Samuel L. Jackson. There’s immediate tension between Zeus and McClane. One of Zeus’ first lines has him tell his nephews to stay away from white people. Needless to say, he does not like the police. Now, these two are going to have to work together for the greater good. The back-and-forth dialogue as they argue while rushing to the clues Simon is giving them is filled with laughs and memorable one-liners. In many ways, this is exactly what you want when you hear Jackson is in a film.

Die Hard with s Vengeance is a good, but not great, third installment in the series. It doesn’t repeat what happened before but contains certain elements that make it feel similar. You won’t be watching it every December 25th but when it comes to the stunts, the laughs and the thrills, it satisfies plenty. (On Blu-ray, November 26, 2021)

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Masterlist:

*Imagines that aren’t linked means that they aren’t published yet*

Original Art

Original Stories:

Senseless Reality

Series

Imagines/One-shots:

Die Hard(Movies):

Simon Gruber Pt.1: A Stranger

Simon Gruber Pt.2: A Savior

Simon Gruber: Escape

Simon/Hans Gruber Pt.1: Alone

Simon Gruber Pt.2: I Will Protect You

Simon Gruber: Am I Worth Anything?

Simon Gruber: Vengeance

Simon Gruber: Lost

Simon Gruber: Fear

DH3 Cast: Anxiety

Star Trek:

Christopher Pike: You Saved Me

Christopher Pike: Arguments

Seven of Nine: Effigy

War Games(1983):

Dr. Stephen Falken: Enough Games

Dr. Stephen Falken: Living in the Past

David Lightman: Escape

David Bowie/Characters:

David Bowie: Sun Rays to Rainy Days

David Bowie: The Actress

David Bowie: Kid Sister

David Bowie: Confrontations

David Bowie: Determination

David Bowie: Don't Go

David Bowie: Security

Jack Celliers: Beautiful Eyes

Jack Celliers: Sadie

Jack Celliers: Alive

Rockstar: Your Story(Interview)

I Can't Stay Here Anymore

Jareth: Quelled Fear

Jareth: Twin Souls

Jareth: Lost Child

Jareth: Lost Queen

Jareth: Back Away

Mick Ronson:

Rockstar: Your Story(Interview)

I Can't Stay Here Anymore

Hannibal(TV):

Hannibal Lecter Pt.1: Antisocial

Hannibal Lecter Pt.2:Antisocial

Hannibal Lecter: New Patient

Hannibal Lecter: Protector

Marvel/DC:

Alfred Pennyworth: Alone

The Elder Maximoff(Series)

Animes:

Beastars- Pina: Leave My Lioness Alone

Beastars- L/Rouis: Scars

SpyxFamily- Loid Forger: Ease Up Old Man

TLOK- Kuvira: Safe

TLOK- Kuvira: A Friendly Face

TLOK- Kuvira: Prison Break

TLOK- Kuvira: Freedom

TLOK- Kuvira: An Uncertain Future

TLOK- Kuvira: Fury

TLOK- Kuvira: Ambush

TLOK- Kuvira: Sisters

TLOK- Kuvira: Bandits

TLOK- Kuvira: The Abused

TLOK- Kuvira: Fear

TLOK- Kuvira: Regret

TLOK- Kuvira: Sergeant

TLOK- Kuvira: Gone Astray

TLOK- Kuvira: Critical

TLOK- Lin Beifong: Family

TLOK- Lin Beifong: Lost

Black Butler- Sebastian Michaelis: Reaper

The Lion King:

Scar: What Did I Do?

Scar: Betrayal

Scar's Adopted Brother(Series)

Cats(Musical):

Munkustrap: The Beast He Made

Munkustrap: Why?

Broadchurch:

Alec Hardy: A Messed Up Situation

Alec Hardy: Correlation Does Not Equal Causation

Unraveled (Series)

Harry Potter:

Severus Snape: Siblings

BBC:

Doctor Who- 10th Doctor: Reunited

Doctor Who- 11th Doctor: I Didn't Mean To

Johnny Depp:

Johnny Depp: Bodyguard Bestfriend

Tom Hanson: Where is Y/N?

Sweeney Todd: Feeling Fatherly

John Dillinger: I Loved You

Jack Sparrow: Too Far

George Jung: Dangerous Affair

House MD:

Gregory House: Consequences

MASH:

Benjamin 'Hawkeye' Pierce: Decisions

Margaret ‘Hot Lips’Houlihan: Friends

NCIS/Criminal Minds:

Aaron Hotchner: Found Out

Aaron Hotchner: First and Last Phone Call

BAU: Team Member to Murderer

Jethro Gibbs: The Dangers of Pride

Peaky Blinders:

Thomas Shelby: The Blind Woman

The Dressmaker:

Tilly Dunnage: I'll Be Here

LOTR/The Hobbit:

Thranduil: Why Did You Run?

Thranduil: Abandoned

Thranduil: Nin Naur

Woodland Princess (Series)

House of the Dragon:

Daemon Targaryen: Daughter

Daemon Targaryen: Bastard

Daemon Targaryen: Unexpected

Daemon Targaryen/Matt Smith: Two Face

Aemond Targaryen: Blood Debt

Hazbin Hotel:

In progress

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Samuel L.Jackson and Wesley Snipes in Los Angeles Premiere, Die Hard:With A Vengeance 1995

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Movie Review | Die Hard With a Vengeance (McTiernan, 1995)

The first two movies I rewatch most years for Christmas so I've seen them a ton of times. This one I've seen less, in part because it's not tied to any specific holiday, but also because I always felt it loses a little once Gruber's motives are revealed (that he loves gold and isn't just a psycho out for revenge) and fizzles out at the end. I probably still feel that way but this time around I definitely appreciated more how much it plays like a video game. Gruber's diabolical puzzles are like minigames, and the heroes drive like maniacs across town, stealing one shitty car after another when they've managed to wreck the one they're currently using, like a Grand Theft Auto game.

Given Bruce Willis' retirement last year, it's been nice to go back and see him in his prime. One great discovery has been his guest role in the "No Exit" episode of Miami Vice, a show I will never, ever stop talking about, where his charisma clashes with his vileness. McClane in this one isn't peak magnetism Bruce Willis like the first two movies, but more the hungover asshole Bruce Willis like in The Last Boy Scout (another great discovery for me last year). He looks like shit, everyone keeps telling him he smells bad, he's working through a brutal hangover, and he wields profanities like a blunt weapon. ("Hey, fuckhead. Yeah, you, fuckhead.")

The racial stuff has definitely aged awkwardly, but what can I say, Willis and Samuel Jackson play off each other terrifically. I also appreciate that it's in the context of New York as a living, breathing city. And on that note, I like that this movie shows the city apparatus working in concert and reasonably effectively in the face of such unprecedented challenges. It's a nice contrast to the incompetence of the authorities in the first movie. I don't think the supporting characters are fleshed out with as much personality as in the first two movies, but I liked seeing people like Colleen Camp and Graham Greene and even little Aldis Hodge. And while Kevin Chamberlin seems like he's being set up for comic relief, he gets a nice moment of genuine courage.

The second movie gets knocked for following the original's template as slavishly as it does (one of the reasons I like it so much is that it's pretty much the best Die Hard clone there is and just happens to be a sequel), but this definitely has its share of overt callbacks. McClane slamming the door into the guy, McClane taking out a taller, stronger opponent using a chain, McClane (and Zeus) jumping away from the explosion, the last of which looks quite a bit choppier than in the original. I don't think this has as many exclamatory moments as the previous films, and the emphasis on expansive, open air action doesn't really play to John McTiernan's strengths as a visual stylist, but there are plenty of the classic glossy, lens-flare-heavy McTiernan widescreen frames if you look for them.

One last note: When McClane calls his wife, he refers to somebody named Carmine. True Die Hard fans know that this is the first name of the Dennis Franz character in the second movie. Is the implication that McClane's wife left him for Dennis Franz when he moved back to New York and she stayed in L.A.? To my knowledge, none of the sequels proved otherwise.