Die Hard 2 (1990)

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Just as it was with the first 'Die Hard,' the argument of whether or not 'Die Hard 2' is also a Christmas movie remains strong. Again, I am on "Team Christmas Movie," but it's all a matter of personal perspective, and open to interpretation. I'm not gonna sit here and "correct" anyone on their opinion (and that's coming from a film reviewer). Regardless of all of that, however, I haven't watched this since I was a kid, maybe not even double-digits yet, so this was almost like a first time for me, and I gotta say, it totally holds up.

If you liked all the balls-to-the-wall action of the first 'Die Hard,' complete with one-liners, explosions, suspense and thrills, 'Die Hard 2' is essentially a coin-flip as far as quality goes. Much like its predecessor, it reflects everything that an action movie should be. Part of that includes practically hitting the ground running - and things jump off even faster here, so there's no need to hit fast-forward if you're only here for the action. It reflects a time when we weren't looking for flaws so hard, just enjoying the ride - a 'Fast & Furious' of its time.

Once again, it's Christmas Eve, taking place exactly two years after the Nakatomi Plaza incident. And once again, now lieutenant with the LAPD, John McClane (Bruce Willis) will accidentally find himself caught in the middle of a terrorist attack while meeting up with his wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), this time at Washington Dulles International Airport while waiting for Holly to arrive from LA for family Christmas. Meanwhile, a group of ex-military sympathizers, led by former Colonel William Stuart (William Sadler) anxiously await the arrival of foreign military leader, General Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero).

Just for exposition-sake, Esperanza's incoming flight is meant to transport him to Dulles, under extradition for using American funds to purchase drugs. The ex-military sympathizers support him, and take over the airport in every way possible to ensure Esperanza's flight lands without any outside interference. If not, the planes Stuart has left in the air, circling the airport with dangerously low fuel, get crashed. Now it's up to McClane to put a stop to the terrorists, and with any luck, rescue Holly, and bring her down safely.

As mentioned earlier, this is just as good as the first film, and it doesn't stop at the action. You still get a lot of the hilarious impatience of John McClane, that never fails to make me laugh. Lines like "No f*cking sh*t, lady, does it sound like I'm ordering a pizza!?," from the first film, are met here with great, if nonsensical lines like "What sets off the metal detectors first? The lead in your ass or the shit in your brains?" Bruce Willis remains the exact same character we remember from the first film.

Some may see this as a sort of 'Home Alone 2,' in as much as it does admittedly do a lot of repeat stuff from the first film, and often acknowledges it. John has to crawl through tight places again, Holly is essentially being held hostage, the authorities don't listen to what John has to say, but he'll find someone who can help; here, it's a janitor named Marvin (Tom Bower), although Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) does make a cameo appearance here as well. However, to the film's credit, it's still enough of its own thing.

The fun thing about an action flick that takes place at an airport as opposed to a tower is that the potential for the explosions we all craved at the time (before Michael Bay overdid explosions) was practically ten-fold. And there are some real winners here, including, of course, the "ejection seat" scene that is perhaps the film's most famous clip. Between everything else the film has to offer, it provides the roller-coaster ride that we all want to see unfold in an action movie from back in the day - a time of action I honestly kinda miss.

The first two 'Die Hard' films give the viewer that nostalgic vibe of "they don't make them like this anymore." We have plenty of mindless action movies nowadays, and for as fun as they are, there's something more fun about these classics. The practical effects and one-liners are a big part of it, but there's also just the non-stop pacing, and never being bored by talking, making the talking part of the action. And for all of you (like me) who consider 'Die Hard' a Christmas movie, don't forget to add this to the list too, because it's just as heavy of a blast as its predecessor.

5/5

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