When it comes to ranking theDie Hardfilms, the battle is really betweenDie Hards 2and3for second place.
But we start with something far less contentious.
As you might have guessed, were going in reverse order…
5.
A Good Day to Die Hard
Lets get it over with.
And never mind that it bears barely any relation to the originalDie Hard.
The worst crime of the lot is this:A Good Day To Die Hardis really, really boring.
And how is that right?
Heck, Bruce Willis has put his heart and soul into movies that didnt work in the past.
He barely turns up.
I sat in the waiting room at the press junket for this one.
I wasnt granted time with Willis himself, but the woman before me was.
Something about what his favorite movie was.
What would mine would have been?
I think Id have sincerely questioned why he didnt care aboutDie Hardmovies any more.
He just wont be able to say he directed aDie Hardmovie.
WatchA Good Day to Die Hardon Amazon.
For the first half in particular, its a good, solid action film.
In terms of logic, its bollocks of course.
Plus to cast the excellent Timothy Olyphant and then allow him to be a rubbish villain is borderline criminal.
And at least Willis looks interested here.
Thats what makes him that guy, right?
Furthermore, the director Len Wiseman deserves more credit than he gets.
It starts to fall apart around the time Kevin Smiths hacker, Warlock, enters the fray.
By that stage, credibility has long since popped off to the local cafe for a sarnie.
It does not return.
Justin Long fared better though, as a computer hacker forced to pretend to bang out text into keyboards.
They just wanted Bruce Willis in a decent blockbuster.
Which is just what they got.
WatchLiveFree or Die Hardon Amazon.
The mental wrestling came when deciding in what order to rank films two and three.
But with a heavy heart, Ive got to put it third.
Its also, in formula at least, something of a retread.
So its down to a reluctant third.
But in its defence, it does a lot of things that I really like.
Bruce Willis is out of frame in the originalDie Harda reasonable amount, allowing others to develop their characters.
But here, there are delightful side sequences.
Neither would be seen in aDie Hardfilm again.
The same for Reginald VelJohnsons Al, in fact, who we only get a quick phone call with.
Wed have to waitfor the TV seriesChuckto basically see him doing his thing again some 20 years later.
Also, some of the new characters are fun.
Die Hard 2, though, also transitions Bruce Willis into an action movie lead.
One final thing thats always bugged me… Its Christmas Eve.
What kind of parents abandon their kids on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
The kind that dont mind their kids not liking them in future sequels?
Or maybe the kind with kids who haveseensaid future sequels…
WatchDie Hard 2: Die Harderon Amazon.
Wisely, McTiernan keeps enoughDie Hardflavoring to make it feel like a proper continuation.
Theres no Al, and its not Christmas.
But Holly gets talked about and at least gets a phone call, while McTiernan recruits a new Gruber.
Thatd be Simon Gruber, played by Jeremy Irons.
You never know, there may be more Grubers out there too.
The series could use them.
He eventually dresses in a vest, which shouldnt be allowed unless Bruce Willis says so.
Plus the late, great Michael Kamens score is a belter.
The extended CD release of it is not cheap, but it does reward an investment.
Die Hard
Die Hardis one of the very best American movies of the past 30 years.
There, I said it.
Different people see the film in different ways, of course.
To some, its a go-to Christmas movie.
To others, an action film.
To me, its an ensemble heist thriller, a category that even Netflix hasnt started using yet.
But each of those three words gives a clue as to why it all hangs together so well.
The ensemble, for a start.Die Hardis a film full of really great characters.
Really great characters with three dimensions to them.
Here, shes the breadwinner.
IfDie Hard 2made her more someone waiting to be saved, here shes fighting her own corner.
Harry Ellis, of course, is the best supporting character of the lot.
We get enough screen time with them all, and were never in much doubt where theyre coming from.
Furthermore, they all feel real.
Then theres Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman.
For once, weve got Willis in an action-esque role where it feels like hes under genuine threat.
His Gruber is, to put it bluntly, brilliant.
Hes a cunning, clever villain, with a strong plan.
And he says ho ho ho better than any human being on Earth.
For me,Die Hardis far more thriller than action.
That we see developments from three different perspectives, effectively, only helps build that up.
