Today’s quick review: Die Hard 2. John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York cop with a good heart and bad luck, finds himself at the center of another hostage situation when a gang of armed terrorists takes control of Dulles International Airport. They use the air traffic control tower to deceive the planes in the air, threatening to direct them into the ground if their demands are not met. Only McClane, at large in the controlled area, has any hope of foiling their scheme.
Die Hard 2 is an action thriller and the second movie in the Die Hard franchise. Bruce Willis returns as John McClane, an everyman cop with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. All the traits that made McClane such a good protagonist in the first film are present in the second: limited resources, overwhelming odds, justifiable cynicism, and the grit to persevere.
However, Die Hard 2 misses out on Hans Gruber, the stellar antagonist of the first film. The terrorists of Die Hard 2 have an interesting, multi-stage plan but lack the focused charisma of Alan Rickman. As a result, Die Hard 2 feels like more of a generic thriller than its predecessor. The plot lacks the polish and originality of the first.
For all its limitations, Die Hard 2 is still a satisfying watch. Watch Die Hard 2 if you are in the mood for a strong action thriller with a good plot, a great protagonist, and plenty of action. Skip it if you dislike the action genre or prefer infallible action protagonists.
7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for being a solid thriller without the superlative quality of the original.