Review of Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) by Will H — 20 Jan 2012

After the shameless, quickie cash-grab that was Die Hard 2, 20th Century Fox decided took more time to develop the franchise's second sequel, and in the process, set up the series for a return to form.

All the necessary ingredients for a revitalization seemed to be in the cards. Action master John McTiernan returned to the series' director's chair, a fresh up-and-coming screenwriter was brought aboard in Jonathan Hensleigh, and of course, they got Bruce Willis back as John McClane, now supported by a stellar supporting cast including Samuel L.

Jackson, Jeremy Irons, and Graham Greene. And in the end, Die Hard with a Vengeance (despite its incredibly inane title) was a sufficient improvement over Die Hard 2. However, the film has some rather glaring flaws, and those keep it from joining the original film in action valhalla.

Hensleigh's script, while being far superior to Steven E. de Souza's "Hangover II" script for the second film, as well as being fairly imaginative and containing a few really good scenes and action setpieces, simply doesn't feel like a Die Hard movie.

Hensleigh's script was initially an original action picture titled "Simon Says", and was even a rejected script for Lethal Weapon 4 at one point, with the role of Zeus Carver (Jackson) being a woman, and Simon's (Irons) terrorist plots in the opening hour being largely the same.

Simon Says likely would have ended up as a conventional and interesting, yet ultimately forgettable action film, but at least it would have felt fresh. The trappings of McClane and the legacy of Hans Gruber ultimately hold the film back, so instead of feeling like a novel action movie, it feels like yet another inferior sequel to the original Die Hard, except that the diminishing returns aren't for a lack of ingenuity.

Instead, they are due to the fact that Die Hard with a Vengeance, despite many creative and tense action sequences, never reaches the technical level of the first film, and doesn't have nearly enough of the balls-to-the-wall style that made audiences love the first one.

It ultimately fails not because its too similar to the original, but rather it's too different. It's more lighthearted and funnier than its predecessor, yet not as much so as the original. Simon Gruber, despite Irons' noble efforts, fails to match up to his brother, whereas in "Simon Says" he would have been a sole, more threatening figure.

Willis once again is game, and respects McClane's character and keeps us (mostly) invested in the story. Jackson is indisputably the best thing in the movie, and the relationship between McClane and Carver is the only truly engaging plotline.

McTiernan still directs with a steady and consistent hand, and does the best he can with the somewhat inferior material. In the end, Die Hard with a Vengeance somewhat redeems Die Hard 2, but still fails to capture the lightning in a bottle of the original.