Review of Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) by Breno R — 27 Jan 2011

There's no question that the third Die Hard is action-packed, and in some areas, after the second one, this installment goes back to basics, referencing the original film's villain, putting McClane on the walkie with the baddies, and of course, using that catchphrase we all know and love as the big pay off.

But unforunately, Volume Three (for me) got kind of boring around the three-quarter mark, and I missed the personal stake McClane had in the previous film: saving Christmas and probably his marriage. Writing out his wife and kids (to say nothing of Christmas) and putting the personal weight on secondary characters played by Sam Jackson and Jeremy Irons was a choice that left me blasé about the outcome.

(Not that it was ever in doubt.) But, hey, it's Die Hard: lots of things go boom, Irons is cheesy enough to be watchable, and I think this might one of Jackson's most under-rated roles. Watch it to close out the (intended) trilogy, but don't swear by it.

In this series, nothing lives up to the original. In a lot of ways, the "reluctant partner" angle they played for laughs made this a film better suited for the Lethal Weapon series.