Die Hard with a Vengeance

 

Die Hard with a Vengeance 1995

• Director: John McTiernan
• Seen by this director: Die Hard
• Based on the novel by Walter Wager and characters by Roderick Thorp.
• Cast: Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson, Jeremy Irons, Graham Greene, Colleen Camp, Larry Bryggman, Sam Phillips, Sharon Washington
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Bruce Willis – Looper, Moonrise Kingdom, Friends, The Siege, Armageddon, The Fifth Element, The Twelve Monkeys, Billy Bathgate, In Country, Die Hard
• Samuel L Jackson – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Django Unchained, Jumper, 1408, Star Wars, Kill Bill, Changing Lanes, The Red Violin, Jackie Brown, The Long Kiss Goodnight, True Romance, Jurassic Park, Jungle Fever, Mo’ Better Blues, Sea of Love, Do the Right Thing
• Jeremy Irons – Their Finest, The Man Who Knew Infinity, Beautiful Creatures, The Hollow Crown, Kingdom of Heaven, Being Julia, The Merchant of Venice, Longitude, The House of Spirits, Waterland, Kafka, Australia, The French Lieutenant’s Woman
• Graham Greene – Molly’s Game, Winter’s Tale, Skins, The Green Mile, Dances with Wolves
• Sharon Washington –Joker, On the Basis of Sex, Michael Clayton, School of Rock, The Long Kiss Goodnight
• Why? It’s in the box.
• Seen: Once before. Now 1 January 2021.      

       Simon (Irons) wants to play Simon says and he wants to play it with John (Willis). He sends John and the reluctantly but increasingly enthusiastic Zeus (Jackson) on all kinds of daft missions. If they don't succeed he’ll blow up New York.

       The first hour is fun but the second half lags. The story itself becomes tangled, less than realistic and even uninteresting. It goes on too long. It could have been as good as the first one and Jackson would have been as good as Rickman if he had been given a better part. Jackson and Willis are good together though.

  3* of 5 (Hal likes it as well as the first one and gives it 4*.)