Die Hard 2

Year: 1990

Grade: B

Country: USA

Director: Harlin

Review

harlin does a pretty decent job copying mctiernan’s visual style, but doesn’t have the same touch. the film is a big step down from the original, but most action films are because the original is such a masterstroke. there’s a good amount of comic relief and action sequences coordinated by the great al disarro (predator, die hard, and the a-team). it’s pretty much the exact same formula – the janitor helps him (willis) out instead of the limo driver, the bafoon cop who’s slowing him down, etc. unfortunately this film didn’t have the same caliber of writing, directing, acting or cinematography. the music was pretty much the same which was a bit lazy, but what can you do? they also chose a more topical villain – drug lords – than in the first film. one thing i liked about the first film is that it is a pretty timeless film in that the villains are just out for loot and, in fact, use political rhetoric as a distraction to keep the cops occupied. overall an entertaining flick that would have been fine on its own, but is a highly derivative letdown relative to the original.