Plot
Bruce Willis returns as misfit cop John McClane in the third film in the Die Hard series. McClane has fallen on hard times; after moving to New York City and breaking up with his wife, he's developed a drinking problem and has been suspended from the NYPD. However, his past comes back to haunt him in the form of Simon (Jeremy Irons), a terrorist bomber who has been using McClane as his contact as he plants a series of bombs in public places and gives McClane inane "clues" to their whereabouts in the form of riddles and bizarre games. McClane soon discovers he's been involved in Simon's scheme as part of a personal grudge; while associated with an international terrorist group, Simon is also the brother of the man McClane threw off the side of a skyscraper several years back (in the original Die Hard). Now McClane, with the help of a Harlem shopkeeper named Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson), has to find out where Simon has planted the bombs, guess where he'll strike next, and try to find his base of operations before more bombs go off and thousands of people die. The supporting cast features Graham Greene and Colleen Camp; singer Sam Phillips made her acting debut as a member of Simon's terrorist group (Phillips never speaks, so as to not to reveal her Texas accent). ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
Die Hard With a Vengeance brings John McClain back to the big action and equally large laughs that made the original so successful. With action virtuoso John McTiernan returning to the series, this third entry is heavily buttered popcorn entertainment that manages to not get pulled in by the same plot devices that were regurgitated in Renny Harlin's fun but flawed second film. There's still the heavy terrorist angle, but what the deft script does so well is turn the tables on good old Bruce Willis, while teaming him with a hilarious Samuel L. Jackson for a cat-and-mouse game through the streets of New York City. And though Jeremy Irons is no Alan Rickman, he takes great evil glee from his goofy-accented movie villain and is miles above the sorry antagonists from the previous film. Supporting characters are equally as fresh, with both the cops and the mugging German henchmen getting juicy screen time throughout the piece. With numerous gusto action scenes that only McTiernan could deliver, Vengeance lives up to the high pedestal of the series and makes for one heck of a fun thrill ride. The ending is probably the film's biggest fumble, reshot at the last second to make up for an original ending that found Irons escaping to Europe where McClain hunts him down with a bazooka (true!). It's strange how history shines upon Die Hard With a Vengeance, especially after 9/11. This is one movie that simply could not be made now. It does, however, feature some incredibly unnerving visuals that are downright haunting considering the events that occurred just six years later. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, RoviCast
- Bruce Willis - John McClane
- Jeremy Irons - Simon Gruber/Peter Krieg
- Samuel L. Jackson - Zeus Carver
- Graham Greene - Joe Lambert
- Colleen Camp - Connie Kowalski
Credit
John R. Jensen - Art Director, Woods Mackintosh - Art Director, Pat McCorkle - Casting, Carmine Zozzora - Co-producer, Joseph G. Aulisi - Costume Designer, John McTiernan - Director, John Wright - Editor, Buzz Feitshans - Executive Producer, Andrew G. Vajna - Executive Producer, Robert Lawrence - Executive Producer, Michael Kamen - Composer (Music Score), Michael Kamen - Songwriter, Jackson de Govia - Production Designer, George Manasse - Production Designer, Michael Tadross - Production Designer, John Stark - Production Designer, Peter Menzies, Jr. - Cinematographer, John McTiernan - Producer, Michael Tadross - Producer, Les Bloom - Set Designer, Terry J. Leonard - Stunts, Terry Jackson - Stunts, Hugh A. O'Brien - Stunts, Jonathan Hensleigh - Screenwriter, John E. Sullivan - Visual Effects Supervisor| Die Hard Dracula (1998 Film), Die Hard 2 (1990 Film) | |
| Die Harder (1995 Film), Die Heiden Von Kummerow (1968 Film) |
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