With this having been the first DH film I ever watched (and the only one so far I have seen upon its original theatrical release), I hold a quiet sense of satisfaction that over time it seems to have become generally people's favourite of the series, next to the original. It is much more original than its predecessor, and has much higher-caliber supporting players in Jeremy Irons and Samuel L. Jackson--not to mention the best director the franchise has ever had. This was great to see once again, and I STILL have nightmares with that wicked Katya (played by composer Sam Phillips) slicing my head off...
***Big, dumb, fun action flick with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in New York City*** RELEASED IN 1995 and directed by John McTiernan, "Die Hard with a Vengeance" is the third of (currently) five installments in the Die Hard series. In this one, suspended New York City cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) rejoins the force to tangle with a mad-but-genius German bomber named “Simon” (Jeremy Irons) while teaming up with a good Samaritan from Harlem (Samuel L. Jackson). This franchise fills the bill if you're in the mood for big, dumb, fun action thrills. Don't get me wrong because a lot of work goes into making these kinds of films and it takes talent & genius to pull them off. I mean "dumb" in the sense that the focus is on unbelievable action rather than deeper themes beyond "genuinely good people may be flawed, cocky and somewhat profane, but they're courageous and never give up in the face of evil." The Die Hard flicks are the natural progeny of over-the-top films like 1977's "The Gauntlet" where the action scenes are so overdone they're cartoony, but entertaining. There's a thin line that filmmakers must tread with these kinds of blockbusters because they can easily fall into overKILL, like 2001's "The Mummy Returns." "Die Hard with a Vengeance" evades that ditch because it offers entertaining protagonists & antagonists, amusing scenes, worthy bits of character development and a compelling comic booky story. While all five Die Hard movies are of the same action expertise, I prefer the sequels because the original film took place almost entirely in and around a skyscraper. I favor the wider location scope of the others, including this one, which was the best up to this point. It starts out a little shaky because Simon’s shenanigans are so contrived they’re unbelievable, but if you can persevere the story builds momentum and there are surprises. Even John and Zeus’ conflict-habituated relationship has a story arc with Zeus being bluntly confronted with his reverse racism. The sometimes contrary camaraderie of John and Zeus is great. THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hours, 8 minutes and was shot in New York City; Berkeley County, South Carolina; and Jessup, Maryland (ending). ADDITIONAL CAST: Graham Greene and Colleen Camp are on hand as cops while sharp Sam Phillips appears as an icy Euro-villainess. GRADE: A-/B+
Bruce Willis returns as "McClane", this time being used as a plaything by a telephone terrorist named simply "Simon". Unsure as to why this man has alighted on him, he is now sent on a series of missions around the city - fail and a devastating bomb could go off. Along the way, he manages to recruit the assistance of Samuel L. Jackson ("Zeus") and together they they must stop more carnage - and thwart the perpetrator's ultimate intentions. It is a little repetitive at times, but there is plenty of on-screen chemistry between Jackson and Willis; their challenges are a little more cerebral and amusing and the plot builds well until quite an exciting, if just a little too far-fetched, denouement with a baddie whose voice we ought instantly to have recognised on the phone. This is just a simple, straightforward action adventure with no romance of familial nonsense to clutter it up and I quite enjoyed it.
It's been three months since the Sacred Sword War ended, & Kojiro and Ryoma are nowhere to be found. Back at the villiage of the Fuma clan, a group calling themselves the "Shinsei Fuma clan" forms, calling for an end to the clan of old... And those who are not with them are considered the enemy.
The gang leader, Erol, has the relatives of the businessmen killed. So he intimidates them and takes away their company. The police suspect Erol for repeated crimes. In order to obtain evidence, it is decided to kidnap Erol's fiancee. However, Erol realizes the intention of the police.
A quartet of disaffected Korean youths have robbed a Seoul gas station. After taking the gas station over, their wacky antics ensue; forcing the manager to sing, kidnapping customers that complain about the service, and staging fist-fights between street gang members and gas station employees; all of these reflect their own gripes against society.
In 1880s Australia, a lawman offers renegade Charlie Burns a difficult choice. In order to save his younger brother from the gallows, Charlie must hunt down and kill his older brother, who is wanted for rape and murder. Venturing into one of the Outback's most inhospitable regions, Charlie faces a terrible moral dilemma that can end only in violence.
Three people from different walks of life find themselves trapped inside a stalled elevator. What at first seems like an inconvenience rapidly escalates into a nightmare.
Trainees in the FBI's psychological profiling program must put their training into practice when they discover a killer in their midst. Based very loosely on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
After extricating 17-year-old Lisa Halle from a life of prostitution in Copenhagen, private investigator Varg Veum becomes ensnared in a tangle of parental neglect and bad love when he is hired to locate Lisa's boyfriend, Peter Werner.
Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love.
Sadistic killer-for-hire Philip Raven becomes enraged when his latest job is paid off in marked bills. Vowing to track down his double-crossing boss, nightclub executive Gates, Raven sits beside Gates' lovely new employee, Ellen, on a train out of town. Although Ellen is engaged to marry the police lieutenant who's hunting down Raven, she decides to try and set the misguided hit man straight as he hides from the cops and plots his revenge.