The success of Die Hard meant a sequel was inevitable but this success also gave the makers a headache with many imitators getting in first (Under Siege in particular giving us Die Hard on a boat) meaning the audience were already overfamiliar with the formula. Should a sequel try to recreate the claustrophobia of the first, with detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) alone and trapped against hostile forces or go the Dirty Harry route and fashion a new spin using the same character? Die Hard 2 kind of falls in the middle, giving us a closed off environment - in this case an airport - but opening the action up and having Willis work with other characters. In the end, Renny Harlin's film is entirely entertaining while not being a patch on the original.
Detective John McClane, now back with wife Holly, is in Washington to meet her plane. Unfortunately Colonel Stuart, a disgruntled ex-soldier, has plans to take over the airport so he can free a drug dictator (the original Django, Franco Nero) arriving on a prison plane shortly. Stewart sets up a base that takes over from the tower that allows him control over all the planes in the air. He threatens to crash one should the authorities on the ground interfere. The problem is, Holly is in one of those planes (along with returning nemesis, TV reporter Dick, in one of many implausibilities). Can McClane get the baddies before Holly's plane runs out of fuel? Whaddaya think?
While Die Hard seemed fresh, things already feel a little past their sell by date in the sequel. It doesn't help that the airport setting recalls a dozen dodgy thrillers from the 1970s and, in places, the spoof Airplane! or that, to satisfy the formula of McClane going it alone, several plot contrivances have to be swallowed by the audience. Screenwriter Steven E. DeSouza is back but the one-liners are not as sharp as the first and the supporting cast (including Dennis Franz as the head of airport security) lack the life that was breathed into nearly every character in the first. Worse, while Alan Rickman (aided by some great lines) was tremendous as Hans Gruber, William Sadler lacks any real charm or presence as Stuart and his henchman are just generic thugs there to be shot or beaten up (and in one memorable moment killed by icicle). The decision to crash a plane load of people (from London and flown by Deep Space Nine's Colm Meaney with a Brit accent!) is also pretty tasteless and could be laid at McClane's door for his interference.
There is still lots ot enjoy in this sequel, however, and Willis is great as McClane, even if, by this stage, his monologues as he faces death have become rather self-conscious and he has become just another indestructable superhero in the Stallone/Arnie mould. It does boast a couple of great set pieces, especially a fight on the wing of a moving plane! As a Friday night beer and curry movie, Die Hard 2 does the job.
GK Rating: *** The Blog of Delights
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