And the many other films that owe Die Hard a debt of gratitude… One of the main reasons for this success was that the formula was familiar yet flexible.
Although the heyday of these movies was over twenty years ago, their influence endures to this day.
Divoff is very believable as the bad guy.
read more: The Strange History of Die Hard Movies
Acting by all is really good.
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Its Die Hard… in Beverly Hills!
: The Taking Of Beverly Hills (Sidney J. Furie, 1991)
Touchdown asshole!
Its only halftime, my friend… Halftime!
Luxuriating in a candle-lit jacuzzi, Boomer is left behind when everyone else is evacuated.
Boomer is an interesting twist on the everyman hero.
Despite his physical prowess he is not proficient with weapons or fighting.
He basically has to improvise his way out of trouble, which is intriguing.
I wish they had made more of this Boomers only idea is to make a couple of molotov cocktails.
About two minutes intoThe Taking Of Beverly Hills, something is off.
The movie opens with an extremely long credits sequence showing the title location in all its sun-glazed glory.
It feels like b-roll from the scene inPretty Womanwhere Julia Roberts goes on a shopping spree.
Ultimately,The Taking Of Beverly Hillsis an interesting premise in search of a good movie.
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Its Die Hard… on an airplane!
: Passenger 57 (Kevin Hooks, 1992)
How would you like your sirloin?
Unknown to authorities, Ranes cohorts have infiltrated the aircraft.
This movie is all about bad guy Charles Rane.
Another in the long line of bad guys with British accents, Bruce Paynes deadpan performance is fantastic.
), Rayne stakes his claim as the most depraved action movie villain since Andy Robinsons Scorpio fromDirty Harry.
He even makes ordering a steak sound evil.
read more: A Die Hard Retrospective
And he is more than matched by Wesley Snipes.
In his first role as action hero, Snipes is a natural.
Overall,Passenger 57is a solid action movie elevated by a pair of strong performances.
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Its Die Hard… on a battleship!
: Under Siege (Andrew Davis, 1992)
Welcome to the revolution!
Steven Seagal had been on an upswing since his starring debut in Andrew Davis 1988 cop thrillerAbove The Law.
His follow-ups were also hits, and consolidated Seagals position as a rising action star.
As everyone knows,Under Siegewas the movie that put Seagal in the big time.
Ryback runs the kitchen on the USS Missouri, a battleship which is about to be decommissioned.
read more: Die Hard 6 and the Prequel Problem
And what fine villains they are.
Jones is awesome as Strannix, swinging wildly between cold pro and ranting egomaniac with no space in between.
Gary Busey is off the planet as Commander Krill.
The surprising thing about re-watchingUnder Siegeis how quickly Ryback runs through Strannixs team.
And while Jones and Busey make for a great double act, they are never a match for Seagal.
What this movie needed was an anti-Ryback for our hero to really test his mettle against.
This aside,Under Siegeremains a fun watch and an essential text in the Seagal/Die Hard-on-a-something canon.
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Its Die Hard… on a mountain!
: Cliffhanger (Renny Harlin, 1993)
Seasons over asshole!
Their daring gambit backfires, and the three suitcases of cash are scattered across the mountain.
Crash-landing on the side of the mountain, these bad uns radio for assistance.
Capturing Gabe and Hal, they force our heroes to help them find the cases of cash.
Harlin is not the most restrained filmmaker around, but this kind of heightened scenario works for his aesthetic.
If anyone takes the acting cake, its John Lithgow.
Lithgow has a great time stealing some poor British thespians job as the villain.
Lithgows Qualen is from the Rayne-Strannix school of terrorist psychos.
Pontificating like a cross between a British Commander from the Raj and a kids soccer coach.
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Its Die Hard… on a bus!
: Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994)
Poor people are crazy, Jack.
One of the great 90s action films,Speedremains a classic of the genre.
Written by Graham Yost with a major script polish from an uncredited Joss Whedon,Speedembodies its title.
And in the crazy corner, Dennis Hopper chews all the scenery as psycho ex-cop-turned-bomber Howard Payne.
While the character is a cartoon, Hoppers presence charges the character with a dangerous, unpredictable energy.
This movie also finds time for Jeff Daniels as Travens friend and partner Harry Temple.
Sadly script re-writes removed this twist, meaning Daniels remains on the side of the angels, No matter.
The movie still rocks, and Daniels death packs a real impact.
Like Bullock, he helps to provide the humanity that Reeves cannot.
To cut to the chase,Speedis a stone cold classic.
If you havent watched it yet, you are in for a ride.
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ItsDie Hard… on a train!
: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (Geoff Murphy, 1995)
Chance favors the prepared mind.
Man, this movie is kind of awesome.
I may actually like it more than the original.
Re-watching it recently was a revelation.
About forty minutes in, it was like something finally clicked.
Now I got what was great about Seagal.
What I really like is that Rybacks back is really against the wall in this one.
In the original, there was no real sense that he could lose.
His conversation to the helicopter pilot after hes dispatched the female merc is the biggest laugh in the movie.
One other weird aspect to the movie is the score.
Now, I love Basil Poledouris Conan The Barbarian,The Hunt For Red October,andRoboCopare fantastic.
It feels more suitable for a fantasy movie or a superhero flick.
Those things aside, this movie wound up being a real treat.
The climax features plenty of pyrotechnics, but Bogosian doesnt get a good death.
Its not bad, but it comes off as a little under-powered.
This bears repeating Steven Seagal outruns a train.
On this evidence,Under Siege 3was a real missed opportunity.
Instead we gotThe Glimmer ManandFire Down Below.
Its Die Hard… in a sports stadium!
:Sudden Death (Peter Hyams, 1995)
Go ahead.
Dead heroes get the best funerals.
Not so with this one.
Nothing against the guy, but going into a Hyams movie I always have a little trepidation.
read more: Best Action Movies on Amazon Prime
On the acting front, this movie is pretty solid.
JCVD is a suitably put-upon lead.
As the snarky CIA villain, Powers Boothe is deliciously odious.
The finale, involving a lot of dangling off high places, is great.
A real surprise,Sudden Deathis one of the betterDie Hardrip-offs.
If youre in the mood for aDie Hardmovie, you could do far worse than this.
Just wait until I get toSpeed 2…
ItsDie Hard… on another airplane!
: Executive Decision (Stuart Baird, 1996)
Who are you?
It is up to Lt.
But then things get complicated… His character, and his responses to the situations he finds himself in, remain consistent.
Technically, he doesnt even kill anyone.
This focus on brain over brawn extends to the entire movie.
While there are moments of action,Executive Decisions narrative is powered by suspense.
The whole team then has to think their way out of it.
The cast are all terrific.
Russell is an empathetic, winning lead.
Seagal takes a rare blow to his ego to provide one of the movies more shocking twists.
The biggest surprise is David Suchet.
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Its Die Hard… in Alcatraz!
: The Rock (Michael Bay, 1996)
Lets go find some rockets!
Most of it has to do with the editing and wall-to-wall music.
Hans Zimmer and Nick Glennie-Smiths score is all bombast all the time.
And yet, somehowThe Rockworks.
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ItsDie Hard… on a prison plane!
:Con Air (Simon West, 1997)
Put the bunny back in the box…
I love this movie.
Everyone loves this movie.
Even people who think its garbage love this movie.
Any way you slice it,Con Airis a top flight piece of entertainment.
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Its Die Hard… on the U.S. Presidents Plane!
: Air Force One (Wolfgang Petersen, 1997)
Get off my plane!
Air Force Oneis the quiet, dignified yin to the bombastic yang ofCon Air, released earlier that summer.
And unlike most of the movies on this list,Air Force OneechoesDie Hards sense of geography and movement.
Air Force Onemarks one of the last of a dying breed: the completely straight action drama.
In contrast to the trends more jocular tone, there is no irony or flippancy here.
In style and toneAir Force Onestood out from the increasingly frenetic style promoted by the likes of Michael Bay.
Harrison Ford is the movies secret weapon.
Ever since Han Solo, hes brought that special everyman quality to all of his characters.
It helps that he is pitched against one of the strongest antagonists of the nineties.
Gary Oldman takes hisLeonschtick and dials it back as Korshunov.
In many respects,Air Force Onemarks the end of the Die Hardon a something trend of the 90s.
Appropriately, it is one of the best.
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Its Die Hard… on a cruise ship!
: Speed 2: Cruise Control (Jan de Bont, 1997)
Come back, youre my hostage!
Sadly, a mad terrorist has taken control of the ship is holding the passengers for ransom.
Theres a bit more to it, but its boring.
The opening sequence is supposed to endear our heroes to us.
Instead it acts as the dramatic equivalent of a bullet to the knee.
And then the cruise is his apology for lying.
Everything about this movie is depressing.
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Its Die Hard… in Alcatraz again!
Steven Seagal + Alcatraz.
It should be a perfect marriage.
Instead, its a drunken one night stand with an awkward morning after.
It never feels appropriate to the scenes.
In the lead, Seagal might as well be the invisible man.
Rapper Ja Rule is also in this movie, playing Seagals friend and fellow prisoner.
Seagals oldUnder Siege 2castmate Morris Chestnut plays the villain, another former government employee out to make some money.
At 98 minutes, the movie feels way too long.
Scenes meander, pointless plot twists are introduced, and at no point are there any sense of stakes.
A sad end to Seagals theatrical career, and a complete waste of viewing time.
Watch Half Past Dead on Amazon
Its Die Hard… in the White House!
: Olympus Has Fallen (Antoine Fuqua, 2013)
Lets play a game of fuck-off.
Gerard Butler plays secret service agent Mike Banning.
Olympuss opening gambit is jaw-dropping.
For a few minutes, the movie turns into a full-on war movie.
read more: Olympus Has Fallen Review
Olympus Has Fallenis by no means a masterpiece.
There are a few areas where it could have spruced things up a bit.
The opening assault is so amazing that the action inside the White House kinda suffers.
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Its Die Hard… in the White House again!
John Cale (Channing Tatum) takes his estranged daughter Emily (Joey King) to the White House.
Partnered with the president, John must figure whats going on and save the day…
The characters all have arcs, and plausible motivations (a rarity in Emmerichs movies).
The movie is funny but not to the detriment of the threat the characters face.
read more: White House Down Review
The movies political leanings are as subtle as the satire inThe Purgemovies.
Considering who directed this movie, Im amazed at how good every element is.
The cast are all terrific.
Channing Tatum is great as the put-upon hero, and Jamie Foxx is effective as the idealistic president.
But the best character is Tatums daughter, played by Joey King.
Overall,White House Downis a terrific throwback that deserves far more love.
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