Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Don't Believe the Hype

An absolute waste of money

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

To put it quite simply, this is a fun, entertaining flick. I have it the same exact rating as the original, due to the fact I was just as entertained whilst viewing this gem of a sequel. While at times the dialogue seems forced and derivative, most likely to try and capture the banter and wittiness of the first film, the plot and action of Die Hard 2 makes up for any shortcomings it may have if being compared to its predecessor. I had a smile on my face during this whole movie, and even for a little while after. Go ahead and watch it. It's worth 2 hours of your life.

It's true, stuff blows up real good here. And lots of guys get shot. And most everyone curses a lot. A real lot. If those are your criteria for a good movie, then look no further.But, my god, the movie is dumb. Nowhere is this more obvious than what passes for dialogue. If in doubt, curse. There's rarely a line of dialogue or an exchange that rings remotely true. I'm not looking for the Oxford debating society here; but this stuff is really embarrassing. What am I comparing it to? Since Fred Dalton is in DH2, let's compare it to Law & Order. A bad episode on L&O has more intelligent, human-sounding speech than this whole juvenile mess. And how about Dennis Franz. His role on NYPD Blue reminds us how compelling and intelligent a script can be. His lines here, indeed his entire role, are an embarrassment to his career. What have you done to my hero Andy Sipowicz? I understand that acting jobs like this pay the rent and this was probably a good gig for Franz. His role on the TV cop show is 3-dimensional and character driven. This is a cartoon. A 14-year old boy's fantasy of how a man sounds: loud, crude, bossy.It's sad that this film made money. It's an indictment of the sophistication of movie audiences, and worse yet - it encourages the idiots who crank out this trash.

Review (1~5)#Content: Script 4 | Acting 3 | Cinematography 3 | Film Editing 3#Visual: Costume Design 3 | Makeup & Hairstyling 3 | Scenic Design 3 | Lighting 4 | Visual Effects 4#Sound: Score & Soundtracks 4 | Sound Editing & Mixing 4#Overall (1~10): 7

For me, this Bruce Willis actioner is perfect. It has it all; cheesy one-liners ("You're the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time!" "Story of my life..."), lots of brutal action, some really nasty baddies, great special effects from Industrial Light and Magic, and lots of suspenseful and thrilling situations. Of course, it's not on par with the original, untouchable classic, but then what is? By basing this story on an unconnected book, about an airport being taken over by terrorists, the producers wisely moved away from simply doing a rehash of the first film with new locations and plot twists.Director Renny Harlin is at home with the many action scenes here with are fast, furious, and pull no punches. Lots of baddies die in various ways, my favourites being the man whose head gets stuck in a luggage compactor, and the nasty creep who gets an icicle through his eye for his troubles. The action bits in the DIE HARD series are my favourites of any film; I don't know what it is I like about them, but it's just the style and their efficiency which impresses me.The acting is very good, once again, from an excellent cast. Bruce Willis has firmly settled into his leading action man role, playing the kind of laconic, down-to-earth lawman which he would essay throughout the early '90s. Bonnie Bedelia lends glamour and an icy cool to her role as Willis' long-suffering wife, while William Atherton gets to redo his obnoxious reporter role from the first film. As for the baddies, they're excellent again, with the exceptionally nasty-looking William Sadler being the chief villain. John Amos is highly likable as the ultra-tough army sergeant. Even Italian favourite Franco Nero turns up as a wicked general.I love that immortal dialogue by Willis, especially the self-referential lines. I love the fantastic, poetic ending which has to be one of the best endings of any action film, EVER. It's just sheer brilliance (everybody I know who's seen the film agrees with me). I love Dennis Franz as the foul-mouthed pencil-pusher. I love the escape-by-ejector-seat scene. Basically, I love everything about this film and I could watch it again and again for the rest of my life. Unsurprisingly, it's one of my absolute favourites.