To this day, the first ‘‘Die Hard’‘ is the best. Without a doubt it puts you in the action and it takes you through a very healthy, still young, story. And the viciousness that Alan Rickman still brings as Hans Gruber is immortal. Let’s not forget Harry Ellis, played by Hart Bochner, who is quite possibly the least lovable coke-head in the film, which makes him just quite memorable. For some reason I remember him better than William Atherton’s Richard Thornburg, who probably was the last weasel character he played in the 80’s. Where have you gone William Atherton?
Overall, you won’t find a better Die Hard film than this… and you want to know about the coolest thing regarding this film? It’s on Blu-ray and it looks gorgeous! You will never be able to tell it was made in 1988.
Die Hard 2: Die Harder
I remember a good friend of mine, Scott Weaver, who went bonkers when the sequel to this film was announced. He never took into account that it literally was filmed less than 100 miles away from our town, rather he was stoked that John McClane was coming back to kick someone’s you-know-what again. Quite frankly, I couldn’t blame Scott.
McClane is on holiday, waiting for his beautiful wife to fly into town. When the plane gets delayed, due to American traitors/terrorists, he soon finds himself in yet another sticky situation. Of course, he is John McClane, and there isn’t a soul in this movie that can possibly stop McClane from taking care of business. Like all of his films he ends up very bloody.
I didn’t have quite the love Weaver had for this sequel. I think that they basically took the first general details of ‘’Die Hard’’ and applied to a different set of characters and location. It seemed a bit forced, but it still ended up good. It certainly wasn’t as good as the original though. The video and audio sounds superb though. Add that to some good extras.
Die Hard: Die Hard with a Vengance
Okay, so this was to be the last ‘’Die Hard’’ film. And regretfully it didn’t do so well as the previous two. The scary thing about this one, it was better than the second one. I know, most people will argue with me, but think about it while I describe the plot.
John McClane is back in New York and he couldn’t be more comfortable. Of course, that doesn’t last long when he’s the focus of the story. Simon Gruber wants revenge for his brother’s death. Simon has decided to start planting bombs around New York, specifically in schools, to get the attention of John McClane. If McClane doesn’t play by the rules, a school gets blown up. When McClane gets Zeus Carver in the mix, an innocent bystander, things start to really go nuts. But the question is, is Simon after John or something else? It doesn’t matter, John just wants to take care of business.
I think the mix of Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis, is great. They fed off each other in this film and really brought some pretty intense moments to a very good story. And Jeremy Irons as Simon Gruber, just a beautiful bada**. This is my second favorite ‘’Die Hard’’ and what should have been the ride to the sunset for John McClane, too bad it wasn’t.
Live Free or Die Hard
So much hope for this one, so let down.
John McClane is asked to pick up a famous hacker for the FBI. When he shows up, he finds more than he’s bargained for. Make that, he finds French assassins trying to take out Matt Farrell. What’s even worse, Farrell is involved with an Internet-based terrorist organization that has taken control of Washington, D.C.’s streets and technology. McClane must keep Farrell alive and hope that he (and McClane himself) can stop the terrorist organization before they do anymore harm to the nation’s capital.
I just didn’t care for this at all. The bad guy was the main problem. Timothy Olyphant just didn’t come off as someone to fear. He was no Grubers, and certainly was perfect for a weak nerdy boss. Seriously, it could have been really good. The other element that hurt the film is that Willis really didn’t seem to be into it. Much like the movie starts, he clearly looks bored. The final piece to my complaining regarding this film is the pacing. Much like ‘’Underworld’’, I think that Len Wiseman might have ruined it a bit. He certainly has moments in the film where there’s plenty of DH action, but it’s not put together very well at all.
Still looks gorgeous on Blu-ray.
Sounding like action
The Blu-ray format is perfect for these types of films. They do the action justice both visually and audibly. There’s nothing quite like Blu-ray, and no I’m not trying to advertise for Sony. I think the presentation for these films as well. As I recall from early Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox, the menu system has vastly improved since the beginning. And you get boatloads of extras with these Blu-rays, too many to list. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Overall, McClane doesn’t disappoint
Forgetting the fourth, you would be nuts not to have this quadruple collection of the ‘’Die Hard’’ series. It’s got the quality, it’s got the quantity and it’s got the extras. If you own a Blu-ray player, you need this.
Overall: 8.5
