Die Hard 2

First a pop quiz: What do the seven Saw films and 5 Die Hards have in common?

The opening minute is good. McClane has illegally parked a car in an airport no parking zone and a traffic cop is about to give him a ticket. McClane flashes his police badge, expecting to be let off. Typically, because he's a cop, he assumes he is above the law; he's also hypocritical as he would be the first to gleefully dish out a ticket to anyone else who had parked illegally. The traffic cop however, to his credit, is not intimidated and quite rightly has the car towed away, much to McClane's chagrin. This tiny part of the movie I really enjoyed, although it's obvious to anyone that McClane is going to meet this cop again later in the film.

The story is based on a novel called ''58 Minutes''. If only the movie had been 58 minutes it would have been 57 minutes too long - but unfortunately it goes on for over double that length at 1 hour 58 minutes (although it seems to drag on much longer).

This time the bad guys are threatening to crash planes at an airport, and guess what - it just happens to be on Xmas eve again. What are the chances? And guess what (again) - it just happens to be at the airport where John McClane is, at just the right time. What are the chances (2)? And guess what (again) - McClane's wife Holly just happens to be on one of the planes that are meant to crash. What are the chances (3)? And guess what (yet again) - TV reporter Richard Thornburg, who had a run in with Holly in DH 1, just happens to be on the very same plane. What are the chances (4)? Oh please!! Don't expect any remote semblance of realism in this load of tosh. But that won't stop DH fans swallowing it hook, line & sinker.

At one point, early in the film, a reporter speaks to McClane but he tells her to 'go away' in his own foul-mouthed way. But, typical of his hypocrisy, later in the movie he seeks her out when he needs her help. Yes, the foul-mouthed hypocrite (FMH) can be pleasant to people when they have something he wants. Holly manages to equal the FMH in the obnoxiousness stakes. Now I don't normally condone hitting women but in Holly's case I'd make an exception and it would have been so nice if Thornburg had smacked her in her big fat pie-hole to shut her up. And it would have been even better if the plane had crashed but of course it doesn't. Still at least we have been spared her stupid face in subsequent DH movies.

There is so much which is unbelievable that there's not enough space to list everything but here are just a few examples:

The FMH is on the wing of a plane which is about to take off when one of the baddies, Grant, investigates. Grant opens a door on the main body of the plane, steps out onto the wing, and FMH appears from nowhere to fight him. So where does FMH come from?? There is nowhere to hide on the plane's wing! After Holly's plane has landed and the passengers disembark we see Thornburg lying on his back on the ground and someone steps on him. Er... why is he on the ground?? Not one of the other passengers is. This is absurd. When FMH and Holly are reunited & are hugging, one of the TV cameramen looks at them and says 'God, that's beautiful'. Seriously?! Men just don't say things like that in the real world. At one point FMH says he doesn't need a new friend as he's 'got enough friends'. Given his obnoxious character that's impossible to believe. And what's with this 'Yippee-ki-yay' he keeps saying. What is he - 12 years old? Or maybe that's the mental age of the target audience. But no, it can't be. Not with the constant swearing and the nudity (why must we have nudity?). This movie is RIDICULOUS.

Format: Blu-ray.

Quiz answer: both franchises are 5 films too many. (I knew DH fans wouldn't figure it out).

mmmm... This film isn't the worst film but then I couldn't say it was a good movie...

My main problem is the plot... It has so many holes in it you could use it to catch tuna...

For example... one of the main plot lines is the inability to contact the circling planes.. except... the opening sequence is Bruce chatting to his missus on the Phones pay phone!!! And get this... he's on an airport pay phone... so... How did he get the number of the plane in the first place? or how did she get the number of an airport payhpone... It's just little bits like that all the way through the film...

Like the baddies somehow knowing it was going to be a freak snow storm and knowing that they would need snowmobiles...

Don't get me wrong there's loads of action and explosions and a cop who says things like 'get me a cup of quafee am only busting yer balls'

It's difficult to take any movie subtitled Die Harder seriously and that really is a good thing. Luckily, this sequel to 1988's Die Hard seems slyly aware of its own preposterousness and plays like one great, big, tongue-in-cheek cheese fest.

Much like a James Bond film, Die Hard 2 is full of ridiculous, logic bending, kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull-like superhuman stunts, but its bravado forces you to say, 'Who cares about all that!?' It's so far outside of the realm of reality that it defies you to make a critical remark.

Die Hard 2 doesn’t fall into the trap of making itself too similar to the first like many sequels of this type can. Even though every nod possible is made to the previous film, with many of the previous characters making a return, Die Harder still seems like a film that can stand on its own. These days, in an age where Hollywood seems to be re-making and re-booting everything in sight, this film stands out as a real gem from the golden age of action.

Of course, the perfect ringleader for all the jolly destruction is Bruce Willis, the man who has built a career largely on his ability to look good while suffering great physical hardships. He's the perfect 'Iron Everyman' for the rough and tumble Die Hard series. If they ever try and make a Die Hard film without him I doubt it ever be nearly as successful, Bruce Willis is Die hard.

An absolute must see for any action fans, even though the (nearly) realism and the outstanding villain that were present in the first film are not present here, it is a fresh non stop film that, in a lot of ways, improves on it’s predecessor, and isn’t that what sequels are meant to do?

This is my favourite die hard of the lot, just becuase it carries some decent plot twists and turns throughout!