Die Hard 2 (1990)

John McClane, officer of the NYPD and hero of the Nakatomi Hostage Crisis, attempts to avert disaster as rogue military officials seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers:

Walter Wager (novel), Steven E. de Souza (screenplay),

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Lt. John McClane
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Holly McClane
William Atherton	...	Richard Thornburg
Reginald VelJohnson	...	Sgt. Al Powell
Franco Nero	...	Gen. Ramon Esperanza
William Sadler	...	Col. Stuart
John Amos	...	Maj. Grant
Dennis Franz	...	Capt. Carmine Lorenzo
Art Evans	...	Leslie Barnes
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Trudeau
Tom Bower	...	Marvin
Sheila McCarthy	...	Samantha 'Sam' Coleman
Don Harvey	...	Garber
Tony Ganios	...	Baker
Peter Nelson	...	Thompson

Storyline

After the terrifying events in LA, John McClane (Willis) is about to go through it all again. A team of terrorists, led by Col. Stuart (Sadler) is holding the entire airport hostage. The terrorists are planning to rescue a drug lord from justice. In order to do so, they have seized control of all electrical equipment affecting all planes. With no runway lights available, all aircraft have to remain in the air, with fuel running low, McClane will need to be fast.

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Plot Keywords:

airport | airplane | plane | fuel | colonel | 

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Taglines:

Last time, it blew you through the back wall of the theatre. This time, it will blow you sky high!

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

foxhome.com - Behind-the-Scenes and ensemble cast

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Hard 2: Die Harder

Filming Locations:

Alpena Airport, Alpena, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$117,541,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Gordon Company, Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scenes with Bruce Willis running through tunnels under the airport were filmed at a water treatment facility near Los Angeles. The facility has miles of underground tunnels, and was also used in Live Free or Die Hard, doubling as the Woodlawn Social Security Administration building.

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Goofs

Esperanza's plane runs over the manhole grate on the runway just as McClane extricates himself. However in the wide shot, the tire tracks in the snow clearly miss the grate.

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Quotes

Trudeau: [after McClane has failed to prevent the Windsor plane crash triggered by Col. Stuart] McClane, I know what you must feel.
John McClane: I wanted to help those people tonight. I was pretty goddamn useless.

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Connections

Featured in Die Harder: The Making of 'Die Hard 2' (1990)

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Soundtracks

"CAROL OF THE BELLS"
Written by Peter Wilhousky

User Reviews

Dying Just Got That Little Harder!

I have watched many movies where they have had a sequel which left me disappointed and uneasy, but the sequel to the smash, Die Hard, Die Hard 2 (Die Harder) was what think a sequel should be - more of what made the first film so successful. So it‘s all out war for unlucky Police Detective named McClane, in a heart-stopping, jet-propelled journey through excitement and terror.

On a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation's capital, a team of terrorist have seized a major international airport, and now holds thousands of holiday travellers hostage. The terrorists, a renegade band of crack military commandos led by murderous rogue officer, have come to rescue a drug lord from justice. They've prepared for every contingency, except one: John McClane, an off-duty cop seized by a feeling of deadly deja vu. The heroic cop not only has to battle terrorists, but also an incompetent airport police chief, the hard headed commander of the army's anti-terrorist squad and a deadly winter snowstorm. The runways are littered with death and destruction, and McClane is in a race against time. His wife is trapped on one of the planes circling somewhere overhead, desperately low on fuel!

Die Hard 2 makes Bruce Willis look better and better. The role of John McClane is one filled with the fight for right and to trying to stop the bad guys. Again a lot of the stunts would have been done by Willis considering the professionalism of the man. Running all over an airport in a fierce snowstorm, fighting scenes on the wing of a real 747 jet and trying to save lives he has no attachment to, L.A. cop John McClane puts his body on the line, so justice is served and so did the actor Bruce Willis in my view to bring a great action movie back for a second time. Willis is one of my favourite actors, but I have only started to watch his movies in about the last 2-3 years and what a mistake that has been.

This film has more freedom as it is held at an airport. McClane is like I have said all over the place. The freedom and space this story has makes this film much easier to watch. Another thing which is impressive about Die Hard 2 is the effort to put more thrills in the movie. The snow (which of course is man made) has a major role, so do all the planes making quite a crisis on their hands. Not only do they fight on the wing of a 747, but also fly a real helicopter on the wing of the plane also. The scene where McClane ejects himself from the exploding plane is another favourite scene of mine. Other parts of this movie which stunned me I wont tell you about as it will give too much away, but trust me they are exceptionally done.

Again the bad guys have a major role in this one. William Saddler is Colonial Stuart, a heartless leader, who only cares that a drug lord escapes and can get in on all the money making scheme. I loved his role in this. Another face that I remember in Die hard 2 who was a bad guy is Robert Patrick. I loved his role in Terminator 2. But the conflict between the good guys is extremely tense. Especially between McClane and Police Officer Lorenzo played by L.A law star Dennis Franz. It is hard to understand if this character is on the side for good or not.

Here comes another analogy on Die Hard 2, do you ever know who is on the side of good or bad? Well for at least three quarters of the film it is unsure. The storywriters need to be commended because the story left me intrigued and when you think you know what is about to happen, the circumstances change. Also having a different director, gave this sequel new prospective. Director Renny Harlin threw his hand into the ring. What a gamble? An unknown director, but to my surprise I say that it worked. His other films worth mentioning include A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and Cliffhanger.

So overall Die Hard 2 was extremely enjoyable sequel to watch. The story, the characters and the situation are all of a great tension, which I love in a movie. So one cop who is so vulnerable and emotional ends up being the one person who you would most like to have save your life. Like Willis said in an interview Die Hard 2 - Die Harder - it's bigger, badder and louder. I will leave you with one question, the first Die Hard had approximately 20 people die, can you count for me how many perish in this film? It is quite a turn around!

Rating: 4/5 or 9/10