Die Hard 2 (1990)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

4 July 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

Die Harder.

Plot:

John McClane is forced to battle mercenaries who seize control of an airport's communications and threaten to cause plane crashes if their demands are not met.

Plot Keywords:

Airport | Airplane | Plane | Fuel | Police

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Bruce Willis	...	John McClane
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Holly McClane
William Atherton	...	Richard Thornburg
William Sadler	...	Col. Stuart
Reginald VelJohnson	...	Sgt. Al Powell
Franco Nero	...	Gen. Ramon Esperanza
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

Also Known As:

Die Hard 2: Die Harder (Philippines: English title) (UK) (promotional title) (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (cut) (video premiere) | Finland:K-15 (DVD version) | UK:15 (video rating) (1991) | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:18SG | Brazil:14 | Philippines:R-18 | South Africa:13V | Canada:13+ (Régie du Cinéma Québec) | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (re-rating) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (original rating) (cut) | UK:15 (video rating) (cut) (1990) | UK:18 (video rating) (uncut) (1992) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Alpena, Michigan, USA

Company:

Gordon Company

Trivia:

Was supposed to be filmed at Moses Lake, Washington but, like Minnesota, there was no snow.

Goofs:

Factual errors: There are no ejection seats in C-123 aircraft.

Quotes:

Al Powell: What's this about?
John McClane: Oh, just a feeling I have.
Al Powell: Ouch. When you get those feelings, insurance companies start to go bankrupt.

Movie Connections:

References Lethal Weapon (1987)

Soundtrack:

OLD CAPE COD

A Total Thrill Ride

Bruce Willis takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin', nearly outdoing himself in one of the great actioneers of our time. DIE HARD 2 has everything a true action fan could ever want: explosions, chases, plot twists, suspense, drama and all that other good stuff.

Just two years after his last near-death adventure, John McClane (what a great action hero name) battles bad guys who take over an airport's communication system around the holidays. Unless their demands are met, they will unceremoniously plummet planes to the ground one by one -- including one on which Mrs. McClane (Bonnie Bedelia) is a passenger. Of course Johnny, he of wise-cracking ways, is the only one who can save the day.

Like its predecessor, set almost entirely in a skyscraper, DIE HARD 2 makes the most out of its setting. McClane is as multi-purpose as can be, chasing mercenaries through luggage conveyors, grasping onto aircraft wings, running out onto the runway and, in a truly awesome scene, ejecting from a plane a split second before it bursts into flames. Throw in a snowmobile chase, the standard trip through the air ducts and a legitimate, interesting motivation for the crooks and you have a total thrill ride guaranteed to recharge your batteries.

Efforts like DIE HARD 2 won't win any major awards, but they'll do what films are supposed to do: thrust us into another world and entertain us. This is truly Willis and director Renny Harlin at their best.