Die Hard 2 (1990)

John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives 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, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	John McClane
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Holly McClane
William Atherton	...	Thornberg
Reginald VelJohnson	...	Al Powell
Franco Nero	...	Esperanza
William Sadler	...	Stuart
John Amos	...	Grant
Dennis Franz	...	Carmine Lorenzo
Art Evans	...	Barnes
Fred Thompson	...	Trudeau (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
Tom Bower	...	Marvin
Sheila McCarthy	...	Samantha 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:

john mcclane character | opening action scene | bravery | radar | detective | 

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Taglines:

John McClane is back in the wrong place at the wrong time!

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Colonel Stuart is the only villain whose motive is not money albeit directly, General Esperanza's motive was money, and promised to reward Stuart's men for freeing him with large sums of money.

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Goofs

Throughout the outside scenes, there was no breath exhaust in what was obviously freezing weather with the snow falling.

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Quotes

Gen. Ramon Esperanza: [Esperanza has landed the plane and steps outside] Freedom!
John McClane: [punches him] Not yet!
John McClane: [draws his gun on Esperanza] You're supposed to stay in your seat until the plane reaches the terminal. No frequent flier mileage for you.
Gen. Ramon Esperanza: Who are you?
John McClane: A cop.
Gen. Ramon Esperanza: A cop?
John McClane: Yeah. One of the good guys. You see, you're one of the bad guys, and now that I got your sorry ass, I'm gonna trade it for my wife.

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Crazy Credits

The top four billed actors all reprized their role from Die Hard (1988). Despite Reginald VelJohnson only appearing in one scene.

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Alternate Versions

The original film release and early widescreen video releases used an anamorphically-stretched version of the 20th Century Fox logo, probably to continue a running gag from Die Hard (1988) even though the director was new (see trivia for Predator (1987)). The 2001 DVD changes it to a normal-proportioned logo.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinematic Excrement: The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (2019)

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Soundtracks

LOVE ME TENDER
(Played on a music box)
Written by Ken Darby (as Vera Matson) and Elvis Presley

User Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

3 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Hard 2: Die Harder

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,744,661, 8 July 1990

Gross USA:

$117,540,947

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$240,247,433

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Gordon Company, Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) (4 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1