Die Hard 2

With all the debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas film, Die Hard 2 is left waiting out in the snow drifts and is lucky to even receive a passing mention. This is very much a forgotten Christmas film, which takes place on Christmas Eve, and it arguably feels more festive than the original due to the arctic conditions surrounding Dulles airport. But is this a pale imitation of the original or does it deserve a little more recognition?

Released in 1990, Die Hard 2 sees John McClane waiting for his wife to land in Washington DC for Christmas but he soon notices some suspicious activity, and it's not long before terrorists have blocked all communication with the inbound flights for their criminal plans. Now it's up to John to take out the bad guys and save the hundreds of passengers from crashlanding on the runway which is out of power. 

Directed by Finnish director, Renny Harlin, in one of his earlier feature films, Die Hard 2 does a very good job and keeping the tone and visual style of the original. There aren't jarring differences and Harlin delivers a pretty solid action film that runs along nicely for two hours. The story and stakes are all established well, Bruce Willis is on top form once again and William Sadler makes for an excellent, chilling villain. 

However, there is just something missing in a number of the action sequences where the original had a lot more oomph and impact. We still get lots of destruction and blood squibs popping all around but it just feels lighter somehow. That's not to say the film is missing some fun set-pieces but it just doesn't satisfy in quite the same way. And, with some minor spoilers, the climatic showdown is undercut by a decision that offers spectacle but robs us of a real fight to the death. That will read better if you watch this...

Die Hard 2 is a lot of festive action fun but is missing some ingredients to take it out of its predecessor's shadow, and perhaps that is why it'll never enter the Christmas film debate. But if it's been a while since you last saw this or have only seen the first one, I'd say there is enough here to guarantee a fun evening.