Die Hard With A Vengeance ( * * * * )
Is it a better Sam Jackson/Bruce Willis team-up than Pulp Fiction or Loaded Weapon 1? I would have to say yes.
The Acting: Sam Jackson, who reinvented and perfected the Angry Black Man, is excellent as Zeus, who doesn't hate New York cop John McClane because he's white, but because he's going to get Zeus killed. Willis reteams with Alan Rickman via flashback, and I'd like to add that I only approve of flashbacks from other movies when it's the same director doing both movies. Otherwise, it's hella cheesy. Bonnie Bedelia is played convincingly by a telephone, which has about as much emotional gravitas.
The Story: A sinister Jeremy Irons steals more gold than Fort Knox, and the screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh basically cut and pasted the plot from his failed screenplay "Simon Says" onto the first forty minutes. He said on the commentary that he got in trouble with the FBI for coming up with the plot, mainly because they'd never thought of terrorists using the pipelines to get into New York.
The Direction: McTiernan is back to prime form, in a non-Christmas, non-Wife-in-Peril Die Hard. But where's the love? No Reggie V? What, did the twinkies finally kill him?
Overall: This one has a terrific supporting cast, as we get to meet McClane's coworkers, all of whom are cool, even his captain. They easily could have gone the other way where everyone in the world was against him, but that's a tired formula and they knew it. Kudos.
Tredekka Rules:
The Acting: Sam Jackson, who reinvented and perfected the Angry Black Man, is excellent as Zeus, who doesn't hate New York cop John McClane because he's white, but because he's going to get Zeus killed. Willis reteams with Alan Rickman via flashback, and I'd like to add that I only approve of flashbacks from other movies when it's the same director doing both movies. Otherwise, it's hella cheesy. Bonnie Bedelia is played convincingly by a telephone, which has about as much emotional gravitas.
The Story: A sinister Jeremy Irons steals more gold than Fort Knox, and the screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh basically cut and pasted the plot from his failed screenplay "Simon Says" onto the first forty minutes. He said on the commentary that he got in trouble with the FBI for coming up with the plot, mainly because they'd never thought of terrorists using the pipelines to get into New York.
The Direction: McTiernan is back to prime form, in a non-Christmas, non-Wife-in-Peril Die Hard. But where's the love? No Reggie V? What, did the twinkies finally kill him?
Overall: This one has a terrific supporting cast, as we get to meet McClane's coworkers, all of whom are cool, even his captain. They easily could have gone the other way where everyone in the world was against him, but that's a tired formula and they knew it. Kudos.
Tredekka Rules:
- Rule 4: Sweet Actor Bonus--Alan Rickman, briefly, still earns +1 star.
- Rule 6: Over The Top Acting Award--goes to Jeremy Irons, who's nowhere near his Dungeons and Dragons pitch, but damn, only Cage in Deadfall beats that. +1 star.
- Rule 7: Cameo by Human Intestines--unfortunately, I can't award this to the movie, even though a guy gets cut in half through his midsection and Willis and Jackson each drag one half away. +0 stars.
- Rule 12: Dodged The Pretentious Bullet Award--Die Hard With A Vengeance? Starring Hans Gruber's brother? A straight revenge story?? Nope. It's another robbery. Thank god. If it was a straight revenge story, they'd get Michael Caine from Jaws 4. +1 star.
- Rule 22: The Great Entrance Award--goes to Willis, who stands half-naked in Harlem wearing a sign saying "I Hate Niggers" in his very second scene. They had to digitally add those words to the sign, no surprise. +1 star.
Tredekka Score: ( * * * * )
posted by Tredekka at 10:20 AM
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