Die Hard 2 - Surprisingly good sequel

It's terms of action films, I think it's fair to say that the original eighties 'Die Hard' was a 'classic.' It seemed to have everything from the cast, to the obligatory action, but also a great villain, snappy dialogue and a real sense of claustrophobic tension.  I doubt those who made it really had that high hopes for it, so when it performed so well a sequel was green-lit pretty quickly.  And we all know what happens when a sequel is rushed out!

But not in this case. 'Die Hard 2' (despite its uninspired name!) is actually pretty damn good.  Okay, so if I had to compare it to the original, its predecessor would win hands down every time, but it certainly is a worthy sequel and one to add to your collection.

I suppose the main aspect of the first 'Die Hard' was that it was one man, police officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) all on his own, trapped in a tower block filled with hostile terrorists.  I guess it would be a little too much of a stretch for the imagination to have that happen to him a second time.  Therefore, things do work a little bit differently here.  This time round it centres on Washington airport and a group of terrorists who have taken control of the air traffic control system and are threatening to crash one plane after another unless their demands are met.

Because McClane is now part of a 'team' (who range from inept police officers, to tech guys, janitors and special forces) - technically - he has the opportunity to simply walk away from the dangerous situation at any time.  Yes, I know his wife is on one of the planes, giving him a vested interest in seeing them land safely.  But it's this difference between the two films which removes the sense of claustrophobia which the first movie possessed.

However, like I say this doesn't make it any the less action-packed and a definite watch for anyone who can appreciate the 'excess' of actions movies back in the eighties and nineties, to fan of Bruce Willis when he actually seemed to care about the films he was in.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one