In 2008 I saw Die Hard for the first time. Afterwards I sat and watched Live Free or Die Hard. In the time since I've seen Die Hard with a Vengeance edited for TV and Die Hard 2. The last two days I went back over the series uncut and commercial free. So here are my rankings:
Films:
1.Die Hard-the original that serves as the format for the modern action film. While it maintains a serious tone there is some good humor along with a fantastic story and the coolest villains you'll ever see on screen. Greatest movie of the 80's? Yes, Greatest action movie of all-time? Yes, Greatest movie of all-time? Maybe. Bruce Willis is at his best here and Alan Rickman should've been nominated for an oscar.
2.Die Hard with a Vengeance-Samuel L. Jackson + Bruce Willis=Greatness. The plotline itself is very interesting as it perfectly relates to the original. Jeremy Irons as Simon Gruber is brilliant and it has some fun scenes.
3.Die Hard 2-This film while it serves a purpose just doesn't make sense in context. Die Hard was very successful because it had great characters, a great plot, and a great villain. They tried the same thing here replacing the Terrorists with Mercenaries, the Plaza with Dulles, L.A. with D.C., and added a very good twist. My issue though is that McClane is just too invincible for my liking and Renny Harlin just went too overboard with the graphic depths in this film(mainly the icicle to the eye and throat slitting sequence).
4.Live Free or Die Hard-Its nice to see John McClane back but I feel everything in this movie is vastly inferior to the previous films in every way. I think my issue with modern stories makes it hard for me to enjoy the story here. I'd rather see John McClane fighting dangerous terrorists who use guns not computers. I understand that the idea of a "Hans Gruber" villain is unrealistic in the modern world even for films, but it'd be nice to see McClane fighting someone who looks like a threat not some disgruntled techie.
Bruce Willis Performances:
1.Die Hard-Simply brilliant and one of the few times I've enjoyed Bruce's acting.
2.Die Hard with a Vengeance-I think the return of John McTiernan helped with Bruce getting back to original form but he's still inferior to his performance in his original.
3.Die Hard 2-Like I mentioned it was as if they tried to mimmick the first one and again they just didn't do a good job with that.
4.Live Free or Die Hard-As badass as he was, it just doesn't feel like he's playing John McClane, it feels like he's playing a parody of the character.
Villains:
1.Hans Gruber-the original and the best. He is brilliant mastermind and was a very capable threat to McClane.
2.Simon Gruber-just like his older brother a mastermind who was perfect in his mind games against McClane. Not as cool as his brother, however.
3.Colonel Stewart-They tried to mimmick the brilliance of Hans Gruber with a twist of being a fighter but they just fall short here. He's not a strong antagonist nor is he a smart one.
4.Thomas Gabriel-A complete total pussy. Nuff Said.
Sidekicks:
1.Zeus Carver-Total badass and the perfect compliment to McClane.
2.Al Powell-Nothing better for a Christmas movie than the jolly fatman himself albeit the most badass fat man in the history of film.
3.Matthew Farrell-Just because he's Number 3 does not mean he's superior to anyone. It means that theres no 4. I just didn't get into this character like Al and Zeus. He just doesn't hold up anyone near as good as either. The main reason he's 3 is because theres no clear cut sidekick in Die Hard 2.
Overall:The Die Hard series is possibly the best action series in film not called James Bond. I do hear that Die Hard 5 is likely. I hope its more like 1 and 3 and less like 4. When that comes out I will repost this. Stay tuned for the Dirty Harry series next.
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