Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton

Once again, New York cop John McClane is in the wrong place at the wrong time - this time he's waiting for his wife's plane to arrive at Washington's Dulles Airport when he uncovers a plot to sabota...( read more  read more... )ge the airport's landing system. The criminals wish to free a drug baron being extradited to America for trial by holding the airport to ransom until they all safely escape on another plane. However, if they'd known that Holly McClane was on a flight home to the very airport they were hijacking, they would have picked another day.

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73% liked it

384,666 ratings

Critics

62% liked it

42 critics

R, 2 hrs. 4 min.

Directed by: Renny Harlin

Release Date: July 2, 1990

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DVD Release Date: March 9, 1999

Stats: 13,624 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (13,624)


  • October 24, 2009
    The plot of Die Hard 2 is bad, even for an action movie. How did the enemy soldiers get all their airport equipment? Was there really no other way they could have communicated with the airplanes sooner? Aren't there SEVERAL airports within 90 minutes of the D.C. that ALL the plan...( read more)es could have flown to? Why in God's name would that idiot airport police officer keep being as beligerent and unhelpful as possible in such an emergency situation? Even John McClain couldn't believe that all these things were happening to him once again, right before Christmas.

    So yeah, the filmmakers were asking for a pretty huge suspension of disbelief this time around. I have to say that I Iiked the original Die Hard a lot better. The plot made more sense and the villians were much more likeable. More explosions doesn't automatically make a better movie.
  • September 17, 2009
    Deemed as being the worst of the Die Hard films, Die Hard 2 isn?t as fresh as the original but I still quite like it! It?s a decent action film much like the first. Yipee-ki-a motherfucker!
  • August 20, 2009
    Bruce Willis = Action à l'état pure bien souvent. C'est bien le cas ici avec la suite de Die Hard. Très bon film! Encore une fois il n'est pas arrêtable, mais quoi de tel pour nous tenir dans l'action.
  • August 15, 2009
    I have watched many movies where they have had a sequel which left me disappointed and uneasy, but the sequel to the smash, Die Hard, Die Hard 2 (Die Harder) was what think a sequel should be - more of what made the first film so successful. So it?s all out war for unlucky Police...( read more) Detective named McClane, in a heart-stopping, jet-propelled journey through excitement and terror.

    On a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation's capital, a team of terrorist have seized a major international airport, and now holds thousands of holiday travellers hostage. The terrorists, a renegade band of crack military commandos led by murderous rogue officer, have come to rescue a drug lord from justice. They've prepared for every contingency, except one: John McClane, an off-duty cop seized by a feeling of deadly deja vu. The heroic cop not only has to battle terrorists, but also an incompetent airport police chief, the hard headed commander of the army's anti-terrorist squad and a deadly winter snowstorm. The runways are littered with death and destruction, and McClane is in a race against time. His wife is trapped on one of the planes circling somewhere overhead, desperately low on fuel!

    Die Hard 2 makes Bruce Willis look better and better. The role of John McClane is one filled with the fight for right and to trying to stop the bad guys. Again a lot of the stunts would have been done by Willis considering the professionalism of the man. Running all over an airport in a fierce snowstorm, fighting scenes on the wing of a real 747 jet and trying to save lives he has no attachment to, L.A. cop John McClane puts his body on the line, so justice is served and so did the actor Bruce Willis in my view to bring a great action movie back for a second time. Willis is one of my favourite actors, but I have only started to watch his movies in about the last 2-3 years and what a mistake that has been.

    This film has more freedom as it is held at an airport. McClane is like I have said all over the place. The freedom and space this story has makes this film much easier to watch. Another thing which is impressive about Die Hard 2 is the effort to put more thrills in the movie. The snow (which of course is man made) has a major role, so do all the planes making quite a crisis on their hands. Not only do they fight on the wing of a 747, but also fly a real helicopter on the wing of the plane also. The scene where McClane ejects himself from the exploding plane is another favourite scene of mine. Other parts of this movie which stunned me I wont tell you about as it will give too much away, but trust me they are exceptionally done.

    Again the bad guys have a major role in this one. William Saddler is Colonial Stuart, a heartless leader, who only cares that a drug lord escapes and can get in on all the money making scheme. I loved his role in this. Another face that I remember in Die hard 2 who was a bad guy is Robert Patrick. I loved his role in Terminator 2. But the conflict between the good guys is extremely tense. Especially between McClane and Police Officer Lorenzo played by L.A law star Dennis Franz. It is hard to understand if this character is on the side for good or not.

    Here comes another analogy on Die Hard 2, do you ever know who is on the side of good or bad? Well for at least three quarters of the film it is unsure. The storywriters need to be commended because the story left me intrigued and when you think you know what is about to happen, the circumstances change. Also having a different director, gave this sequel new prospective. Director Renny Harlin threw his hand into the ring. What a gamble? An unknown director, but to my surprise I say that it worked. His other films worth mentioning include A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and Cliffhanger.

    So overall Die Hard 2 was extremely enjoyable sequel to watch. The story, the characters and the situation are all of a great tension, which I love in a movie. So one cop who is so vulnerable and emotional ends up being the one person who you would most like to have save your life. Like Willis said in an interview Die Hard 2 - Die Harder - it's bigger, badder and louder. I will leave you with one question, the first Die Hard had approximately 20 people die, can you count for me how many perish in this film? It is quite a turn around!
  • July 14, 2009
    Wasn't as good as the first, but it wasn't bad.
  • November 18, 2009
    This Die Hard was just cool.
  • November 11, 2009
    I liked this movie too, but again, too much cursing.
  • November 5, 2009
    Die Hard 2, aka Die Harder (1990)

    This is another guy's Christmas movie classic and second in the Die Hard series. New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is starting up his Christmas right by watching his in-law's car being towed away at the airport while waiting for his Wife...( read more), Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) to arrive from her flight. There's a snow storm and all other airports are shutting down and re-routing traffic to this airport.

    He bumps into a familiar face in the crowd, Colonel Stuart (William Sadler) as well as some other suspicious characters with guns. He tries to warn airport security run by Captain Carmine Lorenzo (Dennis Franz) but is only running into the same bureaucratic BS that he normally comes up with. Although the crooks aren't the same Euro-trash types he normally has to deal with in the Die Hard series, they are military experts who are well trained and armed.

    Despite his warning, the para-military guys successfully take over the airport and start spinning the running-on-empty airliners around until they're able to pick up a captured South American Despot, Generalisimo Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero). Everybody is in shock except for Lieutenant McClane who begrudgingly goes after them with a vengeance. Oh, maybe that's another sequel.

    Of course, the movie is filled with unbelievable scenarios. The finest scene is John ejecting from an exploding airplane. And, then there's the fight scene on the wing of a jet, too.
  • November 4, 2009
    Lo mas jalado es que hay gente que se lo cree!!! Mira que mover el ILS de un aeropuerto bajo tierra... Por favor! Ponganse a Estudiar!!!

    Fuera de eso... bastante entretenida.
  • October 30, 2009
    It is kind of a repeat of the 1st film, but it still works!

Critic Reviews


May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Though the follow-up is bigger, it's not really better. The surprise is missing. full review

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is terrific entertainment. full review

View more Die Hard 2 (Die Hard 2: Die Harder) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • nguyenbaolong0106
    February 24, 2009
    good
  • mariefuller80
    July 31, 2008
    A brilliant sequel worth seeing. Bruce Willis brings the one-liners coming and very exciting action.
  • SkywalkerJones
    March 23, 2008
    Guns,explosions,jokes.C mon.you want more.?
  • realzidane
    February 2, 2008
    best of all Die Hard movies
  • GymNetic25
    January 13, 2008
    "If you like this movie you must like cheese" This is what happens when another director's vision takes over a big box office hit... it FAILS miserably. This movie was hard to even sit through as it was a big whiff of cheese. The plot of the film is to far fetched and doesn't even follow through to make sense. I liked the fact that Reginald Veljohnson from the previous film had a brief part in the movie. This film although had a great cast but could not back up the movie to save it's life. One of the most cheesiest moments in this film is Bruce Willis having to"evacuate" the plane. I will see "Die Hard 3" I hope it's better than this one. 2 stars
  • xXHeadbangerXx
    September 12, 2007
    I just love it
  • hippo325mi
    March 11, 2007
    WELL IT IS DIE HARD 2 SO IT DOES HAV 2 BE UR 2ND ONE
    ne who awesome movie mad cast best actor

    yippee-ki-yay-motha fuka
  • cooldude2me1
    October 30, 2006
    die hard 2 is a made movie

    who thinks that is?

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Die Hard 2 (Die Hard 2: Die Harder) Trivia

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  • In what movie is this said "basement, elevator how can the same shit happen to the same guy twice   Answer »
  • Which "Die Hard" movie was directed by Renny Harlin?  Answer »
  • Who directed Die Hard 2: Die Harder?  Answer »
  • ***DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER Is Based On a Book Called***  Answer »

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