Home > Categories > Movies > Action > Die Hard 3 : Die Hard with a Vengence review
Things aren't going well for John McClane: his marriage is breaking up, he's been suspended from the force and now the brother of Hans Gruber, the German terrorist he threw off a building a few years back, is threatening to blow up a school if McClane doesn't run around the city solving his demeaning and dangerous puzzles.
With the help of Zeus, a Harlem electrician, McClane discovers Gruber's plot to distract the NYPD while he clears the federal bank of billions of dollars of gold.
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Well done to the writers of this script. It was an intense experience that kept me guessing all the way through. Another film about Bruce Willis' character, John McClane, being embroiled in a terrorist agenda; this time he was included on purpose in this film. As opposed to its predecessors, that generally focused on one target area being shut down and held hostage, we were sent on a city-wide game of cat-and-mouse, where McClane was sent running from one area to another to try prevent bombings.
The change in direction is refreshing, as McClane has been a bad-ass character but the likelihood of him happening to stumble upon a terrorist threat was running thin. By the third movie, you would expect villains to know of McClane and try avoid him at all costs, and this film covers that idea perfectly. This film kept the heart pumping, as McClane was put through trials, and ultimately left you feeling satisfied.
Visually, I enjoyed the film immensely. The incorporation of the bustling city livened up the franchise, and rendered useless the stealth that McClane has had to use previously. The use of timed events, keeps the adrenaline, tension, and suspense high throughout the film. A great watch. Highly recommended.
I love a good action flick... a few explosions, some witty quip as the bad guy gets stomped, a few nice stunts that make my stomach churn at the mere thought of having to try them myself... there aren't many out there that really grab me, but there's a growing number that I enjoy watching a few more times. This is one of them.
I admit that despite finding Bruce Willis to be quite an annoying action actor, he does star in many a movie I enjoy... including all four Die Hard movies thus far, The Fifth Element and The Last Boyscout. This movie not only continues the saga of off-beat cop "John McClane", but also ties back into the first movie indirectly... because without that tie-in, the whole premise of John's involvement would have been hard to tie in, making it more of a Try Hard... (OK, my apologies for that one. )
Even though this movie is a few years old now, it's re-release is timed well to pick up on the release of the fourth movie in the franchise, Die Hard 4.0... which was so good, when I convinced a total DH-phobic to at least give it a try with me, she walked out making comments along the lines of "I'd even consider getting that one on DVD when it comes out..."
Overall, not the best of the series, that title goes to #4 for sure, but this one is certainly better than #2, and about as good as #1. Well worth the minor investment for the action fans, and if you happen to actually like Bruce's movies, you're going to enjoy this one just fine.
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"Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action."
Benjamin Disraeli