Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995)

Review by All Movie Guide
Die Hard With a Vengeance brings John McClain back to the big action and equally large laughs that made the original so successful. With action virtuoso John McTiernan returning to the series, this third entry is heavily buttered popcorn entertainment that manages to not get pulled in by the same plot devices that were regurgitated in Renny Harlin's fun but flawed second film. There's still the heavy terrorist angle, but what the deft script does so well is turn the tables on good old Bruce Willis, while teaming him with a hilarious Samuel L. Jackson for a cat-and-mouse game through the streets of New York City. And though Jeremy Irons is no Alan Rickman, he takes great evil glee from his goofy-accented movie villain and is miles above the sorry antagonists from the previous film. Supporting characters are equally as fresh, with both the cops and the mugging German henchmen getting juicy screen time throughout the piece. With numerous gusto action scenes that only McTiernan could deliver, Vengeance lives up to the high pedestal of the series and makes for one heck of a fun thrill ride. The ending is probably the film's biggest fumble, reshot at the last second to make up for an original ending that found Irons escaping to Europe where McClain hunts him down with a bazooka (true!). It's strange how history shines upon Die Hard With a Vengeance, especially after 9/11. This is one movie that simply could not be made now. It does, however, feature some incredibly unnerving visuals that are downright haunting considering the events that occurred just six years later. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide