Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder is notable for 2 specific reasons. 1, that it has a very cheesy name, and 2, that it is to date the best of the Die Hard Clones.

John Mcclain is once again traveling for the sake of his wife. He's moved to LA and joined the LAPD, but picking her up from the airports he finds the terminals suddenly filled with terrorists, and only he can stop them. How unlucky can one guy get.

Director Renny Harlin is of the belief that bigger is better though. He's filled his film with more explosions, more gun fights and more destruction than the first film would have had at double running time. It's all genuinely exhilarating too, especially certain scenes such as the one where Mcclain gets trapped in an airplane with hand grenades. There's some good snowmobile chases, and some absolutely brutal gun fights, so needless to say, as far as action is concerned Die Hard 2 is the bigger movie.

It's just that Die Hard 2 lacks the class of the original. It lacks the claustrophobia that the building provided, and as such lost a lot of the magic that helped make Die Hard the classic that it is today.

Nevertheless, as far as Die Hard clones go, Die Hard 2: Die Harder has retained enough elements from the original to make it work.

Bruce Willis still makes for one of the most charismatic action stars to come out of America, and he still wisecracks better than anyone else. The fact that the character is so unbelievably unlucky can be forgiven, because the character is aware of his luck and uses it in his wise cracks. Besides which, the bad guys still beat him up, so he's the same everyday guy we always loved.

William Sadler makes another worthy opponent, he's no Rickman, but he still has the steely eyes stare and tough guy persona that makes him believable as the evil terrorist murdering a group of civilians. It's just unfortunate that he had to be introduced in a nude scene, though I'm guessing that not all of the writers here will complain, you know who I mean.

The film also sees a return of both Bonnie Bedelia, as Johns wife Holly and William Atherton as weaselly journalist Richard Thornburg. Wouldn't you know it, but it appears that they are stuck on a plane together. Atherton keeps the characters cold, uncaring, selfish attitude intact, and his arguments with Holly add a little tension on the planes.

Unfortunately the violence once again rears it's head. Die Hard 2 was a 15 rating and so I expected it to be toned down, it was worse. One character in particular gets stabbed with an ice pick, which was unpleasant. Once again, not for the squeamish, but definitely an exhilarating blockbuster.

This has been my entry into the Lean-N-Mean write-off.

Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age