Loading ...Movie Review - Die Hard With a Vengeance
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1995 / 131 Minutes / R
Reviewed by Dale Nauertz
The summer movie season is upon us, and that means that most critics are going to trot out their so-called great summer movies and compare the new ones by that yardstick. And, really, that’s a tad unfair. When I think of great summer movies, I rarely think of “great” movies. The only movies I equate with summer that are undeniably great are “Jaws”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Caddyshack” (I also equate “Fletch”, “Dragnet” and “Stripes” with summertime, but that’s because there was at least one summer in which I watched each of these movies more times than any rational human being might do) but the only reason I equate these classic films with summer (and if you don’t think “Caddyshack” is a classic then you can just get the hell off my lawn) is because they have a certain sensibility that lends itself to drinking cold beer or iced tea or cold Coke and sitting inside on a sweltering, sunny day when you really should be outside but, if you’re anything like me, you just don’t care: you’d rather be inside watching a good movie. (Besides, I don’t have that many hobbies that necessitate me going outside: taking a walk, golfing and sitting outside are about the only ones that spring to mind, and sitting outside isn’t really a hobby. One of the reasons I took up smoking last summer was that it gave me an excuse to go outside.)
If I were going to program a Cineplex for the Ultimate in Summer Viewing, then there would be barely ANY classic films in this venue. There might be a screen showing “Jaws” or “Raiders”, but that would be about it. Otherwise, the theaters would all be showing films in which things exploded prettily and the sound would all be in DTS (and it would be cranked).
It may come as a surprise, but my ultimate summer film would be “Die Hard With a Vengeance”. Now I know you’re all beginning to think I’m crazy, and you may be right (I may be crazy). But I’m a guy who just enjoys the simple pleasures in life, like explosions and watching Bruce Willis annihilate people with a machine gun. Hey, I’m a simple guy. Now, in my own circle of friends, this third installment of the “Die Hard” saga is notable simply for being the film in which Jeremy Irons gets to wrap his particular, gravelly derivation of an European accent around the immortal line “They bought it; hook, line UND sinker” (I’m serious, he actually says “UND” instead of “and” and it fucking rocks, my friend). But there are other reasons that this cinematic marvel deserves to be seen as a cinematic high water mark.
“Die Hard With a Vengeance” is, I daresay, the PERFECT SUMMER MOVIE for a multitude of reasons, and I am now going to make my case for it, if you don’t mind. First of all, let me describe the first scene of the movie. Perhaps that will give you some hint as to why I feel “Die Hard With a Vengeance” is the epitome of all summer cinema. The first scene in the film features shots of New York City in summertime and you can practically feel sweat break out on your neck, even if your home is properly air conditioned (and even if the theater is kept at roughly the same temperature as an Eskimo’s ice box). Then, as if to accentuate this mood, the soundtrack flairs with the song “Hot Time (Summer in the City)” by the Lovin’ Spoonful. If you have the proper sort of surround system, this song nearly shakes your walls. When the Spoonful sing “Hot time, summer in the city/ back of my neck getting dirty and gritty” you will nod your head in understanding. The color temperature of this scene and the song undulating upon the soundtrack are enough to make you feel dirty and gritty. This film actually seems to be causing humidity. Seriously. The entire film seems to be drenched in sweat, more than the average rock concert. And then, just as you’re digging the Spoonful song and the feeling of humidity that seems to float off the very screen in front of you, suddenly a building just explodes. The explosion is simply beautiful and, if you are playing this film at the volume it deserves, the blast rocks your living room and puts a big, goofy smile on your face. (At least, this sort of thing always puts a big, goofy smile on mine.) By the time this explosion has dulled to a low rumble, you should understand exactly what I mean. Already, you’ve got a great summer film: a song about summer, a feeling of humidity in the city filling your living room, and beautiful, window-rattling explosion. You’re already feeling summer all around you, and Bruce Willis hasn’t even stepped into a single frame.
In the next scene we see the chaos of the New York City police department after this explosion and it’s worth noting that, when this movie was first released, this premise actually needed a little bit of disbelief to be suspended. Personally, I’m nostalgic for the mid-Nineties, a time when an explosion in New York City didn’t carry so many unpleasant connotations; back when an explosion in a metropolitan area was just an explosion, an element of fiction. But back to the thrust of this thing: the station is in chaos and suddenly, a very Irish man with red hair says: “Where the hell is McClane?” (I’m just paraphrasing; I don’t know if that’s precisely what he says.)
Secretary: I don’t know.
Irish Cop: Well, you better find whatever rock he’s under…and kick it over.
Now isn’t that a great line? Probably not something an actual person would say, but it’s cool and it lets you know exactly the state of Willis’s character. When he gets introduced, he’s got a hand on his forehead and someone tosses him some aspirin for his hangover. This is the perfect Bruce Willis moment, and just thinking about it makes me sort of sad, because Bruce hasn’t done this sort of thing in entirely too long, and it’s exactly the sort of thing that Bruce excels at. What makes Bruce so great is that he has these facial expressions and he can find this tone of voice that just perfectly encapsulate burnout and stress and heavy drinking, without even seeming to try. Bruce is at his best in this movie, and I don’t mean acting-wise. (His best actual performance is probably in either “The Sixth Sense” or “Unbreakable” or his moments in “Pulp Fiction”…maybe even the first “Die Hard”. I don’t know. All those performances are great, and I seriously don’t know which one to choose. I’ve also always been partial to his delightful work in “The Fifth Element”.) No one is ever going to win an Oscar for the sort of thing that Bruce does in this movie, but few Oscar performances are as memorable as his hungover, pissed off act in this film. And then Samuel L. Jackson shows up and he’s doing exactly what he is best at in this film: being Sam Jackson. He’s got the flaring nostrils, the indignant expression, the one-man Black Panther rhetoric, and the patented Samuel L. Jackson angry voice all on his side. He’s also smart enough to know that he only needs to take this act to a certain level, to the place where we get the point, and then he eases off and keeps his character (Zeus) likable. He and Bruce hate each other at first and then develop the sort of begrudging respect that I personally love to see in a movie, as long its not overdone, and it doesn’t get a chance to be overdone here. There are too many explosions and chases and gunfights and fistfights to allow this relationship to dominate too many scenes.
And here is another reason this film rocks: the film has more chases and explosions than the other two films combined. Sure, it’s not quite as good as those other two. If I led you to believe this was my favorite “Die Hard” then I apologize. It’s probably my least favorite. But in terms of summertime perfection, it beats the other two hands down. It has a great summer vibe going for it, a sense of atmosphere and a fit within the parameters of summer movie going that simply no other film I can think of can beat. And it doesn’t need to waste any time on supernatural elements or extraneous plotting. “Die Hard With a Vengeance” has just enough twists and turns and sneaky sub-plots to keep things interesting without getting too complicated for its own damn good. It actually has a perfect balance, giving us just enough plot and character to give us a stake in things, but not so much that everything has to come to a dead halt. It’s a textbook example of how these films should be done and how they so often are not. Sure, sometimes the banter between Bruce and Sam gets a bit much, but its well-written banter (for the most part) and it’s memorable even if it’s not particularly ingenious. John McTiernan isn’t reinventing the wheel here. He’s just adding a few nice spokes to it. The film overall is lean and economical and the whole thing seems to drip with sweat and adrenaline. This movie, more than most, seems to possess a set of glands. It’s dripping with adrenaline and perspiration and blood and testosterone. It’s got lots of running around and lots of shootouts and lots of great chases. It’s even got a wall of water and a really huge chemical bomb (and even a lot of maple syrup).
And it’s got Jeremy Irons who delivers a great, warped performance as Alan Rickman’s brother. Sure, he doesn’t look a hell of a lot like Rickman and his accent is completely different (he’s a lot more cool and confident where Rickman was slimy and smarmy and generally prickish) but it doesn’t matter a damn. Irons is in full command of the screen here. He’s not one of the all-time great villains, but he’s got style to spare and he’s a European bastard, which is my favorite of all the token villains. I miss Euro trash villains. Whatever happened to them? There are few things I enjoy watching more than an Englishman with a thick accent taunting Bruce Willis and seeming to get a kick out of it. Irons is just cinematic gold here. He’s not going to erase anyone’s memories of Alan Rickman in the first film, but he’s a lot more charismatic than William Sadler in the second, and he’s got his own memorable thing going on. And that’s all the film needs. He’s a good enough villain in a good enough movie and that’s all we really ask for. (All I ask for, at any rate.)
Like I said, there are fights and car chases and boats and subway explosions and guys running and driving through central Park and it’s all wonderful eye candy. In Surround the movie will kick your ass and your eyeballs will delight at every frame, so fast and fun is the whole affair. By the time the film arrives at its inexplicable Canadian finale, you will find yourself smiling and magnificently entertained. You won’t think about this movie’s few flaws for hours, if you bother to consider them at all. It’s not going to replace “Citizen Kane” or “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, but on a hot, humid afternoon, I can think of no better film that perfectly captures that magical mindset and atmosphere of early or mid summer. It’s the sort of film that’s best enjoyed with a cool beverage and a fan blowing on you, and it always manages to make me happy. There are better overall films out there (the other two “Die Hards” spring to mind) but there are none more appropriate to a sticky, summer afternoon. I seriously think they should breeze this movie into theaters for two weeks around Memorial Day every year. I would seriously go every time. In the summers since I have been going to movies, I have never been to anything that was more perfect for this time of year.
Many movies have tried to be the ultimate summer film, but “Die Hard With a Vengeance” is about the only one to succeed.
