Third outing with some new faces...

''Have you been followed at all during the last few days? Any suspicious phone calls? Any kind of surveillance at all? Anything?''

''Well, now that you mention it, I have, sort of, been feeling this burning sensation between my toes.''

John McClane and a store owner must play a bomber's deadly game as they race around New York while trying to stop him.

Bruce Willis: John McClane

Die Hard With A Vengeance is probably the most fun film of the definitive action trilogy of the 80s and 90s. While Die Hard was certainly a gripping adrenaline-fuelled action thriller, and Die Hard 2 stuck closely to that formula, the third film decided that, whilst retaining the action, to cut loose and have fun.
The third Die Hard film sees John McLane (Bruce Willis) tearing round New York trying to solve riddles set by the maniacal younger brother of Hans Gruber who he threw off a skyscraper in the first film. Meanwhile the rest of the NYPD are trying to deal with more real threats posed by the terrorist. In these kind of action films, common sense seems to go out of the window in terms of plot rationale anyway, but this time the 'as if' factor is tempered by a great sense of fun.
The main source of entertainment however comes not from the plot itself but Samuel L Jackson, who plays a manic fast-talking wisecracking stereotypical black New Yorker named Zeus, with liberal use of the word 'ass' and other more colourful profanities. Jeremy Irons plays this round's bad guy, and plays a slightly more comical version of the first film's Hans Gruber. It seems that British actors have a monopoly on playing the bad guys in American blockbusters, but then again they do seem to do it so well. Meanwhile Bruce Willis faces little challenge in reprising his John McLane action role that, since the first Die Hard film, has become the template for virtually all action heroes, white vest and all.

John McTiernan, the director of the first Die Hard movie, was unable to film the sequel due to scheduling conflicts with The Hunt for Red October, but came back to do number three, which follows the Hollywood tradition of being bigger, louder and more ambitious than the previous installments. Alas, this doesn't mean it's necessarily better, in fact Die Hard: With a Vengeance is weaker than the first two films in the series, although it remains a watchable piece of violent, profane entertainment.

''As I was going to St. Ives, / I met a man with seven wives. / Every wife had seven sacks, / Every sack had seven cats, / Every cat had seven kittens. / Kittens, cats, sacks, wives, / How many were going to St. Ives?''

Unlike other franchises, the new Die Hard has almost no connection with the films that precede it: apart from John McClane (Bruce Willis), not a single character from the first or second movie is still around. And McClane's situation is not one of the best: he's got a drinking problem, is separated from his wife and has been suspended from the NYPD. However, when a man named Simon (Jeremy Irons) starts bombing certain areas of New York, he demands explicitly that only McClane be allowed to try stopping him. Why? Because Simon happens to be the brother of Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), the German terrorist our hero threw off the Nakatomi Towers in the first film. With this comforting knowledge, the former cop, along with reluctant helper Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson), sets out to solve the various riddles his opponent has left around in the city. One mistake, and many lives will be lost. Or is that so?

Not only is Die Hard: With a Vengeance larger in scope (the action takes place in an entire city, as opposed to just one building or an airport), the writers also try to make it more complex (the first two movies were rather straightforward) by suggesting Simon's primary objective may not be what it seems. This provides a few neat twists throughout the movie, and they are quite good. Unfortunately, the villain himself turns out to be the weakest link in the movie: instead of making the character his own, Irons prefers to merely imitate Rickman, turning Simon Gruber into a pale reminder of what an intriguing opponent his brother was. There are problems with the so-called "money shots" (action and sex) as well: some of the set-pieces, no matter how spectacular, look too contrived to fit in the Die Hard universe, and there's a sex scene involving Irons and a female villain that is completely gratuitous and unnecessary (by the director's own admission, it was included just because the film was going to get an 18 anyway, and it shows).

''Hot in here, or am I just scared to death?''

The plot is more topical that one would expect (the first two becoming more topical as time went on). The bombing plot appears to be ripped from the headlines, but the film is entertainment and as the film goes on we realize that Simon, like his brother, is not a mere terrorist, but an exceptional thief, with the twist being that Simon is after the gold of Fort Knox. McTiernan once again casts an English man in the villain role, with Jeremy Irons playing Alan Rickman's brother. Irons is great, although, like William Sadler in Die Hard 2, Irons is in the shadow of Rickman a tad, but he rises to the challenge enough playing a character of sheer genius and evil.

Also Vengeance was made at a time when action movies really rely on special/visual effects and explosions, Die Hard With A Vengeance is something uniquein alot of ways. Yes there are plenty of spectacular action sequences (the train bombing and the Central Park trip being highlights) but McTiernan knows that these films rely on nice character development and humor as well as an entertaining plot to make the film work and that is what we get here. There are some interesting twists to the narrative and the chemistry between Willis and Jackson is great. If the fourth film ever gets made they should bring back Zeus as this could put the franchise into a new gear. The buddy element works fantastically as the bickering and bantering between the two characters makes the film so much fun to watch.

I love these films and the third one is terrific. Of course there are many debates over which of the sequels are the best, but I believe that they are both great. The third one ensures that this will remain a classic series and I hope that the fourth one (if it gets made that is) will retain the integrity of this entertaining and fun series.

John McClane: [to terrorists in a tunnel] Hi, fellas. Mickey O'Brien, aqueduct security. Hey, listen, we got a report of a guy coming through here with, uh, eight reindeer.
[shoots the terrorists]
John McClane: Yeah, they said he was a jolly, old, fat guy with a snowy, white beard. Cute little red and white suit. I'm surprised you didn't see him.''

8/10