Die Hard 2 (Die Hard 2: Die Harder) poster & wallpaper
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Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Bill Sadler, William Atherton, Franco Nero ... see more see more... , Dennis Franz , John Amos , Reginald VelJohnson , Art Evans , Fred Dalton Thompson , Tom Bower , Sheila McCarthy , Don Harvey , Tony Ganios , Robert Patrick , Michael Cunningham , John Leguizamo , Tom Verica , John Costelloe , Michael Francis Clarke , Steve Pershing , Tom Everett , Sherry Bilsing , Carla Tamburrelli , Jeanne Bates , Colm Meaney , Steffan Gregory Foster , James Lancaster , Paul Abascal , Nick Angotti , Ken Baldwin , Carol Barbee , Robert J. Bennett , Alan Berger , Paul Bollen , Mark Boone Jr. , Bob Braun , Earl Houston Bullock , John Cade , Bob Rocky Cheli , Robert Costanzo , Vondie Curtis-Hall , Ed de Fusco , Richard Domeier , Danial Donai , Anthony Droz , Tom Finnegan , Gilbert Garcia , Jessica Gardner , Edward Gero , Dwayne Hargray , Amanda Hillwood , Jim Hudson , Wynn Irwin , Dale Jacoby , Dominique Jennings , David Katz , Greg Kovan , Jeff Langton , Charles Lanyer , Ben Lemon , Lauren Letherer , Connie Lillo-Thieman , Robert Lipton , Martin Lowery , Vincent Joseph Mazzella Jr. , Dick McGarvin , Don Charles McGovern , Stafford Morgan , Julian Reyes , Jason Ross-Azikiwe , Joseph Roth , John Rubinow , Robert Sacchi , Rande Scott , Bill Smille , Ken Smolka , Robert Steinberg , Thomas Tofel , Vance Valencia , Felicity Waterman , Danny Weselis , David Willis Sr. , Jerry Parrott , Jackie Burch , Peter Nelson , Patrick O'Neal , William Sadler

"Another basement, another elevator...how can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?" asks John McClane (Bruce Willis), in what is doubtless the key question of this film. A year after foiling t... read more read more...he terrorist takeover of a high-rise office building in the first movie, McClane is waiting to pick up his wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), at Dulles International Airport just outside Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve. Scheduled to arrive the same evening is Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero), a South American political figure who is being brought to the United States to stand trial for his role in a drug-smuggling ring. However, a group of terrorists, led by renegade American military officer Col. Stuart (William Sadler), take control of the airport, scuttling radio transmissions and placing their own men in the control tower. Stuart and his men ensure that Esperanza's plane lands safely, and then demand that Stuart and his men be given a fully-fueled 747 and free passage wherever they choose to go. Otherwise, they will guide the many circling jets waiting for landing instructions into definite crash landings, killing the many passengers on board. Not willing to stand aside as terrorists once again threaten his wife's life, the wise-cracking McClane once again leaps into action to foil Stuart's plans and bring the passenger jets safely to the ground. William Atherton, John Amos, Dennis Franz, and John Leguizamo highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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73% liked it

384,666 ratings

Critics

65% liked it

46 critics

R, 2 hr. 4 min.

Directed by: Renny Harlin

Release Date: July 2, 1990

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DVD Release Date: March 9, 1999

Stats: 14,422 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (14,422)

  • spielberg00
    February 20, 2012
    spielberg00
    The original DIE HARD is one of the best movies I have ever seen. With both explosive thrills and a sturdy plot (not to mention the strongly accessible character created by Bruce Willis), it instantly became a cinematic breakthrough. In no way is DIE HARD 2 a breakthrough of an... read morey kind. Here, we have almost the same thing as the first entry in the series: explosions, terrorists taking over a building (this time an airport rather than an office building), a Christmas placement, and a "yippee-ki-yay" or two.

    Someone who hasn't seen the original DIE HARD may love this sequel, just as someone who has seen it will likely be disappointed with the sequel. Move the setting from an office building to an airport, and change Alan Rickman to Bill Sadler. Broadly, those are the only two changes to be made for DIE HARD to become DIE HARD 2.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    January 31, 2012
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Not such a good follow up, but that's expected with this sort of movie. Lacked rounded characters and was just not as developed as it could have been.
  • CreedsDelight
    January 8, 2012
    CreedsDelight
    Holly McClane: They told me there were terrorists at the airport.
    John McClane: Yeah, I heard that too.

    What better way to follow up an action masterpiece than give it the cheesiest name known to mankind? Die Hard 2 (Die Hard 2: Die Harder) is a worthy sequel to the original, ... read moreand injects some new into the old.

    John McClane: Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.

    Bruce Willis is back as John McClane. Its Christmas eve, and McClane is eagerly awaiting the arrival of his wife at Dulles International Airport. Like the first film, terrorists take control and things go haywire.

    John McClane: Oh man, I can't fucking believe this. Another basement. Another elevator. How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?

    Instead of being condensed into a single location (like the first one), we are given a bigger location, which gives input into the old plot. We have fights at a church, on a plane, and a particularly exciting scene involving baggage claim.

    Trudeau: Okay, we've got a body in the morgue that seems to have died twice. Now, assuming this isn't a computer error, what do we assume?
    John McClane: That someone's about to seriously fuck with this airport.
    Trudeau: What the hell is that supposed to mean? I know we're all dummies up here, McClane, but give us a little taste of your brilliant genius! What are we talking about, a hijacking -
    John McClane: I don't know -
    Carmine Lorenzo: Oh, he's not sure! Well, I'm stunned! I gotta lie down!
    John McClane: The only people who go through this much trouble are professionals, not luggage thieves and not punks!

    While the plot could've been expanded a bit more to differ it slightly from the first, Die Hard 2 is still a really exciting action-packed thrill ride.

    John McClane: Hey Carmine, let me ask you something. What sets off the metal detectors first, the lead in your ass or the shit in your brains?
  • 3niR
    November 14, 2011
    3niR
    Same plot but with different case. Still liked it!
  • phubbs1
    October 25, 2011
    phubbs1
    I like this, the action here is non stop and dare I say even better than the original. There are more gun battles and deaths than snowflakes here lol! the effects are alittle dated now with some rather obvious models and bluescreen but the whole airport/terrorist approach is pret... read morety intense and does make you sweat, what else is probably more terrifying than an airport/airplane hijacking.

    To be honest this film is probably more intense than the first due to its settings, the claustrophobic feeling from within the airliner and nasty memories of certain real life terrorist attacks (that's not so much a plus but more an unfortunate situation).

    Still for a gun and splatter fest you can't beat this, Sadler with his evil sneer and useless henchmen haha bullets and obscenities flying all over the shop! most certainly Die Harder!
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    September 6, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Yippee Ki Yay, All over again!

    Great movie! Just like the first of the series this one was full of action once again. The story was intriguing and twisted which it absolutely kicked ass. Bruce Willis did his thing excellent in every way and carried this film.

    It's Christmas Eve... read more, one year after the Nakatomi Plaza siege that took place in Los Angeles. Lieutenant John McClane of the LAPD is at the Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, waiting for the flight his wife Holly is on, as their kids are visiting Holly's parents in nearby Washington DC. It won't be easy getting Holly to her parents' house because her mother's car, which John is using at the moment, has been towed. There is also a breaking news story that all of the networks are covering. At the Escelan Airport in the Republic of Valverde, an airplane carrying General Ramon Esperanza has taken off, on course for the Dulles International Airport. Two years ago, Esperanza led his country's army in a campaign against communist insurgents, and it was a campaign that was fought with American money and advisers. Esperanza's fall from power caused ripples not only in his country's recent election, but in the USA as well, when high ranking Pentagon officials were charged with supplying Esperanza with weapons despite the congressional ban, but mounting evidence that Esperanza's forces have violated the neutrality of neighboring countries made Congress withhold funds. Esperanza is accused of replacing those funds by going into the business of cocaine smuggling, and now, Esperanza is being transported to the USA to face drug charges. Using her airplane's phone, Holly informs John that the airplane will land half an hour late...but it'll actually be much later than that. On Holly's airplane, one of her fellow passengers is Richard "Dick" Thornburg, the news reporter who filed a restraining order against Holly after Holly knocked out two of Dick's teeth last year. The restraining order says that Holly is not to be within 50 feet of Dick. The control tower staff, led by chief of air operations Trudeau and his chief engineer Leslie Barnes, is worried about the weather. As one snowstorm system moves out, another one is moving in, which means that all incoming flights are delayed, and Washington DC International airport has just shut down because they're totally iced, and they're sending their incoming flights to Dulles, increasing the tower staff's workload then the control tower's communications systems are crippled by a rogue military unit led by Colonel Stuart, who is a supporter of Esperanza. Stuart and his men are stationed in a nearby church. Trudeau alerts the staff that all aircraft approaching the Dulles sector but not in the Dulles landing pattern are to be diverted to an alternate airport. The rest of the incoming flights, including Holly's, are to hold at the outer markers. Trudeau also mentions that the staff may have just bought itself about 2 hours, and after that, the airplanes that are low on fuel will start falling out of the sky. Stuart calls the tower and says that Esperanza's airplane will be arriving at Dulles in 58 minutes, and that the airplane is not to be met by anyone, and that it will land on a runway of his designation, and at the same time, he wants a 747 cargo conversion, fully fueled, placed at his disposal. The tower staff has 2 minutes to advise the incoming flights to hold at the outer markers, then the staff will be able to receive only, as the ability to send out communications to the airplanes will be disabled. Stuart also says that any attempt to restore the tower's systems will result in deadly penalties. Holly's airplane is one of the 18 airplanes that are circling over the airport, running out of fuel, and that makes John extremely desperate to stop Stuart and Esperanza, and help the airport restore its communications so the airplanes can safely land that is, if he's not slowed down by inept airport police Captain Carmine Lorenzo.
  • fb535316333
    July 12, 2011
    fb535316333
    It's "bigger" than the first and that's a bonus and still carries the spirit of Cain and his unfortunate stumbles into action-packed situations.

    Not sure why people are saying this one's forgettable. I just need to mention "Airport" and "Christmas"; two setting ideas that this s... read moreequel shamelessly exploits.

    Another action flick that hits the mark. Formulaic? Maybe. But it works for all intents and purposes.
  • FrizzDrop
    June 29, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    Just as action packed and undoubtedly special effects heavy as the original, the second in the Die Hard franchise is still lackluster compared to the suspenseful intrigue that comes with a villain such as Hans Gruber. Still, DH2 has some pretty awesome sequences, including a snow... read moremobile chase and a plane seat ejection before the cockpit explodes on the runway. I'm not sure why most people reject this film over the first, but it may simply be that this film is campy in comparison. Many of the action movie clichés rear their ugly head: an authoritarian who doesn't believe the protagonist, a terrorist plot, and countless unnecessary scenes of gore and violence. Still, I became totally immersed in the fireballs and the subplot involving McClane's wife's plane, circling overhead Dulles airport, as helpless as the victims of the terrorists' rampage. Dennis Franz is featured as a airport bureaucrat who is rough and quite frankly, annoying. Good for a Friday night in with the boys.
  • moonrivers
    June 16, 2011
    moonrivers
    In terms of kicking mercenary/terrorist ass this is a one horse town, and that horse's name is John McClane. More action fun living the dream.
  • 76Majikat
    April 15, 2011
    76Majikat
    What an unlucky couple!! Basically the same plot as the first, but using an Aeroplane instead of a building.

    What is it about sequels that I cannot resist, even when I didn't particularly enjoy the first? A weird obsession of mine!

View All Die Hard 2 (Die Hard 2: Die Harder) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
November 27, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

If your idea of a good time is watching a lot of stupid, unpleasant people insult and brutalize one another, this is right up your alley. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Though the follow-up is bigger, it's not really better. The surprise is missing.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is terrific entertainment. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

It's rambunctiously entertaining, a loop-de-loopy bumper car ride through a firecracker sky, all bright lights, sonic booms and impossible heroics. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

A second-rate one-upping. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Somewhat-muddled but still entertaining. Full Review

Kelly Kessler
January 2, 2011
Kelly Kessler, Common Sense Media

John McClane spreads vigilante Christmas cheer. Full Review

Brian Orndorf
July 6, 2010
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com

Exquisite widescreen theatrics and explosive entertainment. It's an awesome machine of mayhem....a skilled sequel, a brass-knuckled bruiser of an action picture, and a sublime cinematic distraction. Full Review

Brian Holcomb
May 5, 2008
Brian Holcomb, CinemaBlend.com

"How can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?" asks a bewildered and ultra-ironic John McClane. Well, make a film as successful as Die Hard and you'll soon find out. Full Review

November 27, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

[A] cynical, formulaic sequel. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Marvin: [about the radio he lifted from one of Stuart's henchmen] I found it on the floor next to the luggage belt. What the hell are you so excited about?
    • John McClane: The code's still punched into this one.
    • Marvin: You like it, huh? How 'bout you give me twenty bucks for it.
    • John McClane: How 'bout I let you live?
    • Marvin: Man knows how to barter.
    • Capt. Grant: You are just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
    • John McClane: Story of my life.
    • John McClane: Oh man, I can't fucking believe this. Another basement. Another elevator. How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?
    • John McClane: Hey Carmine, let me ask you something. What sets off the metal detectors first, the lead in your ass or the shit in your brains?
    • John McClane: Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.
Submit a Fact | View All

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Die Hard 2 (Die Hard 2: Die Harde... Trivia

  • In what movie is this said "basement, elevator how can the same shit happen to the same guy twice   Answer »
  • Which "Die Hard" movie was directed by Renny Harlin?  Answer »
  • Who directed Die Hard 2: Die Harder?  Answer »
  • ***DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER Is Based On a Book Called***  Answer »
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