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Die Hard: Deserving of all its praises. A highly re- watchable movie, with two great villains (Alan Rickman and Alexander Godunov) and two believable heroes (Bruce Willis as the jet-lagged cop and Reginald "Family Matters" VelJohnson as his man on the ground). Perfectly-paced suspense with terrific - though not too over-the-top - action scenes.
Die Hard 2: In many ways this is better than the first one - tougher villains, a higher body count - villains and hostages both, a setting (Dulles Airport during a blizzard) with limitless possibilities for action, and a strong supporting cast that includes Fred Dalton Thompson, Dennis Franz, and a pre-Terminator 2 Robert Patrick. I even didn't mind repeating the action on Christmas Eve, same as the first film, because in the film's context it worked...but even though William Sadler played one true badass of a villain, he's no Alan Rickman. Also, Bonnie Bedelia and Reginald VelJohnson, who both had respectable roles in the first film, weren't given much to do here. But the action scenes kick many leagues of ass.
Die Hard With a Vengeance: Eh, I've seen this several times (it's ALWAYS on cable) but it never blew my skirt up. The action scenes are, for the most part, either dull or improbable (pressurized water shoots Bruce Willis up a manhole where he splashes onto the surface just as Samuel L. Jackson drives by? WTF!?!?). Once the action left clausterphobic lower Manhattan, things became boring.
Live Free or Die Hard: A mixed bag. The first hour was terrific, as no one knew what was going on or who was responsible and as Bruce Willis saved the Justin Long character and raced for his life...but when the setting changed in the second half to a souped-up tractor-trailer and then a power plant, it became boring again, just like what happened in Part 3. And why did they have to take Willis's daughter hostage in Act 3? That is such a tired fucking cliche, it's even more annoying now than the shaky camera technique.
HS
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