Reviewing and Comparing the Films of the Die Hard Trilogy

The movie sequel. Oftentimes that phrase causes a feeling of abject dread in the moviegoer's mind. However, there have been several instances where movie sequels were not half bad. Think "Star Wars" or "Indiana Jones." While many might argue that the "Star Wars" prequel movies were vastly inferior to the original film, few would debate the equality of the sequel "The Empire Strikes Back." In fact, many sci-fi fans prefer that film to the original. Still, it can't be denied that there have been a lot of horrible movie sequels as well.

This article is my second in a series that compares the original movie against its sequel(s). This time around I chose one of my favorites, the cult classic "Die Hard." This 1988 movie, which stars Bruce Willis and Bonnie Bedelia, is still considered to be one of the best action films of all time. It grabs the audience immediately and doesn't loosen its grip at any point throughout the film. Because of this, it became a prototype for the modern day action film.

"Die Hard" centers on John McClane (Willis) an honest, hard working New York cop who has spent so much time in his job that he is on the verge of losing his family. His wife Holly (Bedelia) has moved to Los Angeles, supposedly because of a promotion but realistically to get away from him. However, the couple is still on speaking terms and John travels to Los Angeles at Christmas with the hopes of patching up their failing marriage.

Almost immediately upon arrival at his wife's office, a group of terrorists led by the enigmatic Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman) takes over the building, holding everyone inside hostage. John, who happens to be the bathroom at the time, figures out what is going on and manages to escape to an upper floor of the building so that he can come up with a plan to save his wife and the other hostages.