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Die Hard 2

  • 1990
  • R
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
400K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,892
173
Bruce Willis in Die Hard 2 (1990)
Trailer 2 for Die Hard: Die Harder
Play trailer1:22
3 Videos
99+ Photos
DisasterOne-Person Army ActionActionHolidayThriller

John McClane must race against time to save hundreds of lives (including his wife's) when a group of terrorists take control of Washington Dulles Airport's systems, and threaten to crash sev... Read allJohn McClane must race against time to save hundreds of lives (including his wife's) when a group of terrorists take control of Washington Dulles Airport's systems, and threaten to crash several planes if their demands are not met.John McClane must race against time to save hundreds of lives (including his wife's) when a group of terrorists take control of Washington Dulles Airport's systems, and threaten to crash several planes if their demands are not met.

  • Director
    • Renny Harlin
  • Writers
    • Steven E. de Souza
    • Doug Richardson
    • Walter Wager
  • Stars
    • Bruce Willis
    • William Atherton
    • Bonnie Bedelia
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    400K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,892
    173
    • Director
      • Renny Harlin
    • Writers
      • Steven E. de Souza
      • Doug Richardson
      • Walter Wager
    • Stars
      • Bruce Willis
      • William Atherton
      • Bonnie Bedelia
    • 514User reviews
    • 120Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Videos3

    Die Hard 2: Die Harder
    Trailer 1:22
    Die Hard 2: Die Harder
    Die Hard 2
    Trailer 2:37
    Die Hard 2
    Die Hard 2
    Trailer 2:37
    Die Hard 2
    Which Massive Stars Passed on 'Die Hard'?
    Video 2:26
    Which Massive Stars Passed on 'Die Hard'?

    Photos111

    View Poster
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    + 105
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Bruce Willis
    Bruce Willis
    • John McClane
    William Atherton
    William Atherton
    • Thornberg
    Bonnie Bedelia
    Bonnie Bedelia
    • Holly McClane
    Reginald VelJohnson
    Reginald VelJohnson
    • Al Powell
    Franco Nero
    Franco Nero
    • Esperanza
    William Sadler
    William Sadler
    • Stuart
    John Amos
    John Amos
    • Grant
    Dennis Franz
    Dennis Franz
    • Carmine Lorenzo
    Art Evans
    Art Evans
    • Barnes
    Fred Thompson
    Fred Thompson
    • Trudeau
    • (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
    Tom Bower
    Tom Bower
    • Marvin
    Sheila McCarthy
    Sheila McCarthy
    • Samantha Coleman
    Don Harvey
    Don Harvey
    • Garber
    Tony Ganios
    Tony Ganios
    • Baker
    Peter Nelson
    • Thompson
    Robert Patrick
    Robert Patrick
    • O'Reilly
    Mick Cunningham
    Mick Cunningham
    • Sheldon
    • (as Michael Cunningham)
    John Leguizamo
    John Leguizamo
    • Burke
    • Director
      • Renny Harlin
    • Writers
      • Steven E. de Souza
      • Doug Richardson
      • Walter Wager
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews514

    7.2399.6K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    8Gislef

    It's No Die Hard 1...

    ...but other than that, there's very little going against the second in the series. It helps (but not enough) that the character realizes he's basically in a sequel. There are some minor variations in the formula, but basically the movie relies on the Bruce Willis' charisma and humor, and elaborate action sequences. William Sadler is okay, but no Alan Rickman (or Jeremy Irons in #3). It's still enjoyable, though.
    squir1y

    "Another basement, another elevator! How can the same s*** happen to the same guy twice?"

    I don't know how it could but it did and I enjoyed it a lot. This was one great flick and it's one of those movies that seem longer than it actually is.

    John McClane(Willis)is back. Only this time he's at Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. waiting for his wife's plane to arrive. But when McClane stumbles upon a couple of terrorists he tries to warn everyone in the control tower about it. But before they could do anything, the terrorists shut down all of the plane's landing systems. The terrorist leader led by Col. Stuart(played greatly by William Sadler)is demanding that major foreign drug dealer, General Esperanza is freed. But since the tower is powerless, McClane wages another one man war against the terrorists and must hurry before his wife's plane crashes.

    Willis and Sadler do great jobs in their roles. Dennis Franz also does a funny job as the airport police chief. It has a great return of some old characters such as Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, and Reginald VelJohnson.

    This gets my vote as the most entertaining of the three Die Hard movies. 10/10
    8axlrhodes

    A solid sequel

    Like the Lethal Weapon films of the late 80's and early 90's i found the Die Hard films to be very satisfying action entertainment.Much seems to be made of this sequel being inferior to its predecessor but i thought that it matched Die Hard for scale and has some breathtaking moments of action.Bruce Willis is still on top form as our hero and the airport setting during the busy Christmas period gives the film a positive buzz and a certain sense of hyperactivity.Although the film is missing a villain as much fun as Alan Rickmans Hans Gruber,William Sadler is nonetheless bad enough to hate and actually turns out a lot more ruthless than Gruber.In summary director Renny Harlin has succeeded in making a quick paced film that retains the sense of scale felt in the first film whilst making the most of Bruce Willis comic timing and action man charisma. 8/10
    9ReelCheese

    A Total Thrill Ride

    Bruce Willis takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin', nearly outdoing himself in one of the great actioneers of our time. DIE HARD 2 has everything a true action fan could ever want: explosions, chases, plot twists, suspense, drama and all that other good stuff.

    Just two years after his last near-death adventure, John McClane (what a great action hero name) battles bad guys who take over an airport's communication system around the holidays. Unless their demands are met, they will unceremoniously plummet planes to the ground one by one -- including one on which Mrs. McClane (Bonnie Bedelia) is a passenger. Of course Johnny, he of wise-cracking ways, is the only one who can save the day.

    Like its predecessor, set almost entirely in a skyscraper, DIE HARD 2 makes the most out of its setting. McClane is as multi-purpose as can be, chasing mercenaries through luggage conveyors, grasping onto aircraft wings, running out onto the runway and, in a truly awesome scene, ejecting from a plane a split second before it bursts into flames. Throw in a snowmobile chase, the standard trip through the air ducts and a legitimate, interesting motivation for the crooks and you have a total thrill ride guaranteed to recharge your batteries.

    Efforts like DIE HARD 2 won't win any major awards, but they'll do what films are supposed to do: thrust us into another world and entertain us. This is truly Willis and director Renny Harlin at their best.
    7fmarkland32

    Tries Hard...

    Bruce Willis returns as John McClane who this time faces off against mercenaries who have taken over an airport and are threatening to have all the plane crashes, McClane's wife Holly(Bonnie Bedelia) is on one such plane and so it's McClane back in action as he ponders how the same thing can happen to the same guy twice. Die Hard 2 to tell you the truth was a mixed bag. On one hand it had lots of action and a brutal edge to the action but also lacks the suspense of the first. In either case though Die Hard 2 is not bad as sequels go. Indeed even though it's directed by Renny Harlin, Die Hard 2 works in-spite of itself. The only flaw is that the movie is feels too much like a carbon copy of the first film only with a bigger is better approach to the stunts. That being said this is a minor flaw to behold and one really doesn't understand the mixed reaction to this film, when the movie is overall very entertaining.

    * * * out of 4-(Good)

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    Related interests

    Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in Twister (1996)
    Disaster
    Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
    One-Person Army Action
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    James Stewart, Donna Reed, Beulah Bondi, Carol Coombs, Karolyn Grimes, and Thomas Mitchell in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    Holiday
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the first Die Hard (1988), John McClane only had a few scripted one-liners. However, Bruce Willis ad-libbed many one-liners, and audiences liked them. So much so that in this sequel (and the next one), more gags were added, and Willis was told he could ad-lib as much as he saw fit.
    • Goofs
      Airport runways do not have manholes. Additionally, any manhole cover which could be lifted by one person would easily be crushed by a plane.
    • Quotes

      Grant: You're the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.

      John McClane: Story of my life.

    • Alternate versions
      TV Versions, including that shown on the WB Network, edit out much of the violence and much of the profane dialogue is redubbed. Willis's redubbing is quite obvious because the new voice sounds nothing like Willis. Despite the overt dubbing of Willis's dialogue by a sound-alike actor (who really doesn't sound like Willis, for that matter), this version also utilizes dialogue from other characters to replace John McClane's. As John is leaving the elevator through the roof, he tells Samantha to "Fuck off." In this TV version, the word "fuck" is dubbed over with William Sadler saying "joke" from earlier in the film.
    • Connections
      Featured in Late Night with David Letterman: Episode dated 8 June 1990 (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Old Cape Cod
      Written by Claire Rothrock, Milt Yakus and Allan Jeffrey

      Performed by Patti Page

      Courtesy of Polygram Special Projects

      a division of Polygram Records, Inc.

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    FAQ39

    • How long is Die Hard 2?Powered by Alexa
    • Why did Garber pass the "gift" to Cochrane at the airport when he could have given it to him at the hotel?
    • Why was Colonel Stewart in the airport at all when his command center to take over the airport is in the small church?
    • Why would a janitor have airport blueprints?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 3, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • 20th Century Studios
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Duro de matar 2
    • Filming locations
      • Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado, USA
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Gordon Company
      • Silver Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $70,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $117,540,947
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $21,744,661
      • Jul 8, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $240,031,274
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 4m(124 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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