Die Hard 2
Sequel set at an airport during Christmas week.
Die Hard 2, also promoted with the taglines *Die Harder* and *Die Hard 2: Die Harder*, is a 1990 American action movie. Renny Harlin directed it, with a script by Steven E. de Souza and Doug Richardson. Joel Silver co-produced, and Bruce Willis returns as John McClane. The cast also includes Bonnie Bedelia, William Sadler, Art Evans, William Atherton, Franco Nero, Dennis Franz, Fred Thompson, John Amos, and Reginald VelJohnson. As the sequel to 1988's *Die Hard* and the second film in the series, it came out on July 4, 1990, through 20th Century Fox. The movie proved that the setup from the first film could work in a new location and still pull in big crowds, which sparked many copycats outside the franchise.
The action again takes place during Christmas week, though not specifically on Christmas Eve. John McClane, now an LAPD lieutenant, is at Washington Dulles International Airport waiting for his wife Holly’s plane to land. Terrorists seize control of the air traffic system, and McClane has to stop them before Holly’s flight and several others circling overhead run out of fuel and crash. Along the way, he clashes with airport police and a military commander named Grant, none of whom want his help.
Critics gave the film positive reviews, praising the action sequences while noting some plot weaknesses. Most agreed it wasn’t as strong as the original. Still, *Die Hard 2* was a huge box office hit, earning $240 million worldwide—double the first film’s take—and landing as the seventh highest-grossing movie of the year. It was followed by *Die Hard with a Vengeance* (1995), *Live Free or Die Hard* (2007), and *A Good Day to Die Hard* (2013).
**Plot**
Two years after the events of the first film, John McClane arrives at Dulles International Airport to pick up his wife Holly. Airport police officer Vito Lorenzo gives him a parking ticket and is hostile. Meanwhile, a plane carrying General Ramon Esperanza, a corrupt foreign military leader, is headed to Dulles under extradition for using U.S. funds to buy drugs. Waiting for Esperanza is disgraced former U.S. Army Colonel William Stuart and a group of ex-military sympathizers who backed Esperanza’s actions. McClane follows two of Stuart’s men into a baggage area, where a gunfight breaks out. He kills one man, but the other escapes.
- Release year
- 1990
- Director
- Renny Harlin
- Lead actor
- Bruce Willis
- Box office
- $240 million
- Budget
- originally budgeted at $40 million; reported as $60–70 million (disputed)
- Based on
- Walter Wager's 1987 novel 58 Minutes
- Series position
- Second installment in the Die Hard film series
Lore & Background
The plot follows John McClane, now an LAPD lieutenant, waiting for his wife Holly at Washington Dulles International Airport when terrorists take over the air traffic control system. The terrorists, led by disgraced former U.S. Army Colonel William Stuart, demand that a plane carrying corrupt foreign military leader General Ramon Esperanza be allowed to land. McClane must stop them before Holly's plane and several other circling flights run out of fuel and crash. During the night, he contends with airport police and military commander Grant, none of whom want his assistance.
The screenplay was adapted from Walter Wager's 1987 novel 58 Minutes, which has a similar plot but differs slightly. One of the writers, Steven E. de Souza, later stated that the villains were based on America's Central American meddling, primarily the Iran–Contra affair. The film was the first to use digitally composited live-action footage with a traditional matte painting that had been photographed and scanned into a computer, used for the final runway scene.
Scenes of Dulles International Airport in the snow were originally to be filmed in Denver but were scrapped due to warm weather. Some outdoor scenes were filmed in Alpena, Michigan, and others at former Kincheloe Air Force Base in Kincheloe, Michigan. Other scenes were filmed on a soundstage in Los Angeles using fake snow.
Reader's Guide
Die Hard 2 received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences and criticism for some plot elements; it was generally considered inferior to its predecessor. It was a major box-office success, grossing $240 million and doubling the earnings of its predecessor, finishing as the year's seventh-highest-grossing film. The film demonstrated to the industry that the first film's scenario could be applied to different settings and still draw massive audiences, leading to many imitators outside of the series. It was followed by Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013).
Did You Know?
- Bruce Willis was paid $7.5 million for reprising his role.
- The film debuted on video in the United States on January 31, 1991, and sold a record 505,000 units for rental in its first week.
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