Something that rarely comes up as part of the Die Hard Christmas debate is how 1990 sequel Die Hard 2: Die Harder is also an incredibly festive movie taking place during the yuletide. When terrorists led by the intense Col. Stewart (William Sadler) take over Dulles International airport one snowy winter’s evening, it’s once again up to off-duty cop McClane to stop them. It’s bigger, it’s dafter but Renny Harlin’s film is arguably even more fun than the original.
The film knows it’s 100% ridiculous that McClane should find himself in this situation again - wife Holly is even on board one of the planes - but it’s all done with a knowing wink. “How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?” It’s dumb, it’s enjoyable, just go with it.
There’s no mistaking it’s Christmas - there’s a blizzard as McClane pulls up to the airport, with a fantastic-looking festive fair going on in the background. There’s beautiful, bow-adorned gifts all over the lounge and even the ex-military baddies are clutching huge gift boxes as they march through the airport in highly suspicious formation.
The action is cranked up a notch and is decidedly more wintery too. There’s just something about our hero stabbing an assassin in the eye with an icicle that just screams “Noel!” And let’s not forget the awesome snowmobile chase through evergreen trees and freshly fallen snow. Harlin makes great use of the winter setting, having the villains hide out in an old church, freshly decorated for the season. It’s very atmospheric and very, very cool.
It’s a very entertaining time at the movies, with great set-pieces, including an elaborate gunfight taking us behind the scenes to that place where the luggage goes and gets carried around on big conveyor belts. Later, we get an exhilarating gun battle involving loads of scaffolding, baddies in disguise and Terminator 2’s Robert Patrick spitting out one-liners like the evil bastard he plays so well. And let’s not forget the audacious bit where McClane launches himself into the sky in a plane’s ejector seat to escape a grenade blast. Then it all culminates with a battle on the wing of a speeding jetliner racing through the Christmas snow, which is cool enough, but then ends with McClane blowing the whole plane up just to make sure the head baddie is more cooked than a well-done Christmas turkey. It’s a festive feast of fun.
I’m watching this one shortly before taking part in an online session on ‘dealing with anxiety’ put on by my work, who’re obviously a bit worried about the effect of the whole Covid thing on people’s brains. It comes up that having a hobby or pastime can help keep your mind away from harmful thoughts and stuff. And you know what? It’s right on the money - I’m so wrapped up in watching these festive films, in researching them, that I don’t find time to worry about things like the end of the world as we know it. This is giving me something to keep my brain focused and if the world does end tomorrow? Well, at least I can face it with a big ol’ Christmassy smile on my face. Yippie Ki Yay, movie-lovers.
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