1995 Rewind: Die Hard With a Vengeance

 


It's hard to believe, but 1995 was 30 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 1995 that are turning 30 in 2025. Today, it's a classic summer action film.

Zeus: Are you aiming for these people?
John McClane: No. Well, maybe that mime.

Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Irons
Director: John McTiernan
About: I kick off my look at films from this year with a banger of a summer action film, the third in the Die Hard franchise. The original film is a personal favorite, an iconic action film, and a great Christmas movie. (Yes, accept it, the film takes place at a Christmas Party on Christmas Eve. It's a Christmas movie.) Nothing will ever top or equal that, but this is the one in the franchise that comes the closest. It brings back the original director and tells an interesting original story that ties back to the first. Unlike the immediate sequel, it changes the setting. We're in New York. It's the middle of summer. And John McClane (Willis) is a somewhat broken man. He's brought into this strange game of cat-and-mouse, paired with a great reluctant aide in Zeus (Jackson). I enjoy their back-and-forth, and I really enjoy Irons as the villain. From the moment we get the opening shots of the city and hear the song "Summer in the City" kick up, I'm in for the ride. It's fun, it's got good action, and there is some good humor and iconic lines. This is a great film.

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