20 Things You Didn't Know About Die Hard 2
Everything you need to know about Bruce Willis' divisive action sequel.
Though few would ever try to argue that 1990's Die Hard 2: Die Harder is a better movie than its all-timer predecessor, there's definitely debate about it being a more persuasive Christmas movie.
Indeed, Die Hard 2 is a relatively by-the-numbers action sequel, but it's also still a lot of fun, largely thanks to its entertaining array of characters, its ridiculous action, and of course, Bruce Willis' terrific performance as steely hero John McClane.
But considering that the sequel's reputation is nowhere near as strong as the first, it's fair to say that there's probably a lot you don't even know about how the film came together.
From its fraught pre-production stages to its rushed shoot and its frantic edit, it is in many ways a miracle that Die Hard 2 is such a solidly entertaining film, even if the two sequels that followed arguably took the franchise to more exciting and interesting places.
We can all agree on one thing, though: the less said about the fifth film, A Good Day to Die Hard, the better...
20. John McTiernan Originally Planned To Direct
Director John McTiernan did an incredible job helming the original Die Hard, and so it was little surprise that Fox pursued him to direct the sequel just two years later.
And though the filmmaker did originally plan to return for the follow-up, he ultimately had to turn the gig down due to already being committed to the Sean Connery-starring submarine thriller The Hunt for Red October.
Given that that movie went on to score enormous acclaim and receive three Oscar nominations (including a win for Best Sound Editing), McTiernan probably made the right choice.
Die Hard 2, then, saw Fox defer to up-and-coming Finnish filmmaker Renny Harlin after being impressed by the raw footage of his action-comedy The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.
Harlin's no McTiernan, though, so it's a shame that we'll never know what could've been with his involvement. Mercifully, McTiernan did return in glorious fashion for the effortlessly superior 1995 threequel, Die Hard with a Vengeance.