THE REWATCHABLES · April 5, 2022
A 1990 action / thriller directed by Renny Harlin, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The villain’s silent, fully nude tai chi routine is treated as a memorable, instantly legible bad-guy signal.
About 24 minMcClane fights two men in the airport baggage/security area using the cluttered space well.
About 32 minThe airport cop and McClane clash over McClane’s methods and record, establishing the sequel’s tension.
About 32 minA British Airways plane explodes after runway manipulation, killing passengers in a scene the hosts find shocking and morally jarring.
About 40 minMcClane escapes by parachute in a visually striking action beat.
About 40 minThe climax uses the burning runway and plane landing race as a big spectacle finish.
About 48 minThe film repeatedly cuts to characters studying maps, runway data, and airport logistics.
About 56 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsYes, because it is set during Christmas travel and captures the season’s airport chaos.
Chris RyanNo, because Christmas is only background dressing and the movie could happen on another date.
Sean FennesseyYes, because the holiday setting and ending song make the Christmas context meaningful.
Sean FennesseyVery implausible; the film treats a mass-casualty crash too casually and the runway fuel explanation is shaky.
Chris RyanThe action works as spectacle, but the mechanics and aftermath are absurd.
Bill SimmonsThe movie is entertaining despite the implausibility, but the crash still feels brutal.
Bill SimmonsSuggests other possibilities but is unsure any would match Willis’s mix of comedy and action.
Chris RyanMentions Treat Williams and Jeff Bridges as possible alternatives.
Sean FennesseySays Willis’s specific mix of charm and action is hard to replace.
Argues Willis was a singular movie star who combined action, comedy, and charisma.
About 8 minSays Willis had daring taste and repeatedly chose interesting filmmakers and projects.
About 8 minFeels the movie still works as a strong action sequel, even if it is more exaggerated than the original.
About 24 minTreats the naked tai chi intro as a perfect villain cue and one of the best such scenes in action movies.
About 24 minFinds the crash thrilling but too horrifying and abrupt to be fully rewatchable.
About 40 minEnjoys Franz’s blunt airport-cop authority and his Chicago-inflected performance.
About 48 minLikes the old airport culture and finds the Christmas travel chaos evocative, even though it is also outdated.
About 1:04Enjoys the movie but keeps pointing out implausible physics and plotting.
About 1:20The episode is partly an obituary/tribute to Willis’s range, cool, and taste in projects.
Opening minutesThe movie is discussed as an early-90s sequel built on repeating a successful formula, with some escalation and some silliness.
About 24 minThe airport-at-Christmas setting becomes a source of both nostalgia and critique; they debate whether that makes it a Christmas movie.
About 1:04A recurring theme is how the cast is packed with memorable supporting performers who were then mostly known as 'that guy.'
About 1:04The hosts enjoy the movie but repeatedly pause to question its physics, tactics, and narrative incentives.
About 1:20The hosts link Bruce Willis’s recent retirement announcement to the episode’s tribute framing.
Opening minutesThe film was originally expected to be directed by John McTiernan, but he was unavailable because of The Hunt for Red October.
About 1:20One visual-effects note mentioned is that the runway finale used digitally composited live-action footage with a matte painting.
About 1:20Black & Decker allegedly sued because a paid drill placement scene was cut from the movie.
About 1:20John Leguizamo wrote that his role was supposed to be larger until the filmmakers realized how short he was.
About 1:20The movie reportedly shipped to theaters as a 'wet print' because it was completed right before release.
About 1:20Sean says the airport reporter role could have been played by a younger actress like Sandra Bullock, Markie Post, or Dana Wheeler-Nicholson.
About 1:20The hosts say the film’s airport scenes and security access now feel impossible or outdated.
About 1:04Used as an example of Willis’s career risk-taking and later discussed in a Bruce Willis filmography run-through.
About 8 minNamed as one of Willis’s best performances and one of his biggest roles.
About 8 minReferenced as a cult-beloved Willis action movie from the early 1990s.
About 8 minMentioned as an example of Willis’s self-aware cameo work.
About 8 minUsed to show Willis’s sense of humor about himself and stardom.
About 8 minReferenced as the TV show that made Willis a star.
About 8 minUsed as a comparison for sequel logic—just run it back.
About 24 minMentioned because John McTiernan was occupied directing it instead of Die Hard 2.
About 1:20Referenced in the tai chi debate as a comparison point for half-nude tai chi.
About 1:20Used for the fictional country Val Verde, which the hosts trace into Die Hard 2.
About 1:04Referenced as the apex of recreational taser-gun comedy.
About 1:20Cited as a better example of an airport/airplane film than the Die Hard sequels.
About 1:28Used as Bill’s benchmark for a true Christmas movie.
About 1:28Joked about as a very different Harrison Ford movie with notable smoking scenes.
About 1:20Mentioned as an example of a good snowmobile chase.
About 1:04The hosts keep riffing on how much smoking and indoor cigarette culture appears in older films and pods.
About 1:12They mock-build a larger fictional history around Val Verde, the fake country from Commando and Die Hard 2.
About 1:04They repeatedly catalog the movie’s many recognizable supporting actors who were not yet household names.
About 1:04The hosts imagine custom cuts of movies that would remove boring subplots and preserve only the best shots.
About 48 minThey assign 'Apex Mountain' to various elements like airports, Val Verde, and Willis’s hair.
About 1:04“This is terrific entertainment.”About 16 min
“You can have two. Fucking you.”About 1:04
“How does the same shit happen twice?”About 1:04
“I taught him everything he knows.”About 1:04
“I'm crazy, but I'm not that crazy!”About 48 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Die Hard 2, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris RyanThe Rewatchables
Sean FennesseyThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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