Die Hard with a Vengeance is a 1995 action film, and the second sequel in the Die Hard series. It was produced and directed by John McTiernan (who directed the first film) and stars Bruce Willis as NYPD detective John McClane. Vengeance also stars Samuel L. Jackson as Willis' reluctant partner, Zeus Carver, and Jeremy Irons as the main villain, Simon Gruber. The film was written by Jonathan Hensleigh, and was followed by Live Free or Die Hard in 2007.
Set in New York City, the film opens with the explosion of a bomb in a Bonwit Teller department store. A call soon comes in to the precinct at which NYPD Lt. John McClane works; the caller, who identifies himself only as "Simon," takes credit for the blast and demands that McClane, who has been suspended, play a game of "Simon Says." In order to keep Simon from setting off any more bombs for the moment, McClane must walk through Harlem, wearing a sandwich board that reads "I HATE NIGGERS" (in the TV/"clean" version this sign reads "I hate everybody"). This is witnessed by shopkeeper and black activist Zeus Carver who saves him from being beaten to death by outraged locals. Carver's concern, however, was only that a white cop being killed in Harlem could result in "trigger happy" white cops shooting up the neighborhood and killing lots of blacks.
Once McClane and Carver are safely back at the precinct, Simon calls again and tells them that they must now both play his game. They have 15 minutes to reach a particular street-corner pay phone, where he calls and reads them the "As I was going to St Ives" riddle. They have 30 seconds to call back with the answer, but are 10 seconds late doing so; however, Simon tells them that there was no bomb this time.
Their next assignment is to get to a phone at the Wall Street subway station within 30 minutes. McClane avoids the heavy traffic by driving through Central Park and behind an ambulance, then climbs down through a street grating and onto the approaching train. He finds Simon’s bomb inside and throws it out the window as Zeus reaches the phone. This time, Simon calls to tell him that McClane's absence is a breach of the rules; the bomb goes off, demolishing much of the station.
McClane and Carver now meet with McClane’s superiors and several FBI agents, who have been analyzing Simon’s phone calls. They have discovered that his full name is Simon Peter Gruber, the brother of Hans Gruber, whom McClane killed in Die Hard. Simon is a former officer in the East German Nationale Volksarmee heading a crack commando team trained to execute sabotage behind enemy lines in foreign uniforms (see Otto Skorzeny, Operation Greif). After the collapse of East Germany, Simon is believed to have gone to work for Iranian intelligence. He is also suspected of wanting to avenge Hans by killing McClane.
Simon’s next call informs the group that a large bomb has been planted in one of the city’s public schools, and it will be detonated when class is dismissed for the day. The police are warned not to evacuate any schools or use their radios, leading to citywide chaos as they begin a frantic search for the bomb.
McClane and Carver are directed to Tompkins Square Park, where they find a bomb set on a five-minute timer. In order to disarm it, they must use two jugs (three and five gallons) to measure out exactly four gallons of water. After they do so, Simon calls with a new riddle: "What is 21 out of 42?" He suggests that they pay a visit to Yankee Stadium; instead, they head for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. McClane has an idea of the bomber’s true plan – to distract the city’s police and emergency crews long enough to rob the bank’s massive gold reserves.
Simon and his men have in fact done exactly that, killing the security personnel and driving the bullion away through an aqueduct in a convoy of dump trucks. McClane and Carver find the aftermath of the robbery, and McClane tries to follow the gang as Carver goes to Yankee Stadium by himself. Inside the aqueduct, McClane is nearly drowned when the gang blows up an underground dam. The force of the water launches him back up to ground level and right in front of Carver, who found nothing at the stadium but was nearly shot and killed by a sniper.
As the final school bell approaches, McClane deduces that Simon and his men are going to put the gold on a ship and sail it out of the country. The "21 out of 42" riddle becomes clear: the 21st President of the United States (out of the 42 who had served as of the time this film was made). The answer is Chester A. Arthur, the name of the school where the bomb has been planted.
McClane and Carver find Simon’s ship and sneak on board but are soon captured. In the school’s kitchen, the police find the bomb hidden in a refrigerator; however, it proves to be a harmless mockup meant as a further distraction. The two heroes are handcuffed back to back next to the real bomb and left there by Simon, who has double-crossed his employers in Iranian intelligence and murdered his handler. The original plan was to blow up the stolen bullion in New York harbor and destabilize much of the world’s economy. However, Simon has replaced the gold with scrap metal and smuggled it off the ship to keep for himself and his men. Reasoning that Simon is just like his brother Hans, McClane figures his plans out as the clock counts down.
Freeing themselves and jumping overboard seconds before the bomb detonates, McClane and Carver are soon rescued by the police. While trying to call his estranged wife, McClane locates a bottle of aspirin left by Simon and realizes that the gang has fled to Quebec. Meanwhile, Simon lectures his men about how, thanks to the gullibility of the NYPD, they have gone from an army without a country to one that must decide which country to buy. Suddenly, however, McClane, Zeus, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrive and raid the hideout before Simon and his men can escape. Seething with hatred, Simon announces, "I have something personal to finish." He jumps into a helicopter piloted by his mistress and attempts to shoot down McClane and Zeus with a machine gun.
After forcing McClane and Zeus' aircraft into a crash landing, Simon's helicopter hovers beneath nearby power lines as Simon looks his mortal enemy right in the eyes. McClane, however, shoots the power lines with his last two bullets. The wires hit the helicopter blades, causing Simon's helicopter to explode in a massive fireball. McClane snarls, "Yippy-ki-yay, motherfucker," and leaves to call his estranged wife.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Bruce Willis | Lt. John McClane |
| Jeremy Irons | Simon Gruber a.k.a. Peter Krieg |
| Samuel L. Jackson | Zeus Carver |
| Larry Bryggman | Inspector Walter Cobb |
| Graham Greene | Detective Joe Lambert |
| Colleen Camp | Detective Connie Kowalski |
| Sharon Washington | Officer Jane |
| Anthony Peck | Detective Ricky Walsh |
| Michael Alexander Jackson | Dexter |
| Aldis Hodge | Raymond |
| Nicholas Wyman | Mathias Targo |
| Sam Phillips | Katya |
| Aasif Mandvi | Arab cabbie |
| Elvis Duran | Radio DJ |
| John McTiernan, Sr. | Fisherman |
In this version the crook has dumped or double-crossed most of his accomplices, gotten the loot to a safe hiding place (Nova Scotia), and has the gold turned into statuettes of a famous landmark (in this case the Empire State Building) in order to smuggle it out of the country; but he is still tracked down to his foreign hideaway. This is very similar to Alec Guinness' situation in the British heist movie The Lavender Hill Mob made some 45 years earlier in which the stolen gold is turned into Eiffel Tower paperweights.
McClane is keen to take his problems out on Simon whom he invites to play a game called "McClane Says". This involves a form of Russian Roulette with a small Chinese rocket launcher with the sights removed, meaning it cannot be determined which end is which. McClane then asks Simon some riddles similar to the ones he played in New York. When Simon gets a riddle wrong, McClane forces him at gunpoint to fire the launcher, which fires the rocket through Simon, killing him.
In the DVD audio commentary, screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh claims that this version was dropped because the studio thought it showed a more cruel and menacing side to McClane, a man who killed for revenge rather than in self-defense. Hensleigh's intention was to show that the events in New York and the subsequent repercussions had tilted him psychologically. This alternative ending, set some time after the main events of the movie, would have marked a serious break from the Die Hard formula, in which the plot unfolds over a period of roughly 12 hours.
According to the DVD audio commentary, a second alternate ending had McClane and Carver floating back to shore on a makeshift raft after the explosion at sea. Carver says it's a shame the bad guys are going to get away; McClane tells him not to be so sure. The scene then shifts to the plane where the terrorists find the briefcase bomb they left in the park and which Carver gave back to them (in this version it was not used to blow up the dam). The movie would end on a darkly comic note as Simon asks if anyone has a 4 gallon jug. This draft of the script was rejected early on, and unlike the rocket-launcher sequence, was never actually filmed.
This was also the only Die Hard film not released in July.
Die Hard with a Vengeance is a 1995 action film, and the second sequel in the Die Hard series. It was produced and directed by John McTiernan (who directed the first film) and stars Bruce Willis as NYPD detective John McClane. Vengeance also stars Samuel L. Jackson as Willis' reluctant partner, Zeus Carver, and Jeremy Irons as the main villain, Simon Gruber. The film was written by Jonathan Hensleigh, and was followed by Live Free or Die Hard in 2007.
Set in New York City, the film opens with the explosion of a bomb in a Bonwit Teller department store. A call soon comes in to the precinct at which NYPD Lt. John McClane works; the caller, who identifies himself only as "Simon," takes credit for the blast and demands that McClane, who has been suspended, play a game of "Simon Says." In order to keep Simon from setting off any more bombs for the moment, McClane must walk through Harlem, wearing a sandwich board that reads "I HATE NIGGERS" (in the TV/"clean" version this sign reads "I hate everybody"). This is witnessed by shopkeeper and black activist Zeus Carver who saves him from being beaten to death by outraged locals. Carver's concern, however, was only that a white cop being killed in Harlem could result in "trigger happy" white cops shooting up the neighborhood and killing lots of blacks.
Once McClane and Carver are safely back at the precinct, Simon calls again and tells them that they must now both play his game. They have 15 minutes to reach a particular street-corner pay phone, where he calls and reads them the "As I was going to St Ives" riddle. They have 30 seconds to call back with the answer, but are 10 seconds late doing so; however, Simon tells them that there was no bomb this time.
Their next assignment is to get to a phone at the Wall Street subway station within 30 minutes. McClane avoids the heavy traffic by driving through Central Park and behind an ambulance, then climbs down through a street grating and onto the approaching train. He finds Simon’s bomb inside and throws it out the window as Zeus reaches the phone. This time, Simon calls to tell him that McClane's absence is a breach of the rules; the bomb goes off, demolishing much of the station.
McClane and Carver now meet with McClane’s superiors and several FBI agents, who have been analyzing Simon’s phone calls. They have discovered that his full name is Simon Peter Gruber, the brother of Hans Gruber, whom McClane killed in Die Hard. Simon is a former officer in the East German Nationale Volksarmee heading a crack commando team trained to execute sabotage behind enemy lines in foreign uniforms (see Otto Skorzeny, Operation Greif). After the collapse of East Germany, Simon is believed to have gone to work for Iranian intelligence. He is also suspected of wanting to avenge Hans by killing McClane.
Simon’s next call informs the group that a large bomb has been planted in one of the city’s public schools, and it will be detonated when class is dismissed for the day. The police are warned not to evacuate any schools or use their radios, leading to citywide chaos as they begin a frantic search for the bomb.
McClane and Carver are directed to Tompkins Square Park, where they find a bomb set on a five-minute timer. In order to disarm it, they must use two jugs (three and five gallons) to measure out exactly four gallons of water. After they do so, Simon calls with a new riddle: "What is 21 out of 42?" He suggests that they pay a visit to Yankee Stadium; instead, they head for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. McClane has an idea of the bomber’s true plan – to distract the city’s police and emergency crews long enough to rob the bank’s massive gold reserves.
Simon and his men have in fact done exactly that, killing the security personnel and driving the bullion away through an aqueduct in a convoy of dump trucks. McClane and Carver find the aftermath of the robbery, and McClane tries to follow the gang as Carver goes to Yankee Stadium by himself. Inside the aqueduct, McClane is nearly drowned when the gang blows up an underground dam. The force of the water launches him back up to ground level and right in front of Carver, who found nothing at the stadium but was nearly shot and killed by a sniper.
As the final school bell approaches, McClane deduces that Simon and his men are going to put the gold on a ship and sail it out of the country. The "21 out of 42" riddle becomes clear: the 21st President of the United States (out of the 42 who had served as of the time this film was made). The answer is Chester A. Arthur, the name of the school where the bomb has been planted.
McClane and Carver find Simon’s ship and sneak on board but are soon captured. In the school’s kitchen, the police find the bomb hidden in a refrigerator; however, it proves to be a harmless mockup meant as a further distraction. The two heroes are handcuffed back to back next to the real bomb and left there by Simon, who has double-crossed his employers in Iranian intelligence and murdered his handler. The original plan was to blow up the stolen bullion in New York harbor and destabilize much of the world’s economy. However, Simon has replaced the gold with scrap metal and smuggled it off the ship to keep for himself and his men. Reasoning that Simon is just like his brother Hans, McClane figures his plans out as the clock counts down.
Freeing themselves and jumping overboard seconds before the bomb detonates, McClane and Carver are soon rescued by the police. While trying to call his estranged wife, McClane locates a bottle of aspirin left by Simon and realizes that the gang has fled to Quebec. Meanwhile, Simon lectures his men about how, thanks to the gullibility of the NYPD, they have gone from an army without a country to one that must decide which country to buy. Suddenly, however, McClane, Zeus, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrive and raid the hideout before Simon and his men can escape. Seething with hatred, Simon announces, "I have something personal to finish." He jumps into a helicopter piloted by his mistress and attempts to shoot down McClane and Zeus with a machine gun.
After forcing McClane and Zeus' aircraft into a crash landing, Simon's helicopter hovers beneath nearby power lines as Simon looks his mortal enemy right in the eyes. McClane, however, shoots the power lines with his last two bullets. The wires hit the helicopter blades, causing Simon's helicopter to explode in a massive fireball. McClane snarls, "Yippy-ki-yay, motherfucker," and leaves to call his estranged wife.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Bruce Willis | Lt. John McClane |
| Jeremy Irons | Simon Gruber a.k.a. Peter Krieg |
| Samuel L. Jackson | Zeus Carver |
| Larry Bryggman | Inspector Walter Cobb |
| Graham Greene | Detective Joe Lambert |
| Colleen Camp | Detective Connie Kowalski |
| Sharon Washington | Officer Jane |
| Anthony Peck | Detective Ricky Walsh |
| Michael Alexander Jackson | Dexter |
| Aldis Hodge | Raymond |
| Nicholas Wyman | Mathias Targo |
| Sam Phillips | Katya |
| Aasif Mandvi | Arab cabbie |
| Elvis Duran | Radio DJ |
| John McTiernan, Sr. | Fisherman |
In this version the crook has dumped or double-crossed most of his accomplices, gotten the loot to a safe hiding place (Nova Scotia), and has the gold turned into statuettes of a famous landmark (in this case the Empire State Building) in order to smuggle it out of the country; but he is still tracked down to his foreign hideaway. This is very similar to Alec Guinness' situation in the British heist movie The Lavender Hill Mob made some 45 years earlier in which the stolen gold is turned into Eiffel Tower paperweights.
McClane is keen to take his problems out on Simon whom he invites to play a game called "McClane Says". This involves a form of Russian Roulette with a small Chinese rocket launcher with the sights removed, meaning it cannot be determined which end is which. McClane then asks Simon some riddles similar to the ones he played in New York. When Simon gets a riddle wrong, McClane forces him at gunpoint to fire the launcher, which fires the rocket through Simon, killing him.
In the DVD audio commentary, screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh claims that this version was dropped because the studio thought it showed a more cruel and menacing side to McClane, a man who killed for revenge rather than in self-defense. Hensleigh's intention was to show that the events in New York and the subsequent repercussions had tilted him psychologically. This alternative ending, set some time after the main events of the movie, would have marked a serious break from the Die Hard formula, in which the plot unfolds over a period of roughly 12 hours.
According to the DVD audio commentary, a second alternate ending had McClane and Carver floating back to shore on a makeshift raft after the explosion at sea. Carver says it's a shame the bad guys are going to get away; McClane tells him not to be so sure. The scene then shifts to the plane where the terrorists find the briefcase bomb they left in the park and which Carver gave back to them (in this version it was not used to blow up the dam). The movie would end on a darkly comic note as Simon asks if anyone has a 4 gallon jug. This draft of the script was rejected early on, and unlike the rocket-launcher sequence, was never actually filmed.
This was also the only Die Hard film not released in July.
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