Die Hard 2 (1990)
It's Die Hard 2 Review time, and because it's Christmas Eve, lightning has apparently decided to strike twice. After saving Nakatomi Plaza barefoot and bleeding in 1988, John McClane is back in 1990, this time trading skyscrapers for snowstorms, terrorists, and one very inconvenient airport. Die Hard 2: Die Harder had massive shoes to fill, and the big question is simple: Did it deliver, or did it just repeat the formula louder?
In this episode of Born to Watch, Whitey, Damo, and Dan reunite for a festive breakdown of one of the most debated action sequels of all time. Expectations were sky-high after the original Die Hard rewrote the action rulebook, and Die Hard 2 wastes no time reminding us of that pressure. Bigger explosions, more moving parts, and a whole airport at stake instead of one building. On paper, it should work perfectly.
What follows is a classic Born to Watch deep dive. From nude Tai Chi villains with suspiciously zero side-dick continuity to John McClane apparently teleporting between airport locations, nothing escapes scrutiny. The boys unpack the strange creative choices, including the baffling need for a full SWAT team that exists solely to be wiped out, the world's loudest baggage-area shootout that nobody hears, and the endless Basil Exposition dialogue that explains things we can already see happening on screen.
William Sadler's villain, Stuart, comes under the microscope, a tough gig when you're following one of cinema's all-time great bad guys. Is he intimidating, forgettable, or just unfairly compared to Hans Gruber? Meanwhile, William Atherton's return as Dick Thornburg raises serious questions about whether this character needed to exist at all, beyond being professionally annoying.
The conversation drifts exactly where you'd expect, into airport etiquette, old-school plane phones that cost more than the flight itself, snowmobiles that definitely don't work on water, and the absolute insanity of an airport runway having a convenient metal grate in the middle of it. There's also love for Renny Harlin's maximalist direction, acknowledging that while Die Hard 2 may not be subtle, it is relentlessly committed to spectacle.
As always, the episode isn't just about what doesn't work. The lads give Die Hard 2 its flowers where deserved, recognising the impossible task of following a cultural phenomenon and the genuine effort to recreate the tone, humour, and pacing of the original. There are discussions around box office success, audience expectations, and why some sequels are remembered more harshly than they deserve.
The episode rounds out with the full Born to Watch experience, sleepers, duds, snorbs reports, random 1990 nostalgia, and side tangents that spiral into Ford Fairlane, Chuck Norris, and the best movie years of all time. It's chaotic, opinionated, and exactly how Die Hard 2 should be discussed, loudly, critically, and with mates.
If Die Hard is a perfect Christmas miracle, Die Hard 2 is the messy, over-decorated sequel that still shows up to the party. Strap in, because this one absolutely earns the Die Harder title.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
- Is Die Hard 2 unfairly judged because of the original?
- Is this still a Christmas movie, or just airport chaos?
- What’s the most ridiculous moment you'll always defend?
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at BornToWatch.com.au
#DieHard2Review #BornToWatch #DieHarder #BruceWillis #ActionMovies #90sAction #MoviePodcast #ChristmasMovies #ActionSequels #FilmReview
