‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
April 5, 2022 · Die Hard 2 (1990) · Action · Thriller · 1:28:44
Categories
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsJohn McClane would have become really famous from the Nakatomi Plaza incident and wouldn't be moving around anonymously in an airport - he'd have done talk shows, SNL, and commercials▶ 29:48
Bill SimmonsThe elite airport SWAT team should have been suspicious of the seven guys randomly painting during a possible emergency▶ 31:32
Bill SimmonsThe plane crash scene with 220 people dying is moved on from too quickly - they're on to the next thing three minutes later▶ 32:23
Chris RyanLeno would still be doing opening monologue jokes about Nakatomi Plaza a year later▶ 30:28
Chris RyanThe highly elite airport SWAT team doesn't notice guys painting at the other end of the hall during an emergency▶ 31:25
Sean FennesseyThe movie mixes sight gags with serious violence inconsistently - after 200 people die in a plane crash, the story just keeps rolling and focuses on needing new transmitters▶ 33:41
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsMultiple nits: the plane crash scene with douchey British passengers was an insane choice even pre-9/11; McClane should just duck under the grate instead of pushing it up; the bad guys don't shoot McClane enough when he's parachuting down despite having multiple machine guns; the runway length is unrealistic▶ 34:33
Chris RyanPeople at Dulles airport don't evacuate after the plane crash - they just have another scotch and wait until Dick Thornburg reports about terrorists, when realistically anyone would leave after seeing a plane crash▶ 34:03
Sean FennesseyToo many blueprint/planning scenes with McClane and Art Evans standing around figuring out where to go; the William Atherton/Bonnie Bedelia airplane subplot is convoluted and their relationship/restraining order setup doesn't make sense▶ 37:15
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsThe nostalgia for pre-9/11 airport freedom - being able to show up on Christmas Eve, smoke cigarettes, and get drunk while waiting▶ 45:59
Chris RyanAgreed with Bill's take about the casual airport experience and reminisced about his father waiting at gates▶ 46:22
Sean FennesseyContributed to the discussion about pre-9/11 airport culture and how it affected movie tropes▶ 46:40
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsJohn McTiernan — John McTiernan was supposed to direct but committed to Hunt for Red October instead; thinks Renny Harlin did a good job and it's a really good action movie▶ 55:55
Sean FennesseyJohn McTiernan — McTiernan has a slightly different tone, takes material more seriously while this movie is goofier and more grand▶ 56:10
Joey Pants Award
Chris RyanMark Boone Junior — Mentioned Mark Boone Jr. as a candidate but didn't give a definitive pick▶ 56:45
Dion Waiters Award
Chris RyanThe news TV producer who takes the deepest hit of a cigarette and says 'tell the affiliates, they have three minutes if they want in'▶ 59:07
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsApex mountain for Val Verde is Commando, not Die Hard 2, because 'we actually go to Val Verde' in Commando▶ 1:03:56
Chris RyanEsperanza is a general in Val Verde, the same fictional South American country used in Commando▶ 1:03:03
Sean FennesseyDie Hard 2 is Renny Harlin's apex mountain - it's his most successful movie, though he might be best known for Deep Blue Sea now▶ 1:04:43
Movies Referenced (54)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Die Hard (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 18 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 2:52 |
| Pulp Fiction (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 8:44 |
| Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 11:30 |
| Sully (2016) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 28:44 |
| John Wick (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 21:49 |
| 12 Monkeys (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 8:55 |
| American History X (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:07:32 |
| Armageddon (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 9:21 |
| Deep Blue Sea (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:05:47 |
| Ghostbusters (1984) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 38:56 |
| Home Alone (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 22:26 |
| Look Who's Talking (1989) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:13 |
Directors Referenced (7)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John McTiernan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Die Hard, Last Action Hero | ▶ 17:11 |
| Oliver Stone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK | ▶ 1:07:50 |
| Clint Eastwood | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven | ▶ 12:09 |
| M. Night Shyamalan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Lady in the Water, The Village | ▶ 9:08 |
| Paul Bellany | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Stardust | ▶ 2:28 |
| Robert Zemeckis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Back to the Future, Forrest Gump | ▶ 8:50 |
| Wes Anderson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | The Royal Tenenbaums, Isle of Dogs | ▶ 5:06 |
Actors Referenced (56)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Willis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 21 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Die Hard, Pulp Fiction | ▶ 3:05 |
| John Amos | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Coming to America, Lock Up | ▶ 36:14 |
| Dennis Franz | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | City of Angels, Die Hard 2 | ▶ 19:45 |
| Don Harvey | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Casualties of War | ▶ 42:31 |
| William Sadler | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist | ▶ 18:06 |
| Fred Thompson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | The Hunt for Red October, No Way Out, Sinister | ▶ 18:38 |
| Oliver North | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 11:10 | |
| Bonnie Bedelia | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Die Hard, Die Hard 2 | ▶ 37:36 |
| Harrison Ford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive | ▶ 11:55 |
| William Forsythe | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan | Raising Arizona | ▶ 42:41 |
| Art Evans | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Die Hard 2 | ▶ 37:22 |
| Franco Nero | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | John Wick: Chapter 2, Django Unchained, Die Hard 2 | ▶ 21:38 |
Writers Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Bathgate | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | F1: The Movie, Enola Holmes | ▶ 1:04:43 |
| Chesley Sullenberger | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Sully | ▶ 28:44 |
| Judd Apatow | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The King of Staten Island, Knocked Up | ▶ 19:27 |
| Taylor Worst | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:28:06 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 44:09 |