Die Hard With a Vengeance/Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Two For One Posting

You, by now, you’ve figured I like watching the odd movie or two, haven’t you?

Possibly along with that, you’ve possibly also worked out that I manage to get through a lot of DVD’s from the library, AND manage to borrow a few from friends.

And that, boy, I’m looking forward to Brentwood’s cinema finally being completed.

That’s assuming it gets started, of course …

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At any, you’ve worked out I like a film or two.

Which is funny, now I see it written down like that.

Because watching two movies is something I’ve managed to do, since … well …

Yesterday, in point of fact.

In fact the film I caught tonight … ?

Was the DVD version of something I’ve already seen at the cinema, late last year: the Gary Oldman, 2011 version of Le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

I’ll try and avoid repeating myself, here. But WILL say that having seen it again … ?

Have definitely started to appreciate it, some more …

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

★★★☆

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Next up … ?

Is the film I managed to catch with Kevin D, on Tuesday afternoon.

And you’ve possibly worked out that was Die Hard With A Vengeance*, just by looking at the poster … !

Whatever one chooses to call it, Die Hard With A Vengeance sees Bruce Willis reprising his role as Lieutenant John McClane: McClane is dropped into Harlem, wearing only a sign that says I Hate N*ggers, after a bomb destroys a department store and the terrorist who set it demands McClane be humiliated.

The net result … ?

Is that, as the terrorist — revealed as Simon Grüberº, brother of the antagonist, Hans Grüber, in the original Die Hard — starts to play a gruesome psychological game with McClane, and Zeus Carver — Samuel L Jackson‡ — an innocent bystander and store caught up in the violence, after trying to get McClane — and his incriminating sandwich board — out of Harlem.

With colourful results …

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Now … I’ve got to admit, I’m not usually one for sequels and franchises …

But the Die Hard series — with the possible exception of Die Hard 2 — are always worth checking out, number three no less than the rest.

Personally … ?

I’ll leave you with stars …

Die Hard With A Vengeance

Paul: ★★★☆

Kevin: ★★★☆

Average: ★★★☆

* Now I know Kevin and I will have our disagreements, here: but I WISH the company that made it called it Die Hard 3: Die Hardest. A little continuity would’ve been appreciated: by me, if no-one else … !

º And played by Jeremy Ironsª.

ª I’ve a theory he and Alan Rickman were grown in the same cloning facility in Virginia that gave us the incredibly similar looking Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino. And the weird genetic experiment that turned into Keanu Reeves, and his clone sister, kd lang …

‡ The most inherently cool man in Hollywood.