Die Hard series

[stormstar]

Although I have not watched Live Free or Die Hard, I'm a big fan of the Bruce Willis-as-John McClane series that started 20 years ago with the first Die Hard. Of the three that I saw, I rank them thusly:

1. Die Hard
2. Die Hard With a Vengeance
3. Die Hard 2: Die Harder

I rank the second one third because it was, if you look at it closely, merely a rehash of the first one, except with more violence and cursing.

[sreeja]

Die Hard follows its source material — Roderick Thorp's novel Nothing Lasts Forever — closely, much of the film's memorable scenes, characters, and dialogue taken directly from the novel. Nothing Lasts Forever, a sequel to Thorp's earlier novel The Detective, was written with the intention of being adapted into a film sequel to the film adaptation of The Detective, which starred Frank Sinatra. When Sinatra turned down the offer to star in the sequel, the story was altered to be a stand-alone film with no connections to The Detective. Other changes included the older hero of the novel becoming younger, the hero's daughter becoming his wife, and the American Klaxon Oil Corporation becoming the Japanese Nakatomi Corporation. The novel's tone is darker and more serious than the film's, and the political fighters of the novel became thieves in the film. Director John McTiernan states on the DVD commentary that these changes were made because he wanted to bring "joy" to the story.

[crassus]

I thought the second one was better than the third. I liked it better when Bruce Willis was by himself, as opposed to his new partner off the street in the third one.

[Ricardo]

Coincidentally, we just watched Live Free or Die Hard and I was surprised how good it was.

I enjoyed the others from the series that I'd watched. I think Live Free has some of the best stunts I've ever seen, featuring considerably long, difficult shots and not just a bunch of cut-away shots.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see the "Mac guy" from the Mac commercials in the movie. :cool:

[quietlunatic]

You left out the fourth one, which is far better than the third one, which I find the weakest of them all. I might even go so far as to put the fourth one in second place. The first one was really good and the fourth was equally fun.