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‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

April 5, 2022 · Action · Thriller · 1:28:44

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 26:15John fights two guys in a security-restricted baggage area
Chris Ryan▶ 26:45Was about to give his pick but was cut off

Apex Mountain

Chris Ryan▶ 26:47Airports and movie theaters

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 29:48John 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
Bill Simmons▶ 31:32The elite airport SWAT team should have been suspicious of the seven guys randomly painting during a possible emergency
Bill Simmons▶ 32:23The plane crash scene with 220 people dying is moved on from too quickly - they're on to the next thing three minutes later
Chris Ryan▶ 30:28Leno would still be doing opening monologue jokes about Nakatomi Plaza a year later
Chris Ryan▶ 31:25The highly elite airport SWAT team doesn't notice guys painting at the other end of the hall during an emergency
Sean Fennessey▶ 33:41The 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

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 34:33Multiple 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
Chris Ryan▶ 34:03People 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
Sean Fennessey▶ 37:15Too 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

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 45:59The nostalgia for pre-9/11 airport freedom - being able to show up on Christmas Eve, smoke cigarettes, and get drunk while waiting
Chris Ryan▶ 46:22Agreed with Bill's take about the casual airport experience and reminisced about his father waiting at gates
Sean Fennessey▶ 46:40Contributed to the discussion about pre-9/11 airport culture and how it affected movie tropes

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 55:55John 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
Sean Fennessey▶ 56:10John McTiernan — McTiernan has a slightly different tone, takes material more seriously while this movie is goofier and more grand

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 56:55Don Harvey — Don Harvey and Art Evans (wants to give both the award)
Chris Ryan▶ 56:45Mark Boone Junior — Mentioned Mark Boone Jr. as a candidate but didn't give a definitive pick

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 59:26Art Evans — Amos (James Evans) - agrees with Chris Ryan's pick
Chris Ryan▶ 59:07The news TV producer who takes the deepest hit of a cigarette and says 'tell the affiliates, they have three minutes if they want in'
Sean Fennessey▶ 59:33Says he'll save his pick for later discussion

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:56Apex mountain for Val Verde is Commando, not Die Hard 2, because 'we actually go to Val Verde' in Commando
Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:03Esperanza is a general in Val Verde, the same fictional South American country used in Commando
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:04:43Die 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

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:38Bruce Willis

Movies Referenced (61)

Die Hard (1988)

18 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 2:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pulp Fiction (1994)

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 8:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Regarding Henry (1991)

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 52:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 11:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Wick (2014)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 21:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

12 Monkeys (1995)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 8:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American History X (1998)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Armageddon (1998)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 9:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Billy Bathgate (1991)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:05:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ghostbusters (1984)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 38:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Home Alone (1990)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 22:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (7)

John McTiernan

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Die Hard, Last Action Hero▶ 17:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oliver Stone

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK▶ 1:07:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Clint Eastwood

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven▶ 12:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

M. Night Shyamalan

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Signs, Lady in the Water, The Village▶ 9:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Bellany

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Stardust▶ 2:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Zemeckis

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Contact▶ 8:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wes Anderson

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Royal Tenenbaums, Isle of Dogs▶ 5:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (55)

Bruce Willis

21 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Die Hard, Pulp Fiction▶ 3:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Amos

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Coming to America, Lock Up▶ 36:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dennis Franz

7 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for City of Angels▶ 19:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don Harvey

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Casualties of War▶ 42:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Sadler

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist▶ 18:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fred Thompson

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The Hunt for Red October, No Way Out, Sinister▶ 18:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oliver North

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 11:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bonnie Bedelia

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Die Hard, Presumed Innocent▶ 37:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harrison Ford

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive▶ 11:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Forsythe

4 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Raising Arizona, Dick Tracy▶ 42:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Art Evans

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Ruthless People▶ 37:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Franco Nero

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for John Wick: Chapter 2, Django Unchained▶ 21:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Ali Bathgate

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for F1: The Movie, Enola Holmes▶ 1:04:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chesley Sullenberger

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Sully▶ 28:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Judd Apatow

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The King of Staten Island, Knocked Up▶ 19:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Taylor Worst

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 44:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗