Hard to Die

Die Hard 2 (also known by its tagline Die Harder or Die Hard 2: Die Harder) is a 1990 American action film directed by Renny Harlin, written by Steven E. de Souza and Doug Richardson, co-produced by Joel Silver, and starring Bruce Willis as John McClane alongside Bonnie Bedelia, William Sadler, Art Evans, William Atherton, Franco Nero, Dennis Franz, Fred Thompson, John Amos and Reginald VelJohnson. The sequel to Die Hard (1988) and the second installment in the Die Hard film series, the film was released on July 4, 1990 by 20th Century Fox, in the United States. As with the first film, the action in Die Hard 2 takes place during Christmas, but on a non-specified day during Christmas week rather than on Christmas Eve. McClane is waiting for his wife Holly to land at Washington Dulles International Airport when terrorists take over the air traffic control system. He must stop the terrorists before Holly's plane and several other incoming flights that are circling the airport run out of fuel and crash. During the night, McClane must also contend with airport police and military commander Grant, none of whom want his assistance. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences and criticism for some plot elements; it was nevertheless generally considered to be inferior to its predecessor. Die Hard 2 was a major box-office success, grossing $240 million and doubling the earnings of its predecessor and finishing as the year's seventh-highest-grossing film. It demonstrated to the industry that the first film's scenario could be applied to different settings and still draw massive audiences, leading to many imitators outside of the series. This sequel was followed by Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013).