Die Hard with a Clever Plot and Racial Tension

DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE is a damn good movie. It can't top the O.G., but it's a worthy sequel still.

Besides the racism and terrorism subplots that run concurrently, both of which are very important, and you can see the film analysis I made for it on my YouTube channel here, I want to briefly talk about the "Simon Says" aspect. 

Die Hard with a Vengeance 1995

I think a major reason why Vengeance is so good is that it uses riddles to keep the plot going. By doing so, it forces the momentum to never stop. It keeps the characters guessing and the viewers guessing, too. 

Right off the bat, we see the penalty for failing to solve a riddle. Deadly bombs scattered throughout Manhattan will go BOOM if one of Simon Gruber's puzzles is not solved. 

Whereas in the first film, John McClane seeks ways to kill the bad guys and save the day, Simon takes total control over John in this story. John is more passive in this film...because he has to be. 

Simon takes away any agency John has under the pretense that if John doesn't do what Simon says, then a bomb will go off. 

There's a reason for John's (somewhat) lack of free will is to highlight the true message of the film--the sublot--which is race relations with the Black Samaritan, Zeus Carver. The story of a White cop and a Black man from Harlem is what the filmmakers are really commenting on.

Race relations.

I go into it more deeply in my YouTube video, where I discuss the racial elements that had led up to this story. 

Die Hard with a Vengeance 1995

While on the hunt to solve the next riddle, John and Zeus must argue, overcome, and bond to save the day. They start off at odds with Zeus, taking an immediate dislike to John because of John's profession. 

Zeus ends up realizing that not all White cops are bad and also convinces John to reconcile with Holly. 

Samuel L. Jackson is known for his many famous roles. He's a legend. But I think his role in Vengeance gets overshadowed because it's a Die Hard movie. The O.G. Die Hard is really all that comes to mind when the series is mentioned. How many times do fans actually say that Vengeance is the best? Hardly ever. It's barely even mentioned.

I think it's great, and it doesn't get the credit it deserves.