Die Hard Trilogy (1996, VHS)

Okay, I admit it. I am a "Die Hard" Bruce Willis fan. I love his acting, and his distinct flair for comedy, both well evident in the midst of the non-stop action of the "Die Hard" films. Due to space limits, here are brief summaries:

"Die Hard"(1988): John McClane(Willis),NYPD cop,is estranged from his wife Holly(Bonnie Bedelia), has moved to LA with the two children to become a major player in the Nakatomi Corporation. Reconciliation minded, McClane flies to LA on Christmas Eve. Shortly after his arrival at Nakatomi Plaza, and becoming immediately pissed off his wife is using her maiden name, Gennero, the office Christmas party turns ugly when some uninvited guests show up. Herding the partygoers together into a small and frightened group, McClane, back in his wife's private office, is overlooked.

The Germans, led by utterly vicious Hans Gruber (brilliantly played by Alan Rickman), murder Nakatomi when he refuses to give them the code to a safe containing nearly one billion dollars in negotiable securities. Gruber's man sets out to break the code, while McClane, still undetected, desperately tries to summon help. Finally, he manages to make contact with an overweight desk sergeant (Reginald VelJohnson). With time running out and the LAPD and FBI falling all over themselves 30 floors below, McClane must find a way to stop the terrorists and save his wife before Gruber completes his theft and blows the building to smithereens.

"Die Hard 2: Die Harder"(1990): A year later. McClane's back with his wife, has joined the LAPD. Christmas Eve again, but this time he's in Washington, D.C., at Dulles Airport, meeting his wife's flight, planning on spending the holidays with his nearby in-laws. This time the baddies are a group of paid mercenaries hired to free a Noriega type general from his prison plane, taking over air traffic control as they force the plane to land. Dennis Franz of NYPD Blue fame shines here as the pompous head of airport security.

"Die Hard With A Vengeance"(1995): McClane's back in NY, his marriage is off again. Drinking heavily now, he fights the hangovers with fistfulls of aspirin. Finally, he's suspended from the NYPD. That is, until one morning, someone calling himself "Simon" blows up Bonwit Teller. He threatens more destruction if NYPD Lt. John McClane does not carry out his instructions, the first of which is to go into Harlem and stand on a corner wearing a large sign that reads "I Hate N***!".

Shop owner Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson), despite his own deeply anti-Caucasian sentiments, still can't watch McClane obliterated by the local residents.His Good Samaritan efforts land him hip deep in the drama, as Simon insists he go along on McClane's race around the city to prevent more bombs from being detonated. Meanwhile, other events almost escape notice, including the theft of 14 dump trucks. Finally,Simon(Jeremy Irons) reveals that he is Simon Gruber, brother of Hans and out to take his revenge on McClane. So, that's his agenda. Or,is it?

The most appealing part is definitely Willis himself. His character, John McClane,is a fascinating mix of dry wit,Macgyver-like inventiveness and pure iron headed mulishness. He's also the classic study of a man who could not have been more in the wrong places at the worst possible times. The dialog is tight, intelligent and often funny,the villians believable, the supporting casts entertaining. Yes, explosions abound, but there are plots in the rubble. Watch!