Ever since its successful release, Die Hard has been the definitive action movie in an age dominated by hardline action movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Its premise of a regularly skilled everyman overcoming incredible threats in an isolated situation has been the regular template for action movies of the genre, being the “Die Hard on a (setting).”
Some are positively successful and particularly memorable, and some are just plain bad. This list will narrow the best action movies that used the Die Hard template, and those that ended up with either mediocre or poor results. Yippee ki-yay!
Worst: Passenger 57
Passenger 57 is one of the few films that cemented Wesley Snipes’ status as a legitimate action star in the ’90s. Though that bar is kind of low when one would regard this as a carbon copy of the first Die Hard, only set on a plane.
Snipes plays John Cutter, a retired Secret Service agent, who gets embroiled on a terrorist plot while on board his flight. While the once glorious star gave it all, Passenger 57 is a sloppy sendup of clichés. Though, Bruce Payne is a fun villain.
Best: The Rock
With the ’90s being the seat of many over-the-top action movies, of course Michael Bay grabbed the opportunity to release his own version of a Die Hard movie with this unbelievable team-up between Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery.
The film stars Cage and Connery as an FBI agent and a former SAS agent, respectively, who had to thwart a takeover in Alcatraz. The film is filled with awesome cinematography, cool action scenes, and memorable moments showcasing Cage’s energy and Connery’s magnetism. To date, this is the best Michael Bay film.
Worst: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Even Kevin James got a hand on a Die Hard spoof. Twice even. Yet, the one that kicked it off is his most notable role aside from King of Queens in Paul Blart: Mall Cop. James obviously plays the titular bumbling mall cop who had his hands to stop a mall heist during Black Friday.
That is how far-fetched it sounds. While James gave all with repetitive pratfalls, fat-shaming jokes, stupid stereotypes, and overt cluelessness, the film is a mediocre comedy that failed to be a Die Hard sendup.
Best: Under Siege
There was a period when Steven Seagal was reliable in the action movie genre. Only two films can be considered noteworthy of his filmography. While Executive Decision is primarily driven by Kurt Russell’s presence, his best involvement is in his lead role in Under Siege.
Seagal plays a former Navy Seal, who must stop a group of mercenaries, led by Tommy Lee Jones, from taking over a battleship. Seagal is at his most invested here, and he is pitted well against a deliciously evil Jones and a manic Gary Busey.
Worst: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
With the success of the first Under Siege, it spawned a sequel, now set on a moving train with a young Katherine Heigl. And the threat this time is another terrorist group who intercepted the train to hijack a critical US satellite for their own control.
Like Die Hard itself, this sequel is a direct copy of Die Hard 2: Die Harder, except for the thrills, the intrigue and the charisma of its lead. Seagal is surprisingly uninterested this time, phoning in every action bit and drowning them with him.
Best: Cliffhanger
Sly would not also miss the fun for his own take of a Die Hard scenario. This time, he plays an experienced climber who had to take down a heist operation over the Rockies.
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Not only did the film open with a tension-filled rescue mission, but it continued that momentum till the very last. Stallone gave it all as a man haunted by his past mistake but had to overcome the odds over paralyzing altitudes and jumpy rock-climbing sequences. The thriller is aware of its stakes and takes full advantage.
Worst: London Has Fallen
The war on the Die Hards in the White House resulted with Olympus Has Fallen taking the trophy over White House Down. The surprising success of the former resulted in a trilogy because there has seemed to be a demand for Gerard Butler movies.
However, the worst of the three is London Has Fallen, which now places the stakes in Britain’s capital and is being bombarded by international terrorism stakes that it took the lowbrow approach on such complex issues, for the sake of inane explosions and headache-inducing action camerawork.
Best: Speed
Speed is just the definition of a thrill ride. Directed by Die Hard DP Jan de Bont, with just a simple premise of a bus rigged with a bomb that will trigger when the vehicle hits lower than 50 mph, the film is packed with genuine stakes and car chase thrills that it will take a pause to process the chase that progressed.
Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock play off together as two figureheads trying to prevent the bomb from exploding, while a fun Dennis Hopper lurks in the shadows.
Worst: Speed 2: Cruise Control
With a thrill ride that is Speed, it obviously garnered a sequel without Reeves nor Hopper. Yet, Sandra Bullock turned up with Jason Patric as a couple who boarded a cruise ship that was bound to hit on an oil tanker. What could sound feasible on paper is laughable on execution. The stakes placed on a slow-moving ship does not only fail to exact the bus’ stakes from the first, but it also sought no threat, other than Willem Dafoe’s hammy villain.
Speed 2: Cruise Control is a laughable failure.
Best: Air Force One
For all the Die Hard imitators that are set on a plane, Air Force One is arguably the best of them. Led by an outstanding Harrison Ford as President of the United States, this popular actioner had everything that a Die Hard homage needed to be: clean-cut action scenes, well-choreographed scenes, a memorable villain from Gary Oldman’s Russian baddie and an equally memorable protagonist in Ford’s President James Marshall.
Of course, who would not forget the classic line, “Get off my plane!”? Air Force One is a blast of escapism.
