M6 continues its cycle Die Hard with the diffusion ofA day in hell, this Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 9:10 p.m. Recently, one of my editorial colleagues tried to explain to you why Crystal trap was the best action movie of all time. But let me convince you that this third opus of the adventures of John McClane, still played wonderfully by the inexhaustible Bruce Willis (now suffering from dementia), is quite simply the best title in the saga. And it certainly is! I will explain to you here why.
A Day in Hell : change of scenery for John McClane
Released in 1995, this third part, still by John McTiernan, places its plot in New York. From the first minutes, the filmmaker puts us directly in the mood! The music Summer in the city by the group The Lovin’ Spoonful punctuates the multiple shots which show a city slowly emerging, in the early morning… When suddenly a bomb explodes in a department store. We learn that the attack is claimed by a certain Simon, played by the excellent Jeremy Irons, who threatens to do it again if ex-inspector John McClane, then closer to the wreck than to a police officer, does not does not comply with his demands. The rules set by Simon are simple: if McClane does not solve the riddles he gives him, a bomb will explode in a public place. John accepts the challenge, aided by Zeus Karver (Samuel L. Jackson), an African-American electrician and antiques dealer. After two first parts, Crystal trap (for which Bruce Willis almost missed the role of John McClane) And 58 minutes to live (whose title in French has a very particular origin), certainly excellent, but with a more classic structure, built around the mechanics of the solitary hero within a confined space (a tower and an airport), this A day in hell is a breath of fresh air. HAS through an explosive open-air treasure hunt, in the streets of The Big Apple, John McClane appears more vulnerable within this maze of buildings and skyscrapers, danger could arise at any time… and above all anywhere !
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A buddy movie that makes a difference
Modeled on the saga The lethal Weapon, the duo formed by Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson is undoubtedly the great strength of the film. To the point that their on-screen chemistry makes them one of the best buddy movies (cinematic genre centered around a duo of heroes with different personalities) of its time. Of course the action predominates, as in all good Die Hard you might say, but humor greatly contributes to the success of the whole thing. Each time I watch it, I still burst out laughing at each interaction of the pair. One scene in particular comes to mind: the one where Zeus and John flee Harlem in a taxi, both badly damaged. Visibly panicked and in shock, Samuel L. Jackson’s character corrects (in his own way) John who calls him Jesus several times: “Why do you call me Jesus? My name is Zeus, father of Apollo in Olympus. If you piss him off, you’ll get lightning in the face! Do you have a problem with that?“. An extra passage, like many others in the film.
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