Die Hard 2 Is a Better Christmas Movie Than Die Hard

There’s always been some questioning when it comes to whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Less discussed is the second film’s status as the same. This is most likely due to John McTiernan’s original being the more iconic entry. Even still, it’s odd, as Die Hard 2 is undoubtedly an R-rated Christmas actioner, which only serves to reinforce the notion that the first one is, too.

Die Hard 2 essentially remakes the original film, just with the action transplanted from a skyscraper to an airport. To the credit of Renny Harlin, his film works thanks to Bruce Willis’ continued charm in the role and a nice third-act twist, not to mention a suitably intimidating antagonist brought to life by William Sadler. But what makes it a Christmas movie?

John McClane Might As Well Be Wearing a Santa Cap

The original film had a slew of direct references to its narrative taking place during the holidays. John McClane brings a big stuffed bear with him to Los Angeles to give to his kids, there are ribbon decorations all over Nakatomi Plaza, he puts a Santa cap on a dead terrorist and writes “Now I have a machine gun Ho-Ho-Ho” on the corpse’s chest, and there are a few festive musical choices (including Run-D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis”).

The second film is much the same in being laced with references to the holiday. It’s also impossible for the viewer to forget it’s winter since snow is falling in every frame that isn’t set within the airport. And it’s that setting that really makes the second film feel even more like a Christmas movie than the one that preceded it.

Christmas is, for the most part, chaos. There’s excitement to see family members (depending on the family, that is) and the kids are stoked to get gifts, but there’s a reason the parents are adding some extra bourbon to their newest glass of eggnog. What better way to convey that level of stress than a crowded airport? Toss some terrorists in the mix and the tension reaches a fever pitch.

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Another Die Hard Christmas Tale

Like with the first film, Die Hard 2 has a few Christmas classics on its soundtrack. These include “Carol of the Bells” and “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” both of which are put to great use. They also serve as signs that the movie sees itself as a Christmas flick and is leaning into that subgenre.

Some of the dialogue also directly references the holiday. For instance, the film kicks off with McClane getting a ticket from one of the Lorenzo brother security guards and begging him to have mercy considering it’s Christmas. This serves as a bookending plot point as the film then closes with the other Lorenzo brother tearing up that ticket and saying “Ah, what the hell; It’s Christmas!”

Most notably there’s McClane’s rant to himself: “Just once, I’d like a regular, normal Christmas. Eggnog, a f***in’ Christmas tree, a little turkey. But, no. I gotta crawl around in this motherf***in’ tin can.”

In the end, what Die Hard 2 is, more than anything else, is a companion piece to McTiernan’s film. The two feel very similar tonally, which isn’t quite something the also-solid Die Hard with a Vengeance can say, as it’s more of a buddy cop flick.

What to Watch Afer Die Hard 2

Die Hard 2 also makes for a nice companion piece to some of the other films from its director, Renny Harlin. After his first studio gig, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master made a mint, he became a hot commercial commodity. Die Hard 2 was his follow-up, and the action genre is pretty much where he’d stay. A few of those action films were also either set around the holidays or – at the very least, featured a ton of snow and ice. That list includes Cliffhanger or the underrated holiday actioner The Long Kiss Goodnight, written by Christmas enthusiast Shane Black of Lethal Weapon and Iron Man 3 fame.

You can stream Die Hard 2 on Hulu-Disney+.