The Rewatchables: ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

Published 2022-04-05; 1:28:44 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “The Rewatchables (The Ringer)” and the episode “'Die Hard 2' With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey”.

Hosts: Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey. Guests: none.

Subject films: Die Hard 2 (1990).

On the transcript: No speaker labels and several sentences are cut mid-thought by auto-transcription; the opening ad is a Recipe Club promo from another show. Ads were skipped.

Added from the extractor's memory, not said

Full names Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel (transcript says Raj/Cisco), Kevin Costner (transcript says Costner), Cybill Shepherd, Terminator 2 for Robert Patrick (speaker said 'future Terminator too'), Heat for Vincent Hanna, and Manuel/Oliver North labeling were resolved by me.

Awards and segments (63)

Most rewatchable scene

pick John fights two guys in the security-restricted baggage area (Vondie Curtis-Hall's scene).
“First one, I have written out as John fights 2 guys in a security restricted baggage area.”
Bill Simmons · 0:23:47
pick Carmine Lorenzo meets McLean, their first scene together.
“Carmine meets McLean. their 1st seen together.”
Bill Simmons · 0:25:05
pick The paintball shootout: the terrorist-looking guys on the skywalk the airport SWAT team ignores.
“The next one I have is the, uh, I call it paintball shootout.”
Bill Simmons · 0:28:46
floated The British Airways plane crash; he calls it memorable but not rewatchable.
“I wouldn't call it rewatchable, more like memorable, but Sean, like, what was going on back then?”
Bill Simmons · 0:30:20
pick McLean pushes up the grate as the plane comes out, gets Esperanza, and parachutes out toward the camera.
“Next one I have is, uh, McRane pushing that McLean pushing that crate, that grate up as the plane comes out.”
Bill Simmons · 0:33:01
pick McLean versus John Amos and Stuart, ending with McLean blowing up the plane on the runway.
“And then, uh, the last one, I just have McQueen versus John Amos and and, uh, and Stuart.”
Bill Simmons · 0:33:47
floated The news helicopter pilot as they fly over the transport plane (I'm crazy, but I'm not that crazy).
“I really like uh, the news helicopter pilot in that scene with when they're going over the uh, the airplane, the transport plane.”
Chris Ryan · 0:34:33
floated The scenes of McLean and Art Evans standing over a blueprint working out where to go.
“there's like literally 5 or 6 scenes with McLean and Art Evans being like, so it would have to be at the old church, you know,”
Chris Ryan · 0:34:56
floated William Atherton and Bonnie Bedelia battling on the plane in first class.
“I also like all the William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia, like battling on the plane and 1st class stuff.”
Chris Ryan · 0:35:08

Ebert review · The hosts read what Roger Ebert said about the film.

pick Die Hard 2: 3.5 stars; he likens it to the Indiana Jones series as a bruised-forearm thriller.
“He said, quote, this is terrific entertainment.”
Bill Simmons · 0:22:43

What ages the best · What in the movie holds up best.

pick Naked Tai Chi, which instantly marks Sadler's character as the bad guy: A quick way to tell the audience he is the villain.
“it's a great way to establish, in case you were worried about whether this is a good guy or a bad guy, this is gonna be a bad guy.”
unknown · 0:38:45
pick The slew of that guys in the cast (Fred Thompson, William Sadler, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Don Harvey, Dennis Franz, Art Evans and more): Many of them later became names.
“All right, Sean mentioned the bordering on a that guy record for people who then really kind of grew out of being that guys, including Fred Thompson.”
unknown · 0:39:18
pick The line: I taught him everything he knows: He loves it as an action movie line and riffs on being Richard Crenna to Chris's rogue Rambo.
“One of my favorite action movie lines anyone could say. I taught him everything he knows.”
Bill Simmons · 0:41:26
pick Stuart: Colonel Stewart, can we have a few words, please? ... No pictures, you pinko bitch.: An unbelievable exchange.
“No pictures, you pinko bitch.”
unknown · 0:42:34
pick The line: How does the same shit happen to the same guy twice?: Praised for the character's self-awareness; it was later sampled in the Positive K song I Got a Man.
“How does the same shit happen to the same guy twice?”
unknown · 0:42:56
pick Airports at Christmas: the chaos, the parkas, the drinking: Nostalgia for when you could show up at the airport on Christmas Eve; he also files it under aged worst.
“Airports at Christmas. Age the best. Really, really just like love like the chaos, the misery, the vibe.”
Bill Simmons · 0:43:16

What ages the worst · What in the movie holds up worst.

pick The plane crash and how the trauma comes and goes in two and a half minutes: Weird choice to move on so quickly from the incinerated passengers.
“the what stage the worst is the trauma and sadness from the plane that's just incinerated, like 120 passengers, just comes and goes in 2.5 minutes.”
Bill Simmons · 0:45:06
pick Hanging out at the airport waiting for someone, meeting people at the gate: Nobody does that anymore.
“It's funny, we were just talking about this, but just hanging out at the airport waiting for someone that for somebody like producer Craig, that's got to be inconceivable.”
Bill Simmons · 0:45:27
pick Smoking cigarettes indoors
“Another one's age, they're worse, smoking cigs indoors, Chris.”
Bill Simmons · 0:46:50
pick The line: You're not pissing in someone else's pool, are you? / I'm fresh out of chlorine: A bad line nobody can parse.
“I don't even know what that means.”
unknown · 0:49:43
pick The TV reporter's casting (Sheila McCarthy as Samantha Coleman): He did not think they cast the reporter well.
“Last one for me, I don't think that they did a good job casting the TV reporter.”
Bill Simmons · 0:49:47
pick McLean waltzing into the air traffic control tower and cursing out controllers: Access to air traffic control towers in that era seems problematic.
“the access people seem to have to air traffic control towers at that era at that time seem problematic.”
unknown · 0:50:11
pick Emergency crews trying to resuscitate an ambushed SWAT cop who has been shot 90 times: Emergency response at Dulles.
“Emergency response services at Dulles were evades age the worst.”
unknown · 0:51:07
pick The three grenades scene and how it is cut: The characters live before the grenades blow up and too much time passes.
“particularly the 3 grenades scene and the way that that scene is cut is bizarre.”
unknown · 0:51:11

Casting what ifs / recasting · Almost-castings and who they would recast.

pick John McTiernan as director: He was supposed to direct but had committed to The Hunt for Red October; the host still thinks Renny Harlin did a good job.
“Didn't really have any other than John McTiernan was supposed to direct this film, but he had committed to the hunt for Red October already and they wanted to make it.”
unknown · 0:51:52
pick Sandra Bullock as the TV reporter: He would recast the TV reporter with a young up-and-comer who later becomes somebody.
“I was thinking Sandra Bullock for a young whippersnapper.”
Bill Simmons · 0:56:03
pick Markie Post as the TV reporter: Offered as a recast for the TV reporter; transcript says Marky Post.
“What about what about Marky Post?”
unknown · 0:55:48
pick Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as the TV reporter: Offered as a recast for the TV reporter.
“What about Dana Wheeler Nicholson?”
unknown · 0:55:55
pick Treat Williams as John McClane: Offered as someone else who could have been McLane; another host doubts he had the humor.
“What about like Treat Williams?”
unknown · 0:18:33
pick Jeff Bridges as John McClane: Offered as a different vibe that might have worked.
“What about Jeff Brid? Jeff Bridges?”
unknown · 1:18:38

Best That Guy (Joey Pants Award) · The best that guy: a face everybody knows whose name nobody does.

winner Robert Costanzo as the cop at the beginning: Producer Craig has no idea who he is; also in Total Recall.
“I feel like Robert Costanzo as Robert Costanzo.”
unknown · 0:52:32
winner Don Harvey: Wants to give the award to both Harvey and Art Evans: recognizes them immediately but never knew their names.
“So for me, it's either Don Harvey or Art Evans.”
unknown · 0:52:52
winner Art Evans as Marvin the janitor
“And I would like to give them both the word.”
unknown · 0:52:55

Vincent Hanna Award · The most over-the-top performance.

winner Dennis Franz as Carmine Lorenzo: Playing a Chicago cop running Dulles security; transcript renders his name as France.
“I almost wonder if Pacino watched France in this movie studying to get ready to play Vincent Hanna.”
Bill Simmons · 0:53:17

Dion Waiters Award · A small role that makes a big impact.

winner The news TV producer who takes the deepest hit of a cigarette and tells the affiliates they have three minutes
“The, um, the news TV producer who takes the deepest hit of a cigarette ever and is like, tell the affiliates they have 3 minutes if they want in.”
unknown · 0:55:04
winner John Amos: Welcomed back as James Evans.
“I had Amos.”
unknown · 0:55:24

Apex Mountain · Where a person, genre or element of the movie sits on the mountain.

pick Commando: Apex Mountain for the fictional country of Val Verde: Commando, where they actually go there.
“All right, so Apex Mount for Val Verde, to me, is still commando.”
Bill Simmons · 0:59:54
pick Bruce Willis: Case made for Die Hard 2 as his peak because it made more money than the first; Sean is thinking Die Hard.
“Bruce Willis for Apex Mountain.”
Bill Simmons · 1:00:05
pick The Living Daylights: Apex for snowmobile chases.
“There a great one in the living daylights.”
unknown · 1:01:25
pick NYPD Blue, as Dennis Franz's apex
“NYPD Blue has to be that for him.”
unknown · 1:01:30
pick Die Hard 2: Renny Harlin's apex: Die Hard 2, his most successful; Sean thinks The Long Kiss Goodnight is the coolest film he made, while Harlin may be best known for Deep Blue Sea.
“My favorite is Long Kiss Good Night. That's, I think, the coolest movie he made, but this has got to be his Apex Mountain.”
Sean Fennessey · 1:01:37
pick Colonel Stuart as an Oliver North-style rip-off villain
“Oliver Stone, rip off villains.”
unknown · 1:03:48
pick Bonnie Bedelia: The case: she is in two of 1990's top 12 films and this is as good as it got for her.
“So here's the case for Bonnie Bedelia.”
unknown · 1:04:36
pick Airplane: Movies set in an airport: it is either this or Airplane.
“Set in an airport movies. It's either this or airplane, right?”
unknown · 1:05:05
pick Single White Female: Icicle eye stabbing is a yes, but the heel in the eye in Single White Female is still the best eye stabbing.
“I still think single white female, the heel and the high is the number one eye stabbing that I can remember.”
unknown · 1:05:31
pick Sadler's fully nude Tai Chi versus Swayze's half-nude Tai Chi in Roadhouse: Proposes a debate.
“I think we should have the debate as to whether Sadler's fully nude Tai Chi, tops Swayze's half nude Tai Chi in Roadhouse.”
unknown · 1:06:26
pick The Hangover: Apex for the comedic taser.
“Apex Mountain is a hangover.”
unknown · 1:16:53

Picking Nits · Nitpicks about a film they love.

pick The convoluted plot: what the villains want, extradition and the getaway plan: He says he does not understand the movie at all, then reads the Wikipedia plot; the group spends four minutes trying to work out the getaway plan.
“I was like, I don't understand this movie at all.”
Bill Simmons · 1:07:38
pick Changing the glide slope values would not make the plane crash: Aircraft instruments have mechanisms to prevent one person fooling the plane (from internet research).
“Apparently changing the glide slope values, there's a lot of stuff on the internet about this, that would not cause the plane to crash.”
Bill Simmons · 1:11:00
pick The runway fire: Jet A fuel would not catch from a thrown lighter
“It would not have caught on fire just by having a lighter thrown on it.”
Bill Simmons · 1:13:16
pick What was the villains' plan if McLean had not lit their plane on fire: Would military planes not shoot them down, and what was the retirement plan in the tropics?
“my big thing is like, what was the plan had John McLean not lit their plane on flyer?”
Chris Ryan · 1:13:32
pick McLean unloads a clip at Dennis Franz in a full office to prove his gun held blanks
“He just unloads a clip inside of a full office of people at Dennis France.”
unknown · 1:13:49
pick How John Amos's team of double agents got assigned to the Dulles detail: Why would only one agent not be in on it and need his throat slashed?
“How did John Amos get and his team get assigned to the detail at Dulles if they were the double agents?”
unknown · 1:14:26

Unanswerable questions · Open questions the film leaves behind.

pick Would John McLean have become a national figure after Nakatomi Plaza?: He thinks McLean would be famous in the pre-internet era, with talk show appearances and commercials.
“I had this in unanswerable questions.”
unknown · 0:27:21
pick Could it be remade as a ten-episode Netflix show?: The answer given is no.
“Could this be remade as a 10 episode Netflix show?”
Bill Simmons · 1:14:56
pick Is it a Christmas movie? His answer: no: Holds his Die Hard stance for the sequel.
“I still don't think Die Hard is a Christmas movie.”
Bill Simmons · 1:15:07
pick Is it a Christmas movie? Their answer: yes: Argues it captures the anxiety of traveling at Christmas and ends with a Christmas song.
“I definitely do. This captures the anxiety of traveling during Christmas.”
unknown · 1:15:26
pick Would everyone at the airport really be so calm after a massive plane crash?
“would everybody at the airport really be that chilled out after a massive plane crash and just be like, great, when does my flight leave?”
Bill Simmons · 1:17:15
pick Why McLean's car is towed at the opening and what he did with it
“I want to ask about the parking ticket, actually.”
unknown · 1:17:39

Memorabilia · A prop or piece of the movie they would own.

pick The white snowsuits the terrorists wear
“I like the white snowsuits those guys wear.”
Chris Ryan · 1:19:30
pick The gun loaded with blanks marked with blue tape
“I think the obvious answer is the gun with the blanks with the blue tape on it would be a cool thing to break out of parties.”
unknown · 1:19:45
pick The airplane phone: Relayed by Bill as Craig's pick.
“Oh, Craig says the plane phone.”
Craig Horlbeck · 1:19:59
pick Bruce Willis's shawl-collar sweater from the first hour
“Bruce Willis's sweater for the 1st hour is such like an early 90s sweater that nobody would ever wear that anymore.”
unknown · 1:20:21

Films that came up

Claims (48)

career (career strategy contrast): Bruce Willis → Tom Cruise. Willis was erratic and high-volume, not a Cruise who picks the best material and promotes it to death.
“this is not going to ever be like a cruise or somebody who's just like, I pick the best material.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:06:32 · Chris Ryan (0.80 sure it was them)
unmapped (star power): Bruce Willis → Pulp Fiction. Willis's star stamp as Butch is a big reason Pulp Fiction became Pulp Fiction.
“a big reason pulp fiction became pulp fiction is because a big movie star Bruce Willis put his stamp on it to play Butch.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:07:46 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
people (early collaborator): Bruce Willis → M. Night Shyamalan. Willis took a risk on then-unknown Shyamalan and kept working with him.
“He's in the 6th sense with a little known filmmaker named M Night Shyamalan, who he went on to work with all the time.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:08:10 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
people (self-aware cameo): Bruce Willis → The Player. He played himself in The Player 30 years before Ocean's 12.
“he did the same thing 30 years before that in the player.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:08:44 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
career (career arc): Bruce Willis → Kevin Costner. Both flew close to the sun with hits and then had major bombs.
“Costner and him, I think, both flew pretty close to the sun with some of their hits and then had some major bombs.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:08:57 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
theme (persona blend): Bruce Willis → Paul Newman. Willis split the difference between Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman as persona.
“it seems like he's trying to split the difference between like Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman in terms of the persona.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:11:11 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
unmapped (marriage): Bruce Willis → Demi Moore. Their power-couple marriage was a big piece of his fame, and she briefly matched his stardom.
“That was one of the biggest celebrity couples we had.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:14:12 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
craft (stunt tone): Die Hard 2 → Fast & Furious. McClane's crazier stunts here put the movie in the Fast and Furious camp.
“he has a couple of the craziest stunts, almost like in the Fast and Furious camp.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:15:20 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
lineage (sequel contrast): Die Hard 2 → Die Hard. Ryan says the first and third Die Hard are baked into their locations, while this one is more generic action movie-ish.
“the 1st Die Hard and the 3rd Die Hard are characterized by their, like, this is really baked in.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:15:44 · Chris Ryan (0.80 sure it was them)
people (director tone): Die Hard 2 → Renny Harlin. Directed by Harlin not McTiernan, who loves blowing steam around and throwing guys.
“I think Renny Harlan loves just like blowing hot steam everywhere in a cream and then throwing dudes around.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:16:13 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)
lineage (sequel era): Die Hard 2 → Lethal Weapon 2. It arrived in the run-it-back era of sequels like Lethal Weapon 2.
“it is right during the era of everybody looking at each other and going, let's just run it back.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:18:01 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)
people (prior casting): Dennis Franz → Brian De Palma. Franz had been playing cops in De Palma movies in the 80s and this role riffs on that.
“he had been playing cops into Palma movies in the 80s, and it's kind of a riff on that.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:18:56 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career setup): Dennis Franz → NYPD Blue. Franz's cop role here sets up NYPD Blue a few years later.
“there's no doubt that, I mean, NYPD Blue is, what, 3 or 4 years later.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:19:01 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (source material): Die Hard 2 → 58 Minutes. The screenplay was adapted from Walter Wager's 1987 novel with a similar plot.
“Screenplay was adapted from Walter Wagers.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:19:50 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (real-world inspiration): Die Hard 2 → Manuel Noriega. The writer admitted the script grabbed smoke from Iran-Contra and Manuel Noriega.
“there's definitely some Iran Contra, kind of, they're just grabbing smoke from that whole scandal and shoehorning into this with Manuel Noriega in real life.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:20:16 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
career (later career): Franco Nero → John Wick: Chapter 2. Nero later reappears in John Wick 2, and in Django Unchained because he played the original Django.
“he shows up in Django and Chain because he played the original Django in the Italian movies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:20:46 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
verdict (box office rank): Die Hard 2 → Home Alone. Die Hard 2 was eighth in 1990 behind Home Alone, Ghost, Dances with Wolves, Pretty Woman.
“Die Hard two, eighth.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:21:39 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
unmapped (year peers): Die Hard 2 → Back to the Future Part III. Listed with other 1990 top-grossing movies Simmons saw in theaters.
“I'm 100% sure I saw 13 of them in the theater.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:22:17 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
unmapped (critical reception): Die Hard 2 → Roger Ebert. Ebert gave it 3.5 stars and called it bruised-forearm entertainment like Indiana Jones.
“this is terrific entertainment.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:22:43 · Bill Simmons (0.65 sure it was them)
theme (critic comparison): Die Hard 2 → Indiana Jones series. The critic grouped it with Indiana Jones as thrillers that leave your arm black and blue.
“this is one of those thrillers, like the Indiana Jones series that I categorized as bruised for our movies”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:22:49 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
people (typecast jerk): William Atherton → Ghostbusters. Atherton went from Sugarland Express star to 80s shit heel in Ghostbusters and Die Hard.
“he spent the 80s just being an absolute shit heel and like Ghostbusters and Diehards.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:36:20 · Chris Ryan (0.55 sure it was them)
career (career arc): William Atherton → The Sugarland Express. He starred in Sugarland Express and people wondered if he was Robert Redford.
“he was like the star of the Sugarland Express and everybody was like, is this guy Robert Redford?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:36:20 · Chris Ryan (0.55 sure it was them)
craft (joke re-edit): Die Hard 2 → Pulp Fiction. Riffing on a re-edit channel, they joke Pulp Fiction could be cut down to Bruce going to get his watch.
“It'll just be Bruce going to get his watch.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:36:48 · Bill Simmons (0.55 sure it was them)
people (that guy recognition): Don Harvey → Eight Men Out. Chris recognizes Don Harvey from Eight Men Out, as a scarier William Forsythe.
“Don Harvey is like, you can't get like sociopath William Forsyth.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:40:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (shared that-guy): Die Hard 2 → Total Recall. Robert Costanzo is in both Die Hard 2 and Total Recall.
“He's in total recall, too.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:41:02 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (hero-vs-protege trope): Die Hard 2 → First Blood. Franz's 'I taught him everything he knows' line is joked as Richard Crenna in First Blood.
“like Richard Crenna in 1st Blood.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:41:35 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Die Hard 2 → Positive K. Positive K's song 'I Got a Man' samples a line from Die Hard 2, so the song now brings the movie to mind.
“And then that line got sampled on, I got a man, the positive K song. So now every time you hear that song, you hear that line from that movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:43:06 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (unintentional comedy): Die Hard 2 → Regarding Henry. Simmons jokes the lesson of Die Hard 2 might match Regarding Henry: get shot in the head and be nicer.
“Maybe that's what John McClain was saying.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:49:28 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (scheduling conflict): Die Hard 2 → The Hunt for Red October. McTiernan was supposed to direct but had committed to The Hunt for Red October.
“John McTiernan was supposed to direct this film, but he had committed to the hunt for Red October already”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:51:55 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
career (later career): Mark Boone Junior → Sons of Anarchy. Boone is a Special Forces guy here and later goes on to Sons of Anarchy.
“he winds up going on to be in Sons of Anarchy and stuff.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:52:41 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
people (performance influence): Dennis Franz → Heat. Simmons jokes Pacino might have studied Franz to prepare for Vincent Hanna.
“I almost wonder if Pacino watched France in this movie studying to get ready to play Vincent Hanna.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:53:17 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (shared fictional country): Die Hard 2 → Commando. Esperanza is a general of Val Verde, the fictional country from Commando; Commando is the true Val Verde Apex Mountain.
“Esperanza is actually a general in the country of Valverde, which is the same country used the fictional South American country used in commando.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:58:58 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)
people (producer): Die Hard 2 → Joel Silver. Simmons loves that Joel Silver chose to run Val Verde back.
“I love that Joel Silver was like, let's just run fucking Valverde back.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:59:13 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (snowmobile chase): Die Hard 2 → The Living Daylights. For snowmobile chase Apex Mountain they cite The Living Daylights and Reindeer Games.
“There a great one in the living daylights.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:01:25 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
verdict (favorite of director): Renny Harlin → The Long Kiss Goodnight. Fennessey's favorite Harlin is Long Kiss Goodnight, though Die Hard 2 is his Apex Mountain.
“My favorite is Long Kiss Good Night.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:01:37 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
verdict (best known for): Renny Harlin → Deep Blue Sea. Fennessey thinks Harlin may be best known now for Deep Blue Sea.
“he might actually be best known for Deep Blue Sea at this point.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:01:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
theme (villain comparison): Cliffhanger → Alan Rickman. Lithgow's villain in Cliffhanger is as good as Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber-style bad guy.
“Lithgow does the Alan Rickman really as good as Alan Rickman in that movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:02:14 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career setback): Renny Harlin → Cutthroat Island. Cutthroat Island is the huge bomb that pulled Harlin down.
“cutthroat Island is kind of the movie that pulled him down.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:02:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
unmapped (villain model): William Stuart → Oliver North. Stuart is modeled as a rip-off villain of Oliver North, the Iran-Contra figure.
“Oliver North.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:03:57 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (airport movie): Die Hard 2 → Airplane!. Set-in-an-airport Apex Mountain is either Die Hard 2 or Airplane, with Airport and Planes Trains aged or insufficient.
“It's either this or airplane, right?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:05:06 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (eye stabbing): Die Hard 2 → Single White Female. Icicle eye stab is good but Single White Female's heel is the number one eye stabbing.
“single white female, the heel and the high is the number one eye stabbing that I can remember.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:05:31 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (eye stabbing): Die Hard 2 → X. The horror movie X in theaters has a high-level eye stabbing.
“there's a horror movie in theaters right now called X that's got a high level eye stabbing in it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:05:50 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (nude Tai Chi): Die Hard 2 → Road House. They propose a debate whether Sadler's fully nude Tai Chi beats Swayze's half-nude Tai Chi in Road House.
“whether Sadler's fully nude Tai Chi, tops Swayze's half nude Tai Chi in Roadhouse.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:06:26 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
unmapped (villain charisma): Die Hard 2 → Die Hard with a Vengeance. Simmons asks if Die Hard 2 is worse because Esperanza lacks the charisma of Rickman or Jeremy Irons.
“it doesn't have an evil guy as a villain as charismatic as Rickman or John Jeremy Irons?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:11:36 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
unmapped (Christmas movie test): Die Hard 2 → National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Simmons says a real Christmas movie is Christmas Vacation, where Christmas is in every scene, unlike Die Hard 2.
“A Christmas movie is like National Lampoon's Christmas vacation.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:15:36 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
unmapped (taser comedy): Die Hard 2 → The Hangover. Die Hard 2 may have pioneered comedic taser use but The Hangover is the taser Apex Mountain.
“Apex Mountain is a hangover.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:16:53 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
what-if (alternate ending): Die Hard 2 → The Rock. Ryan wants the Rock-style fix where the villain is stopped at the last second, with Ed Harris redirecting the rockets.
“when Ed Harris shoots the rockets at San Francisco and then he like redirects them at the last second.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:23:34 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career path): Fred Thompson → The Hunt for Red October. Simmons asks whether Red October and Die Hard 2 made voters want Thompson as a senator.
“Hunt for October and Die Hard 2 where people just like, let's just vote this guy in.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:24:31 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)

Fun items (28)

fun, about Die Hard 2: Sadler did not realize the naked Tai Chi scene meant fully naked, asked to film it near the end of the shoot and trained for two months; the bureau is positioned to hide his package.
“He didn't realize he had to be naked, so the actor William Sadler was like, can we film this near the end?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:17:06 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Most rewatchable scene: McClane fights two guys in a restricted baggage area, a cluttered multi-room fight setup nobody does anymore.
“John fights 2 guys in a security restricted baggage area.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:23:47 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Most rewatchable: Carmine Lorenzo meets McClane and is unimpressed by the Nakatomi hero; the hosts joke about the Sully equivalent.
“Yeah, we're not at the Nakatomi building anymore, McQueen.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:25:59 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: The airport SWAT team fails to notice a group of terrorists painting down the hall; Robert Patrick is one of them.
“Should we should we study these 7 guys randomly painting over there?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:29:08 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: The plane crash is the craziest, most horrifying scene in action movies and why the hosts hadn't done the movie; memorable, not rewatchable.
“I wouldn't call it rewatchable, more like memorable”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:30:15 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Everyone at Dulles keeps drinking after a jet is blown up on the news; they would all go home in real life.
“everybody at Dulles just has another scotch and hangs out and waits.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:31:45 · Bill Simmons (0.65 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Naked Tai Chi is used as shorthand that the villain is the bad guy; the hosts want to take it back for the good guys.
“Naked Tai Chi, bad guy.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:38:56 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Best quote: Stuart's snarl at the reporter, an exchange the hosts want to bring into office life.
“No pictures, you pinko bitch.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:42:34 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Best quote: McClane's self-aware line about the same thing happening twice, later sampled in Positive K's 'I Got a Man'.
“How does the same shit happen to the same guy twice?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:42:56 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: What aged best: airports at Christmas, with parkas, Jameson, chaos and misery; also what aged worst since nobody waits at the airport or smokes inside anymore.
“Everybody's just pounding away at Jameson's and waiting to get on the flight.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:43:24 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: What aged worst: 210 people die and the movie moves on in 2.5 minutes with no grief.
“comes and goes in 2.5 minutes.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:50:58 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Casting what-if: McTiernan was supposed to direct but committed to Red October; the hosts think Harlin did a good job, with a goofier, grander tone.
“He just has like a slightly different tone.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:52:09 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Best That Guy award goes to Don Harvey and Art Evans; Simmons notes he could not name either but recognized both.
“I didn't know what either of their names were, but I would recognize them immediately”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:53:00 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Who won the movie: Dennis Franz as the sharp-tongued Chicago-accented Dulles airport cop with the reindeer rant.
“I got a fucking reindeer flying in here from the fucking petting zoo.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:54:19 · Dennis Franz (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Recast the TV reporter: Markie Post, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, or a young Sandra Bullock before Speed.
“I was thinking Sandra Bullock for a young whippersnapper.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:56:03 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Trivia: first film to digitally composite live action with a scanned matte painting, used for the runway scene.
“This was the 1st film to use digitally compositive live action footage with the traditional map painting”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:56:40 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Trivia: Black & Decker paid for a cordless drill in a Bruce scene, the scene was cut, and they sued Fox for $150,000.
“Black and Decker paid to have a cordless drill featured in a Bruce Willis scene.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:56:54 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about John Leguizamo: Leguizamo wrote that his role was meant to be much bigger until the filmmakers realized how short he was.
“his role in this movie was intended to be much larger until the filmmakers realized how short he was.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:57:14 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about John Amos: Amos said there was real tension with Willis on set.
“let's just say that he will never humiliate me in public again.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:57:31 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Apex Mountain for Val Verde goes to Commando; Esperanza is a general of the same fictional country.
“Commando, we actually go to Val Verde.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:58:03 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: A wet print: the film was finished so close to release it was shipped to theaters still wet.
“Wet print means it was just completed right before the release date.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:58:13 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)
fun, about Bruce Willis: Bruce's hair here is the last wave of the peninsula at the top before chicanery.
“I think this was the last wave of when he had like the peninsula at the top.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:04:22 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Hosts spend four minutes failing to explain the getaway plan and Wikipedia plot; Simmons admits not understanding the movie.
“the fact that we just spent 4 minutes trying to figure this out tells me maybe they didn't really fully label it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:10:29 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Christmas movie debate: Simmons holds firm that Die Hard and Die Hard 2 are not Christmas movies; the others say this captures holiday travel anxiety.
“In my heart of hearts, it's not a Christmas movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:16:22 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Taser first: a comedic taser may have first appeared in this movie, but it is not the Apex Mountain, which is The Hangover.
“Not before this.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:16:49 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Who else could be McClane: Treat Williams, Jeff Bridges, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as a joke.
“What about Jeff Brid? Jeff Bridges?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:18:38 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Memorabilia: the blanks gun with blue tape, the plane phone, and the shawl-collar sweater.
“the gun with the blanks with the blue tape on it would be a cool thing to break out of parties.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:19:45 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Die Hard 2: Old widescreen composition made this hard to follow on old TVs; it plays better on modern TVs.
“it's filmed super wide.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:24:05 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Bill Simmons (host): Loves movies of his own youth, the 1990s theatrical-era blockbusters and John McClane's mix of comedy and action. Cannot stand the Die Hard-as-Christmas-movie take and finds the plane crash a conflicted, joyless moment. A sucker for NBA metaphors, Regarding Henry as a cult comedy, and bad-movie tangents.
Chris Ryan (host): Fan of Bruce Willis's blend of action and comedy and an affectionate watcher of that-guy character actors. Loves airport nostalgia and the chaos of Christmas travel; dislikes the callous plane crash. Sucker for Janine Turner and Die Hard with a Vengeance.
Sean Fennessey (host): Film-nerd who values Willis's daring taste in directors and takes seriously the craft and the cultural footprint. Fond of Renny Harlin's Long Kiss Goodnight, De Palma, and a good that-guy roll call; skeptical of the movie's incoherent plot and the 9/11-erased airport.

The show's recurring bits

Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.

Names the transcriber got wrong

Sean Fantasy = Sean Fennessey
Vondy Curtis Hall = Vondie Curtis-Hall
Franko Nero = Franco Nero
Lake Wazamo / John Legwazamo / Leguizama = John Leguizamo
Rennie / Randy / Renny Harlan = Renny Harlin
Dick Thornberg = Dick Thornburg (Atherton's reporter)
Windsor Air = fictional airline name
Cole Meaney / Cole Meanie = Colm Meaney
Sybil Shepherd = Cybill Shepherd
Sam Alone Diane Cheer = Sam and Diane from Cheers
Seagrim's = Seagram's
Marky Post = Markie Post
Dion waiter's a word = Dion Waiters (NBA)
Walter Wagers = Walter Wager
Rowdy Harrington = Rowdy Herrington
Raj / Rush / Cisco = Ebert / Siskel
Stuart / Stewart = Colonel Stuart
Roller girl = Maria de Medeiros's Fabienne
Diamond 2 = Die Hard 2
Dired = Died Hard
Maria De Maderos = Maria de Medeiros
Dana Willerson Nicholson = Dana Wheeler-Nicholson