Die Hard or Terminator 2? Which is the Better Action Movie? [Archive]

Mitchified

16-May-2011, 02:46 PM

I'm voting for Die Hard. While Terminator 2 was an extremely good movie, the kid playing John Connor was kind of annoying at parts and, to me, there was no real sense of escalation as the movie progressed. Die Hard not only had better action sequences, but you also really came to care about the characters. Bruce Willis did a fantastic job of making you root for him.

Trin

16-May-2011, 02:52 PM

The wording is key here... which is the better Action movie?

I think Die Hard was the better movie. It was the first "action" movie to show us that thrills can be combined with a deviously intelligent plot. We also got to see that an everyman can be the action hero. Outside of a few implausible moments the movie's action sequences were grounded in reality.

But judged purely as an action movie I'm not sure it holds up to T2. T2 was non-stop action, and well crafted action. Two highly unstoppable robots duking it out for an entire movie. You didn't even need to critique the plausibility of the huge guns or massive explosions. That's hard to top. Die Hard spent a lot of time crafting plot and building characters, then inserted little action interludes in between. It was perfectly balanced, but not pure action.

So my opinion... Die Hard is a better movie... T2 is a better action movie.

bassman

16-May-2011, 03:23 PM

Kind of a strange comparison, isn't it? One is within the realm of science fiction where anything can happen, where as the other has more of a grounding in reality. For the science fiction reason, I can't vote T2. For an action movie, Die Hard takes it.

AcesandEights

16-May-2011, 03:50 PM

Though I agree with some of what Trin says above and think T2 is truly epic, I have to give it up to Die Hard--an action thrill ride that delivers on multiple levels.

Tricky

16-May-2011, 03:54 PM

I'd say Die Hard given the choices, but if it was T1 isntead of T2 then it would be different! The whole future war scenes, as well as the scene where the Terminator storms that police station are equal if not better than Die Hards action parts :cool:

shootemindehead

16-May-2011, 04:16 PM

While both films wouldn't be on my "...before you die" list, I'd have to say 'Die Hard" easilly. 'Terminator 2' was/is rubbish. Stupid film.

Wow! I didn't even use bad language!

See that Neil?

MoonSylver

16-May-2011, 05:22 PM

It is an odd comparison. Apples & Oranges IMO. Even though it's full of action I wouldn't even consider either Terminator films to be "Action" films. So it's "Die Hard" all the way. It really was perhaps the pinacle of the "80's action film" for all the reasons others alluded to earlier, great characters well acted, believable & human, a great story, well crafted action & suspense in a clever & inventive setting utilized well.

Now "Lethal Weapon" vs "Die Hard" or "Commando" vs "Rambo: First Blood Part II" would make for great comparisons. ;)

Neil

16-May-2011, 06:05 PM

There seems to be this on going debate in the movie fandom world about which film is better. So I figured I would poll you fine folks here at HPOTD to get a consensus among Zombie Fans.

Jesus! Hard choice! Depends on the day of the week TBH! I guess Die Hard is the better 'action' flick, but Terminator 2 is cleverererer!

So for your poll, 'action', 'Die Hard'...

---------- Post added at 07:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:04 PM ----------

Wow! I didn't even use bad language!

See that Neil?

I see everything!

ps: Nice underwear!

shootemindehead

16-May-2011, 07:22 PM

tsk tsk...I'm going commando today.

You need to clean your x-ray internet camera.

AcesandEights

16-May-2011, 08:43 PM

tsk tsk...I'm going commando today.

Now we finally know what type of 1980s action-cheese Shootem' likes :p

http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/arnold-commando-560.jpg

MoonSylver

16-May-2011, 10:19 PM

tsk tsk...I'm going commando today.

You need to clean your x-ray internet camera.

Now we finally know what type of 1980s action-cheese Shootem' likes :p

http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/arnold-commando-560.jpg

http://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gifhttp://www.fiero.nl/forum/smilies/smiley_notworthy.gif

God how I love that movie. :kiss::o

kidgloves

16-May-2011, 10:21 PM

Die Hard

That is all.

DjfunkmasterG

16-May-2011, 11:53 PM

I put these two films together because they seem to be the pinnacle of discussion when it comes to action films from back in the day. Most forum discussions when it comes to action films from the late 80's early 90's seems to be Die Hard vs T2... I like T2, but I love DIE HARD way more.

acealive1

17-May-2011, 01:29 AM

love em both, but even the scenes with no gun play in T2 were all action

---------- Post added at 09:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 PM ----------

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God how I love that movie. :kiss::o

same here, i grew up watching it on repeat

blind2d

17-May-2011, 02:46 AM

I'm gonna say 'Supercop'. Yeah!!
No? Fine then, the one I've seen, T:2. Robots!!!

Mr. Clean

17-May-2011, 03:00 AM

Now "Lethal Weapon" vs "Die Hard" or "Commando" vs "Rambo: First Blood Part II" would make for great comparisons. ;)

Lethal Weapon Vs Die hard....I 100% agree....pretty close call.

Commando? really? maybe I need to go back and watch it. I don't remember it being worthy to mention in a Die Hard thread but it's been awhile.

and yes...I voted Die Hard hands down but "With a Vengence" is my favorite one.

MoonSylver

17-May-2011, 03:40 AM

Lethal Weapon Vs Die hard....I 100% agree....pretty close call.

Commando? really? maybe I need to go back and watch it. I don't remember it being worthy to mention in a Die Hard thread but it's been awhile..

Re-read. That was "Lethal Weapon" vs "Die Hard" OR "Commando" vs "RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II" ;)

Mr. Clean

17-May-2011, 04:10 AM

ah ok I missed that. :D

Neil

17-May-2011, 05:37 AM

Re-read. That was "Lethal Weapon" vs "Die Hard" OR "Commando" vs "RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II" ;)

Do you not think Lethal Weapon 2 is more in the 'tone' of Die Hard, than the first Lethal Weapon?

Tricky

17-May-2011, 08:04 AM

Commando is laughable, its an entertaining watch but its so ridiculous! Gun shops that sell missile launchers, an entire army that cant shoot straight, Arnie firing from the hip with an M60 and hitting everyone with deadly accuracy, a shirtless Arnie getting blown up by a grenade but just getting up & brushing the dust off, a camp main baddie in a chainmail vest who is surely too fat to ever have been a commando...

MoonSylver

17-May-2011, 11:40 AM

Not to say Commando isn't completely over the top, but I'll contest a couple of points...

Gun shops that sell missile launchers

They're running illegal arms out of the back. Note that Matrix has to find the buzzer to access the hidden room. (I always presumed he knew it was there in the first place from either his contacts or from back in the day.)

a shirtless Arnie getting blown up by a grenade but just getting up & brushing the dust off,

Two things here: first we see him dive for cover & second, we do see he receives some kind of wound (either bruised or broken ribs).

Sorry to be pedantic, but if you're going to slag on one of my favorite action films, I have to at least make sure your facts are correct. ;) :lol:

As for the rest...the army that can't hit, that's a pretty common convention of MANY westerns & action films. Would be a disappointing movie otherwise...:)

M-60 scene? Unbelievable sure, but wicked cool none the less.:cool:

As for Bennett, yeah he's a bit odd.;) Never had any trouble believing he could have just gone to seed though. (Now the REST of Matrix's team who get killed in the beginning, THOSE guys I always thought "wtf?" :rockbrow:)

shootemindehead

17-May-2011, 12:12 PM

Um...hate 'Commando', sorry Aces and Moonie!

But...watched 'Die Hard' and 'Die Hard 2' last night. The first is still very good, even though that black guy with the glasses gets on my tits. The Duane character is a bit silly as well and kind of makes the second half a bit too ridiculous. I can't help feeling that Paul Gleason thinks he's still in the 'Breakfast Club'. The ending is pants as well. Overall though, it's a great film for it's type, which admittedly isn't saying much.

'Die Hard 2', on the other hand isn't really that hot. It started off well, but by the 30 minute mark I was bored. At the end I didn't give a hoot, who was around. It suffers very much from that "Difficult Second Album" syndrome.

MoonSylver

17-May-2011, 12:45 PM

Um...hate 'Commando', sorry Aces and Moonie!

Can't say as I'm surprised. I wouldn't expect any less. :lol: :nana: :p

Tricky

17-May-2011, 01:28 PM

Not to say Commando isn't completely over the top, but I'll contest a couple of points...

They're running illegal arms out of the back. Note that Matrix has to find the buzzer to access the hidden room. (I always presumed he knew it was there in the first place from either his contacts or from back in the day.)

Two things here: first we see him dive for cover & second, we do see he receives some kind of wound (either bruised or broken ribs).

Sorry to be pedantic, but if you're going to slag on one of my favorite action films, I have to at least make sure your facts are correct. ;) :lol:

As for the rest...the army that can't hit, that's a pretty common convention of MANY westerns & action films. Would be a disappointing movie otherwise...:)

M-60 scene? Unbelievable sure, but wicked cool none the less.:cool:

As for Bennett, yeah he's a bit odd.;) Never had any trouble believing he could have just gone to seed though. (Now the REST of Matrix's team who get killed in the beginning, THOSE guys I always thought "wtf?" :rockbrow:)

How about when Arnie plants those claymores outside those buildings, then when he detonates them the buildings explode from the inside! complete with mannequin in fatigues on sentry duty that doesnt move when blown up! :p Dont get me wrong its a hugely entertaining film to watch, but its daft as hell! Only Arnie could survive leaping from a jumbo jet & landing in a marsh...

DjfunkmasterG

17-May-2011, 01:33 PM

Commando is pure cheese... no doubt about it. However, it is a fun watch because it is a highly quotable movie. Not too mention him tearing through the security guards at the mall was a great watch...

"He is one gigantic mutherfucker"

bassman

17-May-2011, 01:40 PM

No? Fine then, the one I've seen, T:2. Robots!!!

Dude....you still haven't seen Die Hard? I will mail you a copy, ffs. You can't go on without having seen Die Hard. They're all gonna laugh at you! :p

LouCipherr

17-May-2011, 01:45 PM

While I love me some T2, Die Hard has to be the winner for me in this one. :D

AcesandEights

17-May-2011, 02:16 PM

Dude....you still haven't seen Die Hard? I will mail you a copy, ffs. You can't go on without having seen Die Hard. They're all gonna laugh at you! :p

No, Bass, he can't mean that! Blind must mean he hasn't seen Die Hard recently. Right, Blind?

Right???

DjfunkmasterG

17-May-2011, 02:45 PM

He should get a flogging for not having seen Die Hard

blind2d

17-May-2011, 04:08 PM

I... But I've seen almost all the Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee films, and almost half of Jet Li's stuff! Doesn't that count for something?! I mean, what's the point of an action movie without martial arts?! (Realizes that was a stupid thing to say) Um, I mean... I don't get out much... Fine, you win! I'll go buy the VHS for a dollar! Happy?!
Predator was pretty good... Um... Robocop I love... And Supercop... Police Story...

bassman

18-May-2011, 01:38 PM

I've actually never been a big fan of the martial arts action movies. I've seen a lot of them, but they don't really do anything for me. I need guns, explosions, and wise cracking heroes. I'm A-murr-can. :lol:

blind2d

18-May-2011, 02:37 PM

For some of the best in guns and explosions, I refer you back to the first twenty or so minutes of Jackie Chan's First Strike. He snowboards off a cliff, grabbing onto a helicopter that blown up by a rocket a second later and plunges into icy water below, with the shrapnel raining down around him. Wise cracks? Not so much... God, I love that movie... Ladder fight scene... Car chase... Shark and underwater scene... Jumping the sports car onto the boat... Jesus, I'm gonna cum...

DjfunkmasterG

18-May-2011, 03:25 PM

I love chop socky flicks... but films like Die Hard are way more enjoyable for me. Like Bassman... I am A-murrr-a-can

Mitchified

18-May-2011, 03:37 PM

Screw kung fu movies. Bond movies are were it's at. I'd like to see a ninja kick a guy in the face while keeping his martini from spilling.

MinionZombie

18-May-2011, 06:42 PM

Insanely hard choice ... well, not like Sophie's Choice, but still, it's a tricky old choice. :D

I opted for T2 in the end - a close call between these two brutes. T2 is balls-out action with some kick arse sequences that still blow my mind to this day. Die Hard was and is an awesome movie, and action movie, but T2 was just incredible when it came to the action sequences. Hell, many of them still get my adrenaline flowing and my heart pounding to this day. I'm getting shivers just thinking about T2! :)

blind2d

19-May-2011, 01:22 AM

Screw kung fu movies. Bond movies are were it's at. I'd like to see a ninja kick a guy in the face while keeping his martini from spilling.

Ninjas drink REAL alcohol. It's called SAKE, foo'! And, um... I don't believe I or anyone else mentioned ninjas specifically... *Adds this post to reasons Mitchiwho is not a person I especially like*

Neil

19-May-2011, 06:04 PM

AcesandEights

19-May-2011, 06:10 PM

Wow, this poll is turning into a real horse race. More of you guys came of age to Arnie in T2 than I thought.

CoinReturn

19-May-2011, 11:45 PM

Wow, this poll is turning into a real horse race. More of you guys came of age to Arnie in T2 than I thought.

I saw it in the theater when I was 6 (not sure what my parents were thinking) and it set the standard for every other action movie, imo. Definitely a memorable experience.

DjfunkmasterG

20-May-2011, 12:10 AM

Wow, this poll is turning into a real horse race. More of you guys came of age to Arnie in T2 than I thought.

Yeah I was shocked how quick the gap closed myself. I do enjoy T2, especially the scene when Arnie crawls out of the small pick up and onto the SEMI and unloads the gun into the T-1000's face.

acealive1

20-May-2011, 01:13 AM

Yeah I was shocked how quick the gap closed myself. I do enjoy T2, especially the scene when Arnie crawls out of the small pick up and onto the SEMI and unloads the gun into the T-1000's face.

did u happen to notice the scene when the T 1000 is in the helicopter and is reloading his guns with BOTH hands? look down, theres another hand maneuvering the copter :eek:

---------- Post added at 09:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------

Lethal Weapon Vs Die hard....I 100% agree....pretty close call.

Commando? really? maybe I need to go back and watch it. I don't remember it being worthy to mention in a Die Hard thread but it's been awhile.

and yes...I voted Die Hard hands down but "With a Vengence" is my favorite one.

then u must not realize the connection between die hard and commando.

bassman

20-May-2011, 01:46 AM

then u must not realize the connection between die hard and commando.

The script for the Commando sequel(based on Nothing Lasts Forever, iirc) was altered to be Die Hard after Schwarzenneger turned down the chance to come back, but that doesn't really have any bearing on whether or not the original Commando could go toe-to-toe with Die Hard. I would have to agree with Mr Clean. While Commando is a cheesy fun ride, it's nowhere near the greatness of Die Hard.

AcesandEights

20-May-2011, 02:40 AM

Damn, I'll be tucking that bit of info away for future use.

acealive1

20-May-2011, 03:26 AM

The script for the Commando sequel(based on Nothing Lasts Forever, iirc) was altered to be Die Hard after Schwarzenneger turned down the chance to come back, but that doesn't really have any bearing on whether or not the original Commando could go toe-to-toe with Die Hard. I would have to agree with Mr Clean. While Commando is a cheesy fun ride, it's nowhere near the greatness of Die Hard.

without commando there is no die hard

bassman

20-May-2011, 12:05 PM

Yeah, but you could say that about a lot of films in Hollywood. It happens all the time. Without Stallone and his ideas for Cobra, there would have been no Beverly Hills Cop. BHC was originally Stallone's vehicle but he later left and took his ideas to Cobra. So the door swings both ways, really. Cheesy ideas can become great ones, and great ideas can become cheesy.

Speaking of the Die Hard series and it's source material - All of them are spawned from unrelated books. The original was Nothing Lasts Forever, 2 was 58 Minutes, With a Vengeance was Simon Says, and Live Free was A Farewell To Arms.

AcesandEights

20-May-2011, 01:41 PM

Speaking of the Die Hard series and it's source material - All of them are spawned from unrelated books. The original was Nothing Lasts Forever, 2 was 58 Minutes, With a Vengeance was Simon Says, and Live Free was A Farewell To Arms.

Jeez, you guys should run a Die Hard clinic. This is more stuff I didn't have a clue about. :thumbsup:

shootemindehead

20-May-2011, 03:43 PM