Casey Chong presents a selection of Die Hard riffs…
The Die Hard on a [fill in the setting] subgenre first made its mark after director John McTiernan and then-television star Bruce Willis, of Moonlighting fame, ushered in a new era of action movies in 1988 to critical and financial success with the original Die Hard. It spawned four sequels and inspired a generation of Die Hard-like films with notable movies such as Under Siege, Passenger 57, Speed and The Rock. The B-movie side, in the meantime, has its fair share of Die Hard-like action movies that may carry a lower budget compared to the big-studio Hollywood blockbusters, but some of manage to make the most of whatever budgets and resources are available to deliver an entertaining riff on the Die Hard formula. Here are the eight for your watch list…
Security (2017)
Canadian director Alain Desrochers took the familiar Die Hard route in Security, complete with a story straight out of the assembly line: Antonio Banderas plays an ex-Marine Corps Security captain, who desperately needed a job and doesn’t mind working as a mall security guard. But his first shift turns out to be the worst night after a group of mercenaries led by Charlie (Ben Kingsley) are tracking down Jamie (Katherine Mary de la Rocha), a crucial eyewitness who nearly escaped from death and ended up seeking refuge in the mall.
The rest of the movie is soon turned into a “Die Hard in a mall” action playbook. Banderas’ Eddie Deacon is the kind of reluctant hero under the forced circumstances, who’s skillful with weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. He is still in good shape for someone who’s already 56 years old and does a good job portraying a world-weary character. Security only clocks in around 90 minutes, as Desrochers’ efficient direction wastes little time with expositions but rather the type that cuts to the chase. For a $15 million production, the movie boasts some decent action scenes that are staged with enough clarity.
No Contest (1995)
Shannon Tweed plays the unlikely heroine in No Contest? Well, believe it or not, the former Playboy model-turned-actress best known for her erotic roles, does a surprisingly convincing job here in an action-heavy role. She plays Sharon Bell, a former beauty queen and a martial arts expert, who is hosting a Miss Galaxy pageant competition when a group of terrorists led by Oz (Andrew Dice Clay) hijacks the building. It’s like the first Die Hard, albeit in a lower-budget production.
The story is pretty much straightforward and predictable since Paul Lynch is ripping off John McTiernan’s 1988 action classic anyway. But at least No Contest benefits from a game cast, and apart from Tweed, Andrew Dice Clay enjoys chewing scenery as the main antagonist, while Roddy Piper co-stars as Oz’s unhinged henchman, Ice. Interestingly, for a B-movie production, Lynch emphasizes the little detail regarding Tweed’s character. This is especially true with her role being the one who attempts to stop the terrorists without turning her into an indestructible action heroine. Paul Lynch returns to direct the sequel a year later, titled No Contest II, with Shannon Tweed reprising her role.
Command Performance (2009)
Here’s an interesting trivia about Dolph Lundgren: He actually knows how to play drums in real life. This, in turn, comes in handy for the martial arts star to show off his drumming skills in Command Performance. He plays Joe, a former biker gang member-turned-drummer for the rock band CMF. The story follows Joe and his bandmates opening a concert in Moscow with famous pop singer Venus (Melissa Smith) becoming the main attraction. The VIPs include the Russian president and his two daughters, who are fans of Venus. It’s Die Hard-in-the-rock-concert stretch once the terrorists hold them hostage and massacre others in cold blood. The only chance to save the day is Joe, playing the kind of reluctant hero typically seen in this subgenre.
Lundgren, who is also calling the shots behind the cameras as a director and even a co-writer, doesn’t shy away from graphic violence that is more brutal than your average Die Hard-type action movie. At one point, an unfortunate bad guy gets stabbed with a drumstick and even kills a guy with a broken electric guitar. His decision to utilize shaky camerawork can be frustrating at times, even though it does give his movie a visceral sense of urgency.
Automatic (1995)
Olivier Gruner’s third starring role in Automatic sees the French martial artist continue to delve into the sci-fi action territory after Nemesis, a year earlier. A mix of Terminator, RoboCop and Die Hard, where the latter takes place in the confines of a building, Gruner plays an android code-named J269 designed to protect humans from danger.
Following a company’s top executive’s attempt to rape a PR assistant (Daphne Ashbrook’s Nora Rochester), J269 ends up killing him. The company’s CEO (pre-Smallville John Glover, in a scenery-chewing antagonist role) decides to cover it up by sending his mercenaries to eliminate J269 and Rochester at all costs. Automatic benefits from Olivier Gruner’s physical prowess during the fight scenes, showcasing his martial arts agility in taking down as many mercenaries as possible. The movie runs only 86 minutes, and credits go to director John Murlowski for wasting little time getting to the point.
Deadly Outbreak (1995)
Action star Jeff Speakman, best known for his roles in The Perfect Weapon and The Expert, showcases his nifty Kenpo martial arts skills in Deadly Outbreak. Best described as a Die Hard in a research facility, Speakman plays Sergeant Dutton, who works for the U.S. embassy finding himself caught in the middle of the terrorist plot that holds the scientists hostage. The story is as cookie-cutter as it gets with none of the pretension. The kind of action movie that emphasizes heavily on the hero taking down the bad guys while throwing quips.
The action is well-choreographed for a B-action movie under the genre know-how direction of Rick Avery, who previously co-directed Speakman in The Expert, with plenty of shootouts and fight scenes. Of course, a movie like this wouldn’t be complete without a memorable antagonist and casting Ron Silver, who is no stranger to playing bad guys (1994’s Timecop is one of them), is an inspired choice.
Death Machine (1994)
Before Stephen Norrington gained recognition directing Wesley Snipes in Blade, he made his promising feature-length debut in Death Machine four years prior. The story follows the Die Hard-style template, which in this case takes place in the confines of a high-rise building: A chief executive (Ely Pouget’s Hayden Cale) is trapped inside with a trio of eco-warriors as they face a deranged inventor (Brad Dourif, in his typically unhinged performance) and his titular mechanical beast.
Despite its low-budget production, Death Machine looks like it costs a whole lot more, thanks to its better-than-expected practical effects. The robot design, which is reminiscent of a metal dinosaur-like appearance, complete with giant teeth and razor-sharp claws, looks physically imposing. Norrington is smart enough not to reveal the machine in its entirety as he seemingly takes the page out of Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott’s visual playbook seen in Jaws and Alien. And that is, a less-is-more approach, and it works well to Norrington’s advantage. He doesn’t skimp on the graphic violence, notably the memorable attack scene in the elevator.
Crackerjack (1994)
The imposingly tall Thomas Ian Griffith, best known for his iconic role as Terry Silver in The Karate Kid Part III, put his martial arts skills to good use in Crackerjack. He plays Jack Wild (yes, that’s really his name), a PTSD-inflicted Chicago cop who is also a loose cannon. While on vacation with his brother and sister-in-law at the Rocky Mountains resort, a group of terrorists led by Ivan Getz (Christopher Plummer) hijacks the place to get his hands on the stolen diamonds.
The movie is essentially Die Hard on a ski resort and, for that, it fulfills its genre criteria: lots of action from hand-to-hand combats to gunfights and explosions with a few sardonic one-liners thrown in for good measure. Thomas Ian Griffith does a good job playing the trouble cop role that reminds me of Bruce Willis’ John McClane, while Christopher Plummer pulls off a slick Hans Gruber-like antagonist turn and let’s not forget, an eye candy played by Nastassja Kinski as the resort’s activity coordinator. Crackerjack spawned two sequels, even though Thomas Ian Griffith didn’t return for either of the movies.
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Of all the movies listed here, Snakes on a Plane boasts a significantly higher-than-usual $33 million budget for a B-movie. The movie features none other than Samuel L. Jackson as an FBI agent Neville Flynn, who is tasked to escort the eyewitness (Nathan Phillips’ Sean Jones) to safety from Hawaii to L.A. via a plane flight. Soon, the story turns into a Die Hard on a plane premise, only the difference here is that the “terrorists” here are a crate filled with deadly snakes.
This leads to a series of snake-related attacks as David R. Ellis of Final Destination 2 and Cellular fame, made good use of the commercial airliner as a visual playground of mean-spirited, R-rated mayhem. The movie is knowingly silly and fun, while having Samuel L. Jackson on board is a cherry on top. He even gets to deliver the movie’s best one-liner: “Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherf**king snakes on this motherf**king plane!”
SEE ALSO: Die Hard on a Shoestring: The Low Budget Die Hard Clones
What are your favourite B-movie Die Hard riffs? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
