Question about acting in Die Hard 2 (1 Viewer)

[TheoGB]

Admittedly it's my least favourite of the trilogy but I thought I'd stick on the commentary last night after someone recommended it in 'Software'. It is a pretty good one (cheers).
However I was struck once again by one of the main reasons I can't stand the film: That air traffic controller bloke - the black guy with the wite hair. His perfomance always seems so incredibly bad to me.
Does anyone else agree or am I just over intellectualising here?

 

[Nick Sievers]

Theo, While I didn't think any of the acting in DH2 was great the Air Traffic Controller guy did just as good as the rest of the cast, I don't think he stood out as really bad. Personally I thought the "other" ATC was worse.

 

[AJ Johnson]

Is one of the ATC guys (not the black guy) in Die Hard 2 a U.S. Senator now? It was eerie but the same day I bought Die Hard 2 on DVD me and my girlfriend saw him on CNN doing some kind of debate and the resemblance was too close to be a coincidence unless this guy has a twin. We never got the Senator's name but I'm almost positive it was him.

 

[Dana Fillhart]

A little ironic (sorry for the improper usage of the word, for those who've read the thread in After Hours ) that in this thread we have 2 posters who have names of 2 of the characters in Die Hard 1: Theo and Johnson ("No, the other Johnson") Actually, Al could go both ways (oops, sorry again ) -- "Al" could refer to the cop and friend of McClaine's.

 

[Shawn C]

Fred Thompson has been a Republican Tennesee Senator since 1994.

 

[Grant B]

I discovered a while ago how to enjoy Movies like Die harder

1. Turn off brain

2. Drink

Follow these two steps carefully and things like dumb plots, bad acting and impossibilities like breaking the laws of physics dont get in the way.

But Theo, you are correct, I think I would have to be in coma not to notice the bad acting in this one

 

[Michael Reuben]

Fred Dalton Thompson started as a lawyer and played an active role in the Watergate hearings before becoming an actor who specialized in authority figures (CIA director in No Way Out, White House chief of staff in In the Line of Fire, an admiral in Hunt for Red October, a senior partner in Cape Fear). Getting elected senator was like a return to his first career.

As for Art Evans, who played Barnes in DH2, I didn't see anything wrong with his performance. He's one of those serviceable character actors who routinely turns up as a cop or an assistant and gets the job done without a lot of flash. The most interesting dramatic work I've ever seen him do is in A Soldier's Story, but he had the benefit of a real character there. The Barnes character is little more than a plot function.

M.

 

[Henry Gale]

Happened to be watching DH2 last night and I thought the worst acting was from the hairpiece on the white guy in the lead role.

 

[Brian Perry]

Off topic, but I could have swore that there was a scene with an extreme closeup of a Tag Heuer wristwatch (during the first scenes of the terrorists). I couldn't find it on the DVD.

 

[Dave H]

I rented Die Hard 2 last night and saw it for the first time. I think it was really bad. However, I liked the first one - it had a much better story and acting. I think I'll grab Die Hard - Five Star in my next Columbia House enrollment.

 

[Greg_Y]

I read once that one of the strengths of a good director is his ability to "lead" a good supporting cast.

There are some decent "minor" actors in DH2, and most of them are wasted: William Sadler, John Amos, Dennis Franz, Fred Thompson, etc. So it's no surprise to see Renny Harlin in the director's chair. While I have no doubt that he knows how to get the most bang out of action sequences, the stuff he puts in between (little things like characters interacting with one another) tends to be a bit awkward.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I dont' know Theo, how are air-traffic controllers supposed to act? Personally, I don't know.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I'm with Roger Ebert on this, 'DH2' is my favorite of the series even though I absolutly love the other two as well.
The only problem I had with Art Evens in 'DH2' was the fact that he looks like the type of guy who spits a lot when he talks.

 

[TheoGB]

I dont' know Theo, how are air-traffic controllers supposed to act? Personally, I don't know.

It's not that he doesn't convince me as an ATC, he just doesn't convince me as a man in that situation. Every time he comes up with an idea it just looks like he's got a script and when he says something it's delivered badly.
The man has a long career and I've not seen him in other stuff, hence I think it's a bad performance he gives. I'm sure he's a good actor normally but I'd guess he just thought the movie was a piece of shit and couldn't be bothered trying to go for anything too taxing.

 

[Jeff Ashforth]

There was acting in Die Hard 2?????

 

[RobertR]

Since the plot in Die Hard 2 is utterly ludicrous ("ooh, this is the ONLY airport in the whole country we can talk to/land at"), I view the acting in it as inconsequential as that in a Road Runner cartoon.

 

[Grant B]

I always tried not to think about the other airport thing...hell they would be deverting them down to flordia before they rrun out of gas....and considering DC has 3 airports...nevermind

and stop running down the acting on roadrunner cartoons!

 

[Ashley Seymour]

The only performance that was distracting for me was John Amos. He has been ok in some other films and TV, but he was just too annoying here.

Other than that, what acting?

 

[Nate Anderson]

Funny, I always thought the entire point of Die Hard 2 was simply to watch a lot of stuff get blown up real good and see Bruce Willis kick ass and get his ass kicked.

I didn't know anyone was watching it for great acting!

Nonetheless, wasn't it cool when the one terrorist got an icicle jammed through his eye?

 

[TheoGB]

I don't watch Die Hard movies for acting but you need a little something for suspension of disbelief!