Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Imagine an escape room the size of New York, run by a man with a German accent and a grudge. That’s Die Hard with a Vengeance, right up until the last act forgets to give you an exit. For most of its 129 minutes it’s a blast. Bruce Willis plays McClane hungover and done with everything, and Samuel L. Jackson’s Zeus is the best partner this series ever found, a guy who wants nothing to do with any of this and keeps getting pulled back in. Their bickering in a cab tearing through Central Park does more than any explosion. Jeremy Irons plays Simon like he’s having the best day of his life, which, fair. The riddles are fun, the city is a real character, and the pace never lets up until the finale wanders off somewhere and fizzles. A 7.3 because the first stretch is nearly as good as the original and the ending forgets it’s a Die Hard movie. $2,857 says you try the water jug riddle on a friend and get it wrong while explaining it.

What works: Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson bickering their way across the city, Jeremy Irons enjoying every line, and riddles that keep the pace high.

What doesn’t: The finale moves out of the city and loses all the tension the first part built, then wraps up in a quick, flat scene.

Who it’s for: People who like buddy action movies with a puzzle waiting on every corner.