Die Hard: With a Vengeance

Die Hard: With a Vengeance opens with John McClane, New York City's resourceful Detective, still recovering from the events of the previous film. McClane is known for his unwarranted interference in the affairs of his own agency and, at the beginning of the movie, we clearly see that he's still not being allowed back into his role in the police force. This isolation from his job allows him to see the world in a different perspective at times. McClane's friend, Joe "Joe 90" Takagi, is killed in a booby trap, set by the seemingly intelligent and quick-witted Simon Gruber. The introduction of Simon marks the beginning of the movie's fast-paced, intellectually engaged action. In one event that will shape his journey through the movie, McClane is inadvertently pulled into a fight between two African-American men: Zeus Carver and Dr. Stanley Praxis, who takes offense to Praxis' comments about black American individuals and their 'lower IQ'. McClane appears just in time to rescue Zeus from the situation and, thus, the movie starts to build anticipation. When the infamous Simon Gruber kidnaps Detective Al Powell's daughter, Simon demands clues from McClane and his team in a threatening, 3-day countdown. The goal of the game laid out by Simon is to solve these geographical clues before the day can end, warning the player that failure would result in death. These obstacles challenge people's understanding of the history of America and New York's role in shaping that history. McClane chooses Zeus Carver, a Wall street stockbroker from Harlem, to help him navigate through these historical puzzles that unlock locations and crucial pieces of information that lead the duo either deeper into the game with Simon, or lead them into a fight to survive. McClane's actions in the 'car pool' incidents while solving these questions show that even when involved in a rather absurd puzzle he still remains focused, which justifies his ability to keep a cool head even in situations seemingly unable to be saved even at the start. As the 3-day countdown progresses, Mcclane and Zeus find out that the game ultimately unfolds in a series of murders, involving locations like African gravesites, Martin Luther King, the African explorer Samuel Johnson, the Battle of New York in 1673; their connections reflect a more coherent story from the past that plays a crucial role in its conclusion. This is done in support of Simon's desire to lay claim on one of New York's famous and valuable structures - the famous Museum of African Art at the New York City African Museum of Art that Zeus works within. On the final day, the urgency and danger escalate considerably. McClane and Zeus now understand the purpose behind Simon's intellect: McClane, through a plan that keeps both him and Zeus from any external danger, drives Zeus to the next destination which is the African Museum of Art, using a bus under full speed on the wrong side of a single-lane road right before reaching the art museum and possibly the destruction it signifies. During the final confrontation, the final component is revealed - the famous gold of New York. By the time the countdown must have ended, many targets and dangers threaten the city as its original plan. McClane, through a sequence of various tactics that allow him to outsmart then to use and re-use his plan through a somewhat coordinated communication setup provided to him and him alone by Zeus - together, they and Powell's family, are finally able to leave harm out of Simon, but cause damage to Simon, and of course, the gold - all this culminating in what has been an action-packed and suspenseful journey of three days, in some manner comparable to Simon's vision - of a controlled, if only for three days.