Die Hard 2 (with Jorma Taccone)
6/11/20261 hr 15 min
With Amy reporting from Cannes, Paul welcomes Jorma Taccone for a Dealer’s Choice episode on Die Hard 2, the explosive sequel that takes John McClane to a snowbound airport under siege. Together they make the case for one of action cinema’s most underrated follow-ups, celebrating Bruce Willis’s swagger, Renny Harlin’s direction, and the sequel’s knack for escalating the stakes without losing sight of character. They also dive into the film's practical effects, memorable villains, and why Die Hard 2 remains a textbook example of how to go bigger without breaking what made the original work. You can join the Unspooled conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6 Follow Paul and Amy on Letterboxd for more of their movie hot takes! https://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/ https://letterboxd.com/theamynicholson/ Paul’s book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is out now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheer Check out more of Paul's writing on his Substack https://substack.com/@paulscheer Episodic Art by Kim Troxall: https://www.unspooledart.com/ Learn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and on Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsPaul Scheer· Host0:01
The year is 1990 Just once, like a regular, normal Christmas.
Bruce Willis· Soundbite0:07
[items rustling] Eggnog, [glass shatters] fucking Christmas tree, little turkey. [grunts] But no, I gotta crawl around this motherfucking tin can.
Paul Scheer· Host0:22
The movie Die Hard 2. [upbeat music] Hey, everybody. Welcome to Unspooled. I am Paul Scheer, and this is a podcast about good movies, critical hits, fan favorites, must-sees, and in case you missed 'ems. Normally, I am joined by my co-host, LA Times film critic Amy Nicholson, to talk about the films that people consider the best ever made. But while she is away in Cannes, we are leaving our best of lists and focusing on one person's list, one person's favorite underappreciated classic or left-of-center favorite, a film that potentially doesn't get enough love. This is Dealer's Choice, a series where our guests get to choose what movie they need to talk about, and anything goes. And today, we are talking about Die Hard 2. Let me give you a little context here. The year is 1990. 20th Century Fox is looking to capitalize on the massive, unexpected success of Die Hard, and they want to do it in a big way, right? The original film, which we did on the show a few Christmases ago, directed by John McTiernan, is this tight contained thriller set in Los Angeles, and it blends