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Die Hard 2 poster

Movies that feel likeDie Hard 2 (1990)

One year after his heroics in Los Angeles, John McClane is an off-duty cop who is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a snowy Christmas Eve, as he waits for his wife's plane to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, terrorists take over the air traffic control system in a plot to free a South American army general and drug smuggler being flown into the US to face drug charges. It's now up to McClane to take on the terrorists, while coping with an inept airport police chief, an uncooperative anti-terrorist squad, and the life of his wife and everyone else trapped in planes circling overhead.

If you loved Die Hard 2, the closest films we have are True Lies (1994), The Hunt for Red October (1990) and Speed (1994). All three share Die Hard 2's kinetic and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Warriors (1979).

πŸ… 68% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.2 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Renny Harlinkinetictense
10 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· AMC

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If Die Hard 2 hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Die Hard (1988) Β· Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) Β· Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Β· A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

True Lies poster
True Lies
1994 Β· dir. James Cameron
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.3action Β· thrillerRent or buy

Both are built on the same subject: terrorism

A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.

The Hunt for Red October poster
The Hunt for Red October
1990 Β· dir. John McTiernan
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.5action Β· thriller

Both land momentum and tension at once

A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius. The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. Lone CIA analyst Jack Ryan has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it - because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find Ramius, too. The hunt is on!

Speed poster
Speed
1994 Β· dir. Jan de Bont
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.3action Β· thrillerNetflix

Action with a pulse of momentum, in both cases

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

Tensions run high when a crazed bomber rigs a Los Angeles bus with a device that will kill everyone on board if the vehicle's speed dips below fifty miles per hour.

Cliffhanger poster
Cliffhanger
1993 Β· dir. Renny Harlin
πŸ… 67%β˜… 6.5action Β· adventure Β· thriller

Renny Harlin working the same nerve twice

The difference: Sits closer to adventure than Die Hard 2 does

A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker and his partner, Hal, are called to return to the same peak to rescue a group of stranded climbers, only to learn the climbers are actually thieving hijackers who are looking for boxes full of money.

Air Force One poster
Air Force One
1997 Β· dir. Wolfgang Petersen
πŸ… 78%β˜… 6.5action Β· thriller

Both lean on tension more than on thriller

When Russian neo-nationalists hijack Air Force One, the world's most secure and extraordinary aircraft, the President is faced with a nearly impossible decision to give in to terrorist demands or sacrifice not only the country's dignity, but the lives of his wife and daughter.

The Warriors poster
The Warriors
1979 Β· dir. Walter Hill
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.5action Β· thrillerNetflix

Kinetic action, and it commits to that

Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island gang called the Warriors is wrongly blamed for Cyrus' death. Before you know it, the cops and every gangbanger in town is hot on the Warriors' trail.

Thunderbolt poster
Thunderbolt
1995 Β· dir. Gordon Chan
β˜… 6.3action Β· thriller

Thriller built on tension, twice over

In order to release his kidnapped sister, sports car mechanic, Chan Foh To, has to defeat a super-criminal street racer.

Safe House poster
Safe House
2012 Β· dir. Daniel Espinosa
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.7action Β· thrillerNetflixStarz

The same preoccupation in both: shootout

The difference: 22 years apart, and the 2010s show

A dangerous CIA renegade resurfaces after a decade on the run. When the safe house he's remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.

The Bourne Legacy poster
The Bourne Legacy
2012 Β· dir. Tony Gilroy
πŸ… 56%β˜… 6.6action Β· thrillerNetflixStarz

Both play action straight

New CIA operative Aaron Cross experiences life-or-death stakes that have been triggered by the previous actions of Jason Bourne.

Unstoppable poster
Unstoppable
2010 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 87%β˜… 6.8action Β· thriller

Thriller approached the same way

When a massive, unmanned locomotive roars out of control, the threat is more ominous than just a derailment. The train is laden with toxic chemicals, and an accident would decimate human life and cause an environmental disaster. The only hope of bringing the train to a safe stop is in the hands of veteran engineer Frank Barnes, and young conductor Will Colson, who must risk their lives to save those in the runaway's path. Inspired by true events.

Diamonds Are Forever poster
Diamonds Are Forever
1971 Β· dir. Guy Hamilton
πŸ… 64%β˜… 6.5action Β· thrillerPrime Video

The same action instincts

Diamonds are stolen only to be sold again in the international market. James Bond infiltrates a smuggling mission to find out who's guilty. The mission takes him to Las Vegas where Bond meets his archenemy Blofeld.

Homefront poster
Homefront
2013 Β· dir. Gary Fleder
πŸ… 42%β˜… 6.5action Β· thrillerNetflix

Cut from the same thriller cloth

Phil Broker, a retired DEA agent, leads a quiet life with his daughter Maddy, until a school bullying incident draws them into a conflict with Morgan β€œGator” Bodine, a local crime boss.

In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Die Hard 2’s defining feeling.