Die Hard 2: Die Harder

After the strong success of Die Hard, it was already certain that a franchise was going to take place. 2 years after the first film, Die Hard 2 came into play. The film was, unlike the original, a big disappointment. Die Hard 2's storylines revolved around John McClane trapped n an airport during another terrorist attack. The story bothered numerous elements from the first film was almost a rehashing of Die Hard. For composer Michael Kamen, he became more well known after the big successes of Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.

Like the score for the first Die Hard, Kamen does not implement any immediately recognizable themes. Gone is John McClane's guitar melody. However, unlike the first film, Kamen does manage to expand the boundaries of the score beyond suspense and action. Tracks like 'General Esperanza' and 'The Church' throw in some interesting styles. Also, unlike the first film, the orchestra in the film is much louder and clearer than the first score, which felt more reserved for brassier instruments. For the action music, Kamen does manage to take it up a notch, making good use of the orchestra and percussion.

Die Hard 2's effort as a film ultimately failed. As for the score, it manages to be a tad more diverse than the first film, allowing more emotional cues as opposed to the constant blare of trumpets. As an album, Die Hard 2 is relatively short. There is about 33 minutes of score and 7 minutes of 'Finlandia', but just the same it does allow the music to flow a bit better than the first film's score, never becoming excessive.