Die Hard with a Vengeance

Lightning strikes thrice, and John McClane, one of New York's far from finest, returns to see off another villain from Europe in the thrilling third instalment in the Die Hard series.

McClane's life is going horribly wrong. His wife has finally left him (so no Bonnie Bedelia this time around), and he's sinking into drinking binges, appalling hygiene and gives up doing work altogether (yes, he's becoming a student). Along comes another German-accented villain (played by Jeremy Irons), and John's day goes from bad to worse. The nasty man wants to play a bizarre game of 'Simon Says', where the stakes are high - McClane must solve riddles in different locations in NYC, otherwise Simon will wreak explosive havoc.

Fans of John McTiernan's first dynamite action movie will find this clever sequel a fine return to form, with the cool English actor as the villain and plot contrivances that will keep you guessing right up to the last minute. Some might accuse this film of being a sequel as stale as Willis' vest, but there are some interesting twists including the hilarious performance of Samuel L Jackson (need I mention which other film he's been in recently?) as McClane's grudging sidekick.

This is a slick, professionally made thriller from the action movie director (his other hits include Predator and The Hunt for Red October), and its a textbook example of a summer box-office hit. If you want pure, action-orientated entertainment of the evening, then this could be the source of your adrenalin fix.

Mark Chamber