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Police Action Giftset (Die Hard / Speed / The French Connection)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves Director: John McTiernan Rating: R
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CONTAINS: Die Hard (1988), Speed (1994), & French Connection (1971)
Die Hard (1988): One of the greatest action movies of the late eighties, DIE HARD, ushered in a new standard for the genre. With the dissolution of the Cold War, both the stereotypical Russian threat (TOP GUN, RED DAWN) and the destructive egoist (OCTOPUSSY) became less fearful. With DIE HARD, director John McTiernan introduced Hollywood to a new type of villain: the terrorist entrepreneur. Alan Rickman stars as Hans Gruber, an relentless businessman whose lethal tactics achieve his goals. Unlike most 1980s film villains who committed globally dangerous acts for liberty, genocide, or megalomania, DIE HARD’s Gruber uses guns, explosives and cunning to storm the Takagi Corporation’s Christmas party and heist millions of dollars from the company. In addition, DIE HARD also saw the development of the clumsy or bad luck hero, John McClane (Bruce Willis) a man in the wrong place at the wrong time who chooses to intervene. McClane overcomes incredible odds in attempting to foil Gruber’s plot. Action fans would see this misfit hero archetype again in UNDER SIEGE (Steven Segal) and THE PHANTOM MENACE (Jar Jar Binks). Although DIE HARD contains many action movie cliches (one-liners, pyrotechnics), it also broke new ground in its genre.
Speed (1994): A mad bomber (Dennis Hopper) is out for revenge against rookie cop Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves, CONSTANTINE, THE MATRIX), who, with the help of his partner on the LAPD Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels, IMAGINARY HEROES), foils the criminals plot to extort money from the city by holding an elevator-full of people hostage. He plants a bomb on a bus which is set to arm itself when the vehicle hits 50 mph, and detonate if it drops below that speed. The hero, with the help of beautiful passenger Annie (Sandra Bullock, MISS CONGENIALITY, CRASH), must diffuse the explosive device before the bus runs out of gas. This fast-paced thriller received two Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing, as well as a nomination for Best Film Editing.
French Connection (1971):The film is based on the true story of two New York City police detectives and their investigation into a French heroin smuggling operation. FRENCH CONNECTION is perhaps best known for its infamous, masterfully filmed chase scene (influenced by Peter Yates' BULLITT) in which the lead policeman, Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman), recklessly drives a stolen car through oncoming traffic in pursuit of a sniper escaping by elevated train. The thrill of this crime drama is accentuated by director William Friedkin's early European influences, perhaps best represented by the handheld documentary-style visuals and Friedkin's claims that the Oscar-winning screenplay was frequently disregarded in favor of improvisation. THE FRENCH CONNECTION marked not only a significant change of course for his career, but also a stylistic shift that all of Hollywood would soon follow.
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| Cast & Crew: |
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Starring:
Bruce Willis | Keanu Reeves | Gene Hackman | Reginald VelJohnson | Dennis Hopper | Fernando Rey | Bonnie Bedelia | Sandra Bullock | ...more
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Directed By:
John McTiernan | Jan De Bont | William Friedkin
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| Technical Information: |
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Genre:
Action/Adventure, Thriller/Suspense, True Story
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DVD Release Date:
November 1, 2005
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Format: Region 1
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Rating:
R
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Regional Coding:
R1:
Will only play on North American Region 1 or multi-region DVD players.
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Number of Discs:
3
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Screen Ratio:
Anamorphic (16:9), Full Screen Edition - 1.33:1, Widescreen Edition - 1.85:1
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English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
English (Dolby Digital 5.1) | |
Studio:
20th Century Fox
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Catalogue Number:
2230740
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UPC/Barcode Number:
024543207375
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Closed-Captioned: Yes
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Color: Yes
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THX Certified: Yes
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| DVD Features: |
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- Die Hard
- Commentary by director John McTiernan and Production Designer Jackson DeGovia
- Scene-Specific Commentary by special effects supervisor Richard Edlund
- Subtitle Commentary by various Cast & Crew
- Branching Version with the Extended Power Shutdown Scene cut back in
- Optional English DTS 5.1 Audio [CC]
- Optional French Dolby Digital Surround Audio
- Speed
- Commentary by director Jan De Bont
- Commentary by screenwriter Graham Yost and producer Mark Gordon
- Optional English DTS Audio [CC]
- Optional French Dolby Digital Surround Audio
- The French Connection
- Scene Specific Commentary by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider
- Director's Commentary by William Friedkin
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Optional English Dolby Digital Stereo Audio [CC]
- Optional French Dolby Digital Mono Audio
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