Picking Nits
Confusing plot and villain motives; faxed fingerprints; glide-slope sabotage; uncharismatic Esperanza; no diversions to other airports; non-igniting jet fuel; villains' escape plan; blanks fired in an office; double agents on the detail
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:30Read transcript
- Faxing fingerprints from a corpse is questioned as flawed 1990 technology.
- The plot is found confusing; Wikipedia's synopsis of Esperanza's extradition and Stuart's sympathizers raises the question of why anyone would kill hundreds for him.
- Only two Justice Department officials meet the plane even though cable news covers the extradition constantly; who pays the villains, the anti-communist explanation, the extradition treaty and the destination all remain murky.
- Internet sources say changing the glide-slope value would not crash a plane because instruments have safeguards.
- Esperanza lacks the charisma of Rickman or Jeremy Irons, and splitting villainy among Sadler, Nero and Amos causes overload.
- Circling planes are not diverted to nearby airports such as Baltimore or Philadelphia; the Christmas-week crowds are questioned.
- Nobody recognizes McClane, and online sources say jet fuel at that temperature would not ignite from a thrown lighter.
- Had McClane not ignited their plane, what was the villains' plan: would military planes not shoot them down, and did they really expect to retire to the tropics?
- McClane proves the guns hold blanks by firing a clip at Lorenzo in an office full of armed people.
- How John Amos's team of double agents got assigned to Dulles, and why the one loyal soldier was brought along only to be killed, go unexplained.