Borrowing Blockbusters: The Best, Worst & Weirdest Die Hard Knock Offs (Part 2)

[@kevinrhea7332]

thorough , literate , funny and passionate about garbage , I’ll be recommending you to my friends

[@TheBadMovieBible]

Thanks!

[@Alucard-A-La-Carte]

"Pleasant person talks about schlock" is my favorite genre of KZbinr.

[@Hardworlder]

I was thinking "he better subvert this casting joke for Stacy Keach's character" and YOU DID! Good job.

[@RossTheNinja]

Judging by his size now, Seagal wasn't acting when expressing his love for pies

[@TequilaToothpick]

Damn you missed the brilliantly fun Final Score with John McClane's Dave Bautista. It takes place during an unrealistic West Ham European final and has an American punched for saying the word "soccer". Definitely recommend.

[@TheBadMovieBible]

This seems to be the most suggested omission. Starting to think I should have left it in!

[@TequilaToothpick]

@@TheBadMovieBible Thanks for the reply! It was a great video

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

And less than a year after your comment West Ham are in and win a European final🤷‍♂️

[@craigwright1867]

@@Jabber-ig3iw Great point, I'm not a WHU supporter, but I was going to point out that it was actually foreshadowing. I might try and crowd fund a movie about AFC getting to the UCL final.

[@grouchotrout444]

Can't believe it took me this long to discover this channel. Fantastic content! The movie selections, the commentary, the editing, your voice/tone - it's all working for me! Suspect this channel will blow up soon. Keep 'em comin' please!

[@grouchotrout444]

PS just gotta let u know the editing/pacing and scoring system is on point as well

[@rikuruohomaki3230]

One of the more "imaginative" Die Hard knock-offs was Skyscraper, starring Dwayne Johnson, which was kind of like Die Hard, except set in a... Skyscraper. I'm wondering if, when they pitched the idea to a producer, the producer asked the writer if he realised that they've just described Die Hard, exactly, and the writer replied: "Yes. But our John McClane has a peg leg."

[@DocMarsTalesToAmaze]

I can’t believe they remade the Anna Nicole Smith movie

[@DNT87]

It must take a ton of time and effort to assemble these videos, but I’m so glad you’re doing it because I really love these man! Awesome work!

[@arneophyte3672]

I don’t comment often but this is great work. It popped up recommended and I was worried it was going to be like the drinker guy who is on some intel ish I’m not with. I love these movies and your approach to them is so refreshing and hilarious.

[@arneophyte3672]

Incel not intel

[@kildogery]

You have an excellent way with a turn of phrase. Great video. Subscribed.

[@TheBadMovieBible]

Thanks, Paul!

[@brendansmith2405]

Honestly wish he spent more time talking about Under Siege 2. Eric Bogosian and Everett McGill were both terrific in that one.

[@TK42100]

Especially Bogosian. I still crack a smile when he says, “I’m gonna shock the world by spreading ca-ca all over the place.” Also McGill being upset God-Mode Seagal ripping his coat.

[@Norvik_-ug3ge]

​@@TK42100Bogosian on the train intercom: This is your captor speaking 😂

[@catoblepag]

Toy Soldiers has some serious talent behind it (Daniel Petrie Jr., who wrote Beverly Hills Cop, and David Koepp, who wrote Mission Impossible, Spiderman and Jurassic Park); in my opinion it's not only the best Die Hard ripoff ever, but a very solid movie that can be unironically enjoyed by anyone. Curiously, it's based on a novel, just like Die Hard was.

[@siyeats8064]

Your videos are great. Would love to see a Borrowing Blockbusters episode on Alien/Aliens knock offs.

[@TheBadMovieBible]

Thanks very much! (Alien/Aliens is near the top of my list.)

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

@@TheBadMovieBible May I ask what else is on the list? I'd love to see what that live action Seven Dwarves thing in the opening is!

[@suedenim]

Among other things, I'm curious how many movies rip off Alien, how many rip off Aliens, and how many have the audacity to go after both.

[@TacoJack]

Start with that terrible Geico commercial

[@nvcn86]

speaking from the future - you got what you asked for!

[@robertseddon2512]

This guy really knows his stuff,love the humor.a must for any b movie geek. great work.

[@wimvanderstraeten6521]

I'd love to see you do a video on Rambo rip-offs.

[@matman000000]

Nothing can beat Deadly Prey in that category.

[@omarzgdz]

Turkish rambo is waiting to be rediscovered!

[@markarenz2180]

I liked the writing so much I turned the CC on so I could admire the sentence structure.

[@Aaron-zt5ee]

I gave this video a thumbs up for referencing Red Dwarf.

[@Football__Junkie]

If you want to experience Stacey Keach really hamming it up then you should listen to his narration of the CNBC show American Greed

[@andrewt6802]

Honorable mention: in the comedy Airheads, our main characters become accidental and sympathetic hostage takers in a radio station building, which is a wonderful subversion of tropes. Also, Michael Richards plays a guy who works there, and he completely fails at being John McClane in hilarious fashion, so props to that. 😀

[@CSXIV]

"Airheads" is both a Die Hard parody and a Dog Day Afternoon parody, with thier attempt to just get thier song played snowballing into a media circus, much like Dog Day Afternoon's bank robbery snowballing into a media circus. Brendan Fraiser shouting "Rodney King" is directly referencing Al Pachino shouting "Attica."

[@GBDupree]

The funny thing is that Airheads takes place in a building that is literally across the street from Nakatomi Plaza. You can even see it in the background several times. I can't imagine anything inspired by a movie daring to take place in the same location. But it kinda works as a subtle nod to the fact its a parody of Die Hard specifically.

[@justmeandthethree]

How did I miss all these remarkably abysmal movies??? During college we traveled to Blockbuster specifically to visit its "Le Bad Cinema" section (later rebranded as "Camp Classics").

[@emilymcplugger]

TBF Sudden Death is superb. Peter Hyams is a bloody good director, the humour is top-notch, Powers Boothe is fantastic and the ending is great. Brilliant film.

[@jumhed994]

'Brilliant' is pushing it a bit mate

[@emilymcplugger]

@@jumhed994 10/10?

[@jumhed994]

@@emilymcplugger Haha! I like a B movie as much as the next person, but c'mon.

[@emilymcplugger]

@@jumhed994 it’s corny but SO much fun. Let’s face it, if it’s on TV and I switch on to it, it gets finished. Probably Van Dame’s second best film behind Universal Soldier of that era.

[@jumhed994]

@@emilymcplugger I only watched it once, and Universal Soldier and Time Cop are all guilty pleasures, but for me Deep Rising with Treat Williams is the best b movie evaaaaaarrrrrr

[@connorbrennan4233]

I'm eager to see what you have in store for the next Borrowing Blockbusters video. Maybe Alien or Rambo? Robocop? The Exorcist?

[@TheBadMovieBible]

They're all on my list. Alien and Rambo will each be a hell of an undertaking!

[@ThreadBomb]

@@TheBadMovieBible How about genre film franchises that ended up going into space?

[@MrPolicekarim]

I love how at 1:37, the poster for WELCOME TO SUDDEN DEATH, the pistol magazine in his hand, is a CO2 Airsoft magazine. You can tell not only from the CO2 air cartridge but from the lip of the magazine! LOL!

[@MrNegativecreep07]

Michael Jai White was awesome in Black Dynamite, he should have been a bigger star.

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

He _is_ still alive you know

[@NorthRainProductions]

Found your channel via die hard knockoffs part 1 and only had to wait two hours for part 2. Nice

[@emitindustries8304]

This video HAD to end with the original "Yippee-yay-yo-kii-yah!". Perfect.

[@emitindustries8304]

Now I know how to spell 'Y-Y-Y-K-Y', instead of having to do the whole y,y,etc thing. Thanks! I'll be using it more now.

[@yohei72]

Really appreciate the way you approach these movies sincerely, with a sense of humor, but with little condescension or easy irony, and giving them serious analyses from a craft point of view. I presume you intend to do a video on "Star Wars" knockoffs, but maybe that's a daunting prospect (it would have to be at least two parts).

[@seveneyedlamb]

This is one of the best KZbin channels I have ever seen. It is so entertaining and informative and the host's personality is very cool. Very likeable guy. We need more stuff like this on here.

[@spoonhanz]

I love that most of these movies are on KZbin.

[@jmorrow888]

A Diehard in space you missed was 2012’s Lockout starring Guy Pearce. It’s pretty bad and mostly notable for the part early in the movie where an action sequence turns into a cutscene from a PlayStation 2 game because they just put unfinished animation into the final movie.

[@TheBadMovieBible]

It's a fun movie, and one day I want to do an episode of this series on Escape from New York.

[@TalkingHands308]

I'm glad he didn't leave out Olympus Has Fallen because that one was clearly a Die Hard clone, but surprised he left out Lockout...

[@Bleyst666]

Lockout rulez, one liners and Guy Pearce make it comedy gold!

[@phillyvoodoo]

You went in deep but didn't mention the one with Guy Pierce in Space

[@cruzcflores]

It’s not the whole movie but Star Trek: First Contact has a subplot that’s basically Die Hard on the starship Enterprise

[@rogerfrankham3890]

Brilliant...would love to see you do an episode on all the Mad Max rip offs!

[@Kurze1988]

That would be great!

[@ThreadBomb]

It would be hard to narrow that down. There is a near-infinite number of B movies set in post-apocalyptic wastelands.

[@donparedes9130]

That was a great two-part video. I'm definitely going to go back and look at some of the knockoffs you mentioned. There is one recent Die Hard knockoff that you forgot though. And that was Run. Hide. Fight. It was surprisingly very good. And it has a protagonist that you actually care for and worried for her safety

[@TheBeird]

Excellent video! I was actually wondering if Speed was technically a Try Hard, but Speed 2 is defo one. Ashamed to say, I was really excited to see it back in the day. Was geared up to go watch it in the cinema but my sister, who agreed to take me, took one look at the trailer and took me back home. Was well pissed. Six months later I rented it out and . . . she was right to take me home. Although I can't hate it too much cause it was my introduction to Willem Defoe

[@novelezra]

Dennis Hopper makes everything better.

[@LynnHermione]

I hope Artemins Fowl is in this, the book was advertised as "Die Hard with fairies" and it is fairly accurate as a DH in a mansion with the bad guy as the protagonist.

[@kundeleczek1]

Your videos are very entertaining Sir. Good job. Your style is calm but content is bombastic.

[@danielvandersall6756]

"Soon to be ex-wife Tia Carrera" has to be one of the saddest sentences I've ever heard.

[@jorgezarco9269]

Powers Boothe played the infamous Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones in a 1980 CBS miniseries.

[@theaaroncarruthers]

Speed 2 also manages to waste Temura Morrison too

[@troyschulz2318]

A crime.

[@TheBadMovieBible]

Man, what was he meant to be doing in that movie!

[@martinholt8168]

30:09 Rob Schneider was on a talk show relaying a story about how Steven Seagal came up to him and said, 'I just read the greatest script ever written.' Rob asked, 'Who wrote it?' Seagal replied, 'I did.' The only time I've ever laughed at something Rob Schneider said.

[@aVerveQuest]

I'm commenting merely because this is one of the few KZbin channels not begging for comments by making subtle mistakes in order to be corrected or promising engagement to the eternally lonely. Kudos on the dignity........ And as always, Great video!

[@TOOFUTURETV]

Great video series, easy choice to subscribe. 👍🏼😎

[@fmsyntheses]

I quit rewatching Charlie Brooker to see this so it better be good

[@TheBadMovieBible]

That's an honour. Hope it was worth it!

[@armavirumquecano6190]

Colm Meaney was also fantastic in Under Siege despite only having 3 lines of dialogue😐

[@DrWhom]

he never has a bad scene.

[@Sarke2]

Superb as always, Sudden Death and Under Siege 2 were one of my favorite action movies when i was a kid, such a cool times !!!

[@Symon2099]

I enjoyed all of this immensely. Except the bit where the inexplicably bland "...has Fallen" movies were praised. 😳

[@briansinger5258]

Wil Wheaton dying on film was the most satisfying cinematic experience of my life. Is it weird that picard was in the next movie?

[@jeremyjones3313]

Youre videos are exhaustively researched. I've known I have an affinity for Die Hard knock offs, but wasn't aware of how many I've seen. I've got to track down Death Train for the Shark Attack 3 reunion.

[@MrDman21]

It's funny that both John Kreese and Terry Sliver we're in these Die Hard knock-offs 😄

[@artofjordanbray]

This is absolutely spectacular. It deserves a much higher view count than it has.

[@rog2224]

My late mother really liked Sudden Death.

[@SUSLTD]

37:31 holy fuck, thank you for the biggest belly laugh at the spot-on woods dig. binging borrowing blockbusters all day!

[@sventhiede6505]

I'm quite surprised by the lack of Jürgen Prochnow in this one, considering he was featured quite prominently in the first part. Interesting coincidence with the ordering of the subcategories happening here.

[@Kerwinnn]

amazing work bro, great rhythm 👏

[@duncancurtis5971]

Rob Lowes worst Die Hard rip off was No Air, set aboard a stolen sub.

[@EurDawg]

Another fantastic video! Nobody researches these movies like you do!

[@TheGrungy1]

Rutger Howard is a what now? I've watched it three times I'm still not comprehending how that happened.

[@JessicaRabbit666]

City Hunter is one of the best movies ever made. There. I said it. You have Jackie with all his martial arts and slap stick, the card dealer guy who uses cards as weapons, the gymnast girl who gymnasts herself away from the bad guys, the hot but competent police woman who brought guns onto the cruise ship because she knew something was up and the idiot super pervy sidekick who becomes a traitor the second he thinks it would save his own skin...all culminating into an epic fight at the end. what more could you want???

[@TheBadMovieBible]

I adore this movie, and Jackie's the single greatest action star ever in my book!

[@AdityaWaghmare]

Unfortunately, Jackie hated that movie and in turn massively pissed off the director.

[@samuelrichardson1564]

My friend, you are the Charlie Brooker of movies commentary, I love it and will share. You deserve a bigger audience.

[@PowerGlove79]

I love Toy Soldiers, and I even have a soft spot for Masterminds even though it’s a poor imitation. Please don’t judge me lol. I love this channel

[@silvervalleystudios2486]

Toy Soldiers was awesome.

[@martyburgess341]

As an aussie I am almost ashamed every time you mention Richard Norton. Nut Vernon Wells(part 1 of this series) was the redeemer.

[@healerforce4165]

Thank you so much for doing this

[@Panwere36]

Sir.. you are devoted to this and I salute you sir.

[@Madmax-rz5hz]

Speaking of trains, perhaps Silver Streak qualifies as ticking the boxes, though it came out 12 years before Die Hard itself

[@Thundarr100]

Just watched a Die Hard Knock Off tonight. It takes place on Christmas Eve. Terrorists invade a wealthy Christmas party in order to steal millions of dollars. The soldiers who were supposed to be coming to save the day are actually in on the heist (same as Die Hard 2). One of the terrorists is killed by being stabbed to death with an icicle (like in Die Hard 2). There’s a snowmobile chase (like Die Hard 2). And the hero wasn’t initially planning on getting involved and got caught up in the action entirely by accident, but decided to see it through and be the hero because it was the right thing to do. This movies John MacLean? Santa Claus! And the movie? Violent Night! It is a really fun movie. I’m adding it to my Christmas DVD collection next year. Go watch it if you haven’t seen it already.

[@newspaperface]

That rutger hauer scene was priceless

[@theaaroncarruthers]

It's not a die-hard clone but Airborne is a must see because it has Steve Guttenberg as an action star in a film that also stars Sean Bean & Kim Coates.

[@TheBadMovieBible]

This looks right up my street, thanks.

[@theaaroncarruthers]

No worries

[@BurntOutMixedMedia]

Just waiting for a "Diehard at an Esports Tournament"

[@minaverry]

3:20 Now I really want to see a Mr. No Legs reboot starring Rutger Hauer, thank you very much.

[@wastelandvagrant251]

@27:54 ...- "[...]can't even be bothered to hot-glue a calculator to the wall" BWAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAA Awwwwshit...sorry...that was really funny... She is poking the wall with her finger hahahah

[@DrWhom]

told her it would be added in post for the actors on set, their credibility is entirely in the hands of the clowns running the production

[@Splackavellie85]

90 minutes of deep dive into Die Hard clones and not a single mention of The Last Boy Scout, which is the greatest non canon Die Hard ever made.

[@silvervalleystudios2486]

Joe Holonbeck was a better character than John McClane in my opinion.

[@JoeScaramanga]

I know you probably hate people moaning that you didn't mention "such and such" film, but I can't let pass the omission of 'Death, Deceit and Destiny on the Orient Express' from your 'Die Hard on a train' section. While being very cheap and absolute terrible it pits Richard Grieco's McClane against Christoph Waltz' Gruber. Teen Agent v Blofeld!!!

[@TheBadMovieBible]

When it's a well observed omission like this I honestly appreciate it being pointed out. I'm not proud and want to be thorough. The annoying thing is I've seen this freaking movie but forgot all about it!!

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

The 3 Ninjas series became a refuge for the South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok after he and his wife escaped years of abduction by North Korea. He couldn't return to his former career in South Korea because many thought he had willingly defected to North Korea.

[@CidsaDragoon]

City Hunter has always made me scratch my head. It has so little to do with the series, Saeba is a marksman, not a martial artist! No clue why they didn't just make it an original thing instead but oh well, it's entertaining anyway.

[@Lantement]

Lockout (2012) with Guy Pierce is fun Die Hard knock off too, maybe the best honestly

[@jamesdominguez7685]

Deep Rising is a better Die Hard than Speed 2. Treat Williams is a charismatic everyman who is certainly a badass, but not a superhero-level one. Gruber is a native American for a change (and Wes Studi is always great) and he has an unfeasibly multi-national crew, with one Aussie, one Kiwi, one Brit, one African (poor Djimon Hounsou deserved to be in it for longer, but at least he goes out memorably), and a couple of diverse Americans. If anything, it's Die Hard On A Boat But The Hijackers Themselves Get Hijacked By A Sea Monster. God I love that movie. I'm probably due for a rewatch...

[@Emulous79]

These look so hilarious. Great video!

[@whoisyouranime]

Sudden Death, Command Performance, 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Con Air, The Rock, Speed 2, Under Siege 1, Under Siege 2, Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down and Non-Stop are good.

[@JeanBabtisteGrenoui]

Freaking amazing commentary and editing. What a supremely enjoyable learning experience through wonderful entertainment.

[@LiamPennington]

Love this two partner. For quite a lot of things, though chief amongst them is how often you had to say "Eric Roberts is......"

[@jakethet3206]

The “My name is Rosewood, sir” joke hot just as I was taking a b0ng hit, and the combination nearly killed me! 😂

[@geofff.3343]

Not gonna lie. I thought _White House Down_ was the more fun of the two movies.

[@ThePressurizer]

This was gloriously entertaining, thank you!

[@xtremejay2000]

Not sure if there are enough movies in the genre for a long form video but if anyone can find them it's you. What about Karate Kid knockoffs? Obviously the main trope has to be a bullied teenager that gets trained in martial arts, preferably buy an older Asian man but it could just be any teacher. Maybe they HAVE to be taught in unorthodox ways. The first MAJOR knockoff would have to be Sidekicks with Jonathan Brandis as Daniel and the amazing MAKO as the Mr. Miyagi trope. Another I saw back in the 90's on cable is called Showdown with Billy Blanks as the school janitor that teaches a bullied teenager martial arts. I guess the original 3 ninjas would also count though it might not have ENOUGH of The Karate Kid tropes.

[@tigerheart3824]

It's not definitively a Die Hard clone by any means but David A. Prior's Felony (1994) is basically DH in multiple locations in an American Deep South city (Mobile, Alabama - pretending to be New Orleans or thereabouts - it's not made terribly clear!): including but not limited to drug dealer's den, hospital, warehouse, titty bar, various bridges and a football stadium! Tremendous character actor cast: Joe Don Baker, Lance Henriksen, Leo Rossi, David Warner, Ashley Lawrence and (in a possibly genius-level casting move) Jeffrey Combs as our TV cameraman reluctant hero. It has a thoroughly left-turn twist at the very end but is otherwise 93 minutes of B-movie goodness! P.S. Your videos are tremendously enjoyable and your love for trash cinema shines through.

[@moreaboutmovies]

So glad to discover there are Die Hards is space!

[@gspendlove]

"How was Eric Roberts as the Gruber?" "Oh, unforgettable!"

[@brantub]

this is great work!!!

[@theeflake]

I do wonder how many times Albert Pyun movies have appeared in your videos. That guy can be so hit and miss but damn his movies have given me some baked entertainment.

[@prince-solomon]

Excellent video, good choices and funny jokes! It ain't a movie but an episode from a tv show: DIE HARD ON A SPACESHIP -> Star Trek: The Next Generation S06E18 "Starship Mine" with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) as John McLane!

[@Mt-zr5bf]

The German movie Die Todesfahrt der MS SeaStar is one of the worst die hard knockoffs.

[@r_jd279]

Nicely capped with the mention of Willis' later "performances." I wonder if you heard of the DieHard car batteries and later tool brands. Which my Dad swore the movie ripped off it's name from. Good stuff, btw. If a vid ever deserved a sequel/part 2 this was it. Which is more than I can say for some of the Die Hard follow-ups or it's clones.

[@wagnerbaseballgloverepair6853]

Excellent per usual. Just for the two people who also may have noticed it, the "all" in "mall" is pronounce like the word "all" or "ball." Not "al" in "malice" or "palace." I thoroughly enjoy these videos.

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

It's a dialect, my mum pronounces it the same way.

[@garyphisher7375]

@@user-zp4ge3yp2o In the UK we have Pall Mall - and the King and Queen pronounce Mall, as Mal - as in malice and palace. Therefore that's how it is properly pronounced.

[@alahos]

Die Hard prequel on a pirate ship: Die Har

[@stevenscholl7383]

Outstanding. Can't believe I missed so many of those. I will throw my 2 cents in about the final days of Bruce Willis career; my father continued to want to work in his previous profession - shoe design -as his condition worsened. (He would scribble designs on paper, sometimes hundreds per day.) I suppose it connected him to memory and reality in some way that was meaningful to him. Bruce Willis, I'm guessing had some similar thing going on, as it's doubtful he needed the money.

[@dieyng]

How in hell can someone hate City Hunter?

[@SAM-ru4vx]

Jackie chan or the french one?

[@tcooper7280]

So many good bad movies. Love it

[@WyldstaarStudios]

If you ever decide to do a part three, I'd suggest Playing Dangerous (1995). It's Die Hard with a ten year-old boy.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I remember watching the end of White House Down with my mom a while back and being extremely confused by their choice of "Street Fighting Man" for the end credits song.

[@SewerTapes]

Am I just stoned, or does his hand look like the hotdog hands from Everything Everywhere All at Once? 28:54

[@JoeChillton]

Surprised not a hint of Lock Out in die Hard in Space section. Regardless i love this series.

[@TheBadMovieBible]

One day I'll get to Escape from NY knock offs, and Lockout will be front and centre. Thanks for the compliment!

[@JoeChillton]

@@TheBadMovieBible no prob sir

[@rikuruohomaki3230]

Lock Out is so close to Escape from New York, the rights holders actually sued its producers and won. Similarly, they were also going to sue game company Konami for Metal Gear Solid, as the games featured similar names, themes and plot points, but writer/director John Carpenter told them not to, because he had met the games designer and story writer Hideo Kojima and thought he was a nice guy.

[@maskoolio5824]

@@rikuruohomaki3230 that's cool of Carpenter.