33 Years Later, Bruce Willis' Forgotten Die Hard Clone Is Getting A Second Chance On Netflix - MCE Notices | California State Portal

Even more than three decades aftier it first hit the silver screen, Die Hard remains the seminal Bruce Willis action movie. The 1990 blockbuster classic remains one of the most influential action thrillers of all time, with Hollywood still trying to recreate its success to this day. One of these Die Hard clones featured Willis himself, 1993’s Striking Distance.

This forgotten action epic sees Willis playing a ship captain, taking the high stakes of the Die Hard films to the water, as he investigates the murders of several young girls. The movie, which also stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Farina, and Tom Atkins, was has largely been forgotten to time. Luckily, though, the Die Hard clone has found a second life after coming to Netflix in the U.S.

Bruce Willis’ Striking Distance Is Die Hard In a New Setting

Image via Columbia Pictures

Not every movie is going to be Die Hard. It would be foolish to think every film can reach those golden standards. When it comes to Die Hard knockoffs, there are a few movies that pull the trick off. Speed, for instance, is basically “Die Hard on a bus,” and yet, it nearly rivals the quality of 1988’s franchise starter. There are also passable copycats like Air Force One, Cliffhanger, and the awesomely silly Con Air. There’s definitely a way to copy Die Hard‘s homework and still pass the test. It takes some effort, but it is far from impossible.

Striking Distance, however, is a watered-down effort. It’s incredibly paint-by-numbers, with a deeply generic screenplay, middling action, underwhelming plot twists, and a disappointingly sleepy lead performance from Bruce Willis. Maybe if the movie star brought the same grit, charisma, and everyman conviction he brought to playing John McClane, perhaps it would’ve been a more worthwhile effort. But unfortunately, the leading man doesn’t bring his A-game here, and the rest of the deeply mediocre feature sadly sinks under his sluggishness.

There are likable aspects to Striking Distance, to be sure. Tom Sizemore, for instance, hams it up in a campy supporting turn. It is also, frankly, nice to see a side of the police department that doesn’t often get explored in movies. After all, there are thousands of cop movies set on land.

This is one of the few, maybe even the only one, set on water. The river rescue team is an interesting concept to explore in a procedural like this, and maybe a better feature film will dive into this under-explored side of the police force someday. Ultimately, one believes that they deserve something more noteworthy, or at least more interesting, than this forgettable film.

Despite its cool premise, Striking Distance has largely been overlooked and ignored in the thirty-plus years since it sped into theaters. So why, then, is Striking Distance now such an unexpectedly well-watched title on Netflix? As always, there are likely a variety of factors, particularly the accessibility the streaming service provides, which lets some lesser-known movies and shows soar in popularity. It most likely relates to the public’s renewed and enduring love for Bruce Willis and a desire to check out even lesser-known films, particularly with his tragic retirement a few years earlier.

Bruce Willis’ Striking Distance Is Getting Rediscovered On Streaming

There are always various, sometimes random, older films that become unexpected hits on Netflix, even (or especially) if they didn’t become big moneymakers during their theatrical runs. It should be noted, though, that Striking Distance, despite getting universally negative reviews, actually made a decent profit. The action movie grossed $77 million on a $30 million budget, and that financial success can almost certainly be credited to Bruce Willis’ rising popularity as an action favorite following the success of the first two Die Hard movies.

In a similar sense, Bruce Willis’ star power can be considered integral to the surge in interest towards Striking Distance and its recent streaming release. Whether they’re looking to honor the former A-list actor during this difficult period in his life, or they want something comfortably nostalgic to throw on, Striking Distance is the sort of safe, straightforward, undemanding watch that proves to be an appealing Netflix pick. And considering that this formulaic film isn’t as well-known, well-seen, and, well, as well-liked as some of his other titles, there are quite a few viewers checking this movie out for the first time now that it’s available at the click of a button.

There is also the simple matter of this movie being a guilty pleasure among some Bruce Willis fans. Sure, it might not be as good as some of the actor’s better ’90s features, including films like Death Becomes Her, The Last Boy Scout, 12 Monkeys, and Die Hard with a Vengeance, the best Die Hard sequel, but it has consistent action, some strong set pieces, an appealing cast, and the type of familiar story that can be generic but also undemanding. It’s also directed by Rowdy Herrington, a Pittsburgh local himself, who is best known for the delightfully ridiculous slice of late ’80s cheese, Road House, which is always a kick-ass movie to watch.

The Die Hard Formula Remains Incredibly Popular

Bruce Willis Shoots to Kill in 1993's critically-panned action film, Striking Distance — Bruce Willis Shoots to Kill in 1993’s critically panned action film, *Striking Distance*.

It’s been nearly 40 years since Die Hard blasted into multiplexes, and its cinematic influence can still be felt. More recently, Skyscraper, Cleaner, Wrath of Man, and The Last Hour, as well as a couple of Netflix originals such as Carry-On and Aftermath, have taken some cues from John McTiernan’s excellent action blockbuster.

And while the quality differs with these various features, the Die Hard model is always a dependable one, and it can attract solid Netflix viewership. As such, it shouldn’t be too surprising that Striking Distance is gaining notable traction on the streamer and finding an unexpected second life, even thirty-plus years after its release.

Striking Distance is a middle-of-the-pack Bruce Willis-starring vehicle, but it doesn’t need to be superb to scratch that Die Hard itch. This early ’90s title is an easy, breezy, and accessible watch, especially for a casual Netflix subscriber. Sometimes, that’s all you need to strike the right crowd and go the distance.