It's the DIE HARD ECU!
This time Phil and Liam wrestle with RICOCHET (1991), Russell Mulcahy’s wild revenge thriller starring Denzel Washington as Nick Styles, a cop turned lawyer who incurs the wrath of John Lithgow’s monstrous criminal Earl Talbot Blake. Not only is this Joel Silver production positively overflowing with ‘Die Hard DNA’, it also takes place in the same extended cinematic universe (ECU) as Die Hard itself! This leads to a fascinating deep dive into the ‘Val Verde Mega Movie Verse’, an expansive ECU that theoretically incorporates multiple films and franchises, including the Alien movies, the Predator movies, both Speed films and Commando, to name but a few! But as well as its many Die Hard connections, this intense, provocative and controversial picture also provides plenty of meat for the boys to chew over on its own terms. Is it just a lurid slice of pulp fiction that’s bereft of any real substance? Or is it an exceptional example of ‘vulgar auteurism’ at its zenith? The boys try to litigate, reach a verdict and pass sentence…but this is one case that may be settled out of court! The movie’s decidedly crude language makes this week’s Die Hard Oscars a NSFW affair, and the ‘Double Jeopardy’ quiz offers up some typically titillating trivia!
RICOCHET TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQLxCDvBNd4
At the time of release, RICOCHET is streaming for free with a Cinemax Free Trial (available through Amazon Prime Video) and is also available on DirectTV.
DIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Philip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing consultant. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.
You can follow Die Hard On A Blank on Twitter and Instagram here. Follow @liamgbillingham and @philipgawthorne on twitter. You can e-mail us with questions or comments at diehardoab@gmail.com. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!
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