It’s Die Hard in a political thriller!
This time Phil and Liam dig into the IRA-themed action movie PATRIOT GAMES (1992), the Jack Ryan sequel that Die Hard director John McTiernan was originally supposed to make with Alec Baldwin in the lead role. But fate – and Harrison Ford – had other ideas!
While this expansive, globe-trotting political thriller may not bare much resemblance to Die Hard on face value, there’s still a surprisingly high amount of ‘Die Hard DNA’ for the boys to examine with their movie microscopes. This pulsating Paramount picture is also notable for being one of the first mainstream Hollywood action movies to tackle complex and contemporaneous political events: the troubles in Ireland.
It’s a particularly important episode for Liam, who has a deep and long-standing connection to this movie and its iconic leading man, Harrison Ford - whose acting style and body of work is discussed in significant detail. The film’s stellar supporting cast - that includes such luminaries as Anne Archer, Sean Bean, Thora Birch, Samuel L. Jackson and James Earl Jones - also gives the guys plenty to chew over, along with the dense literary source material, i.e. Tom Clancy’s 1987 novel of the same name.
But despite the heavy subject matter, there’s still plenty of opportunity for games of a more light-hearted nature. As always, the show culminates with the ‘Die Hard Oscars’ and the ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia quiz, which now also features the ever-popular ‘Convoluted Corner’!
PATRIOT GAMES TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq26pM6Om-A
At the time of release, PATRIOT GAMES is streaming for free on Paramount + and through Amazon Prime Video, MGM +, Showtime, Fubo and the History Channel vault. It is also available to rent or buy through Apple TV, iTunes, YouTube, RedBox, Vudu, DirectTV and all the usual platforms.
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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