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(About Our Ads) DVD REVIEW FOR "DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE" (1995) (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson) (R) Length Screen Format(s) Languages Subtitles Sound Sides 131 minutes Letterbox (2.35:1) English French English Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 1 PLOT & PARENTAL REVIEW VIDEO: (B-) Whether a different compression scheme was used for this release or it was simply transferred from the existing laser disc, the picture quality here is substantially worse than that of the previous two "Die Hard" releases and far below those of newer films. A great deal of pixelation and digital "ringing" (jaggedness around edges) is evident throughout the disc, although it appears to be much worse in the early scenes (unless one simply gets used to it). Nonetheless, it's quite distracting and certainly a disappointment considering the decent transfers for the first two films. In addition, the contrast occasionally looks as if it were set too high, with some of the outdoor whites being particularly washed out and a few film artifacts are also present. AUDIO: (A+) Fortunately, the audio — just like on the DVD releases of the other two "Die Hard" films — sounds great and is easily of demonstration caliber (with plenty of sound effects, spatial effects and a full dynamic range to easily impress those new to the format). EXTRAS: Scene selection/Jump to any scene (with moving images). Theatrical trailers for all three "Die Hard" films. Slide Show -- 12 still images from the film. Featurette -- Clips and interviews regarding the production (3+ minutes). Cast filmographies and biographies. COMMENTS: After the more violent, but less inspired and certainly less fun to watch sequel to the original "Die Hard," director John McTiernan returns to helm the third installment of this series. While not quite as good as the original, this film is much better than the second for several reasons. The villain, as portrayed by Jeremy Irons, is more in tune with that of Alan Rickman's brilliant performance in the original than that of William Sadler's one-dimensional role in the sequel. The film also opens up from the confines of a high rise or airport to the entire city of New York and thus circumvents what was quickly becoming a tired situational premise. What really makes the film work, however, was the clever idea of giving Willis' character a sidekick to battle the villain. As such, the presence of Samuel L. Jackson in that role not only provides for greater plot development, but also inserts a great deal of much needed comic relief to offset the standard and obligatory lethal violence. Featuring some great action sequences and plenty of fun exchanges between Willis and Jackson, this third instalment of the series, while not up to par with the original, certainly is a lot of fun to watch. Like the other DVD versions of this series, however, the supplemental materials are lacking. More unfortunately, the picture quality of this DVD is surprisingly much worse than the first two films (it's usually the other way around with the older films looking worse for the wear). Whether a different compression scheme was used for this version or it was simply transferred from the existing laser disc, the fact is the picture quality looks quite bad when compared to the other films and especially to newer releases. Although fans of the series probably won't mind, it's disappointing to see the last installment get this shabby visual treatment.