MovieChat Forums > Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) Discussion > Alternate ending

Alternate ending

posted 11 years ago by bayesandrew
35 replies | jump to latest

On the special edition of this, an alternate ending is included. In this, Mcclane doesn't figure out about Simons location at the pier, is suspected of working with Gruber, and kicked off the force. He later tracks down Simon on his own. Simon has killed off the rest of his group and taken the money for himself. John shows up at his mansion with a grenade launcher missing its sights. John riddles with Simon, putting the launcher on the table and making Simon turn it to go whichever way he thinks it will fire. The last riddle is "man walks into a bar, the bartender pulls out a grenade launcher. What did the man forget to bring?" Simon guesses wrong, turns the launcher one more time and fires. It kills him. Johns walks away and says "he forgot a flak vest. Yippee-ki-yay."
Which ending do you prefer?

[–] No 6 11 years ago

Hi there

I actually prefer this ending although it is incredibly dark & violent. It is well acted & believable. It is also the ending used in the novelisation of the movie which I have just read.

BTW - Simon did not "double-cross" his former East German army henchmen. He only double-crossed the Hungarian terrorists Targo (and much later) his psychotic girlfriend. That's whom McClane refered to in the scene when he told Gruber that he *beep* over the terrorists". Gruber's henchmen, like him, were actually ex-soldiers and not terrorists
"Be seeing you!"

No6

[–] caseyfluffbutt 10 years ago

I can't say I like the "revenge" ending.. it doesn't fit.

But the ending the film does have is crap - it feels rushed and clipped.

Let's face it here - semi trailers (big rigs) carrying 30-60 tones of gold will plough through a police road block like it was made of cheese cars.

AND those guys were all armed with the automatics taken from the armoury-box when they headed to the trucks.

But now - they all jack-knifed and stopped at the cop cars, not a shot fired. If I had £10 mill of gold in my truck you'd have to blow it up under me to stop me!

So - *beep* ending as it is (and bloody excremental censorship inside it!!).. but the revenge ending doesn't seem to fit either.

[–] Sparky1873 10 years ago

In the alternate ending McLane says he was suspected of being in cahoots with Gruber. That alone is ridiculous. The guy spent the day risking his life by standing with a racist sign in Harlem,chasing a subway train to get a trigged bomb off it,jumping off bridges,having outnumbered gun fights with terrorists and running all over NYC doing everything he could to prevent disaster!!!! Add what he did in the first 2 movies and who would have the balls to accuse him of that.Totally stupid

[–] denham 10 years ago

Wikipedia:

a second alternate ending had McClane and Carver floating back to shore on a makeshift raft after the explosion at sea. Carver says it is a shame the bad guys are going to get away; McClane tells him not to be so sure. The scene then shifts to the plane where the terrorists find the briefcase bomb they left in the park and which Carver gave back to them (in this version it was not used to blow up the dam). The film would end on a darkly comic note as Simon asks if anyone has a 4 gallon jug. This draft of the script was rejected early on, so it was never actually filmed.

Might have worked.

"I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken."

[–] denham 10 years ago

Also from Wikipedia:

McClane had been wearing a flak jacket (which was the answer to the final riddle: "What could he have brought to the meeting to save his life?"), so even if Simon had pointed the launcher the right way, it is likely that the relatively low-velocity rocket would not have caused McClane enough injury to prevent him from shooting Simon.

I appreciate Die Hard movies have been known to depart from reality, but out of interest, would you really be likely to survive a rocket hitting you smack in the middle, even with the benefit of a flak jacket?

"I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken."

[–] KrustytheDude 10 years ago

Loved the alternate ending. I wish they had used this instead. A lot of people say it doesn't fit, that it's too dark and goes against McClane's personality but I don't think it does.

[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 10 years ago

I think I agree with others that the alternate ending isn't as good because of John says he was fired from the NYPD for being suspected of being in cahoots with Simon which is just ridiculous!
"You want me to roll 6,000 of these!? What? Should I quit my job!?" George Costanza, Seinfeld

[–] KrustytheDude 10 years ago

Well I guess if you were suspected by the federal government of being in league with terrorists who had killed a bunch of people and word of that got out to the public it might look bad for the police department. I agree it's pretty farfetched though.

[–] granitodiaz 10 years ago

and then he just kills Simon, the gold is still missing, and if he goes and says he tracked Simon and killed him, that would just prove even further that they were working together
that finale would only be darker if he says Zeus killed himself

[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 10 years ago

Still it's pretty far fetched for the FBI or whatever to think that he was in cahoots with Simon after everything that had happened. Especially getting trapped on the ship and then managing to escape before it blows up.

"You want me to roll 6,000 of these!? What? Should I quit my job!?" George Costanza, Seinfeld

[–] granitodiaz 10 years ago

it would only be darker if they say Zeus killed himself, moron

[–] KrustytheDude 10 years ago

Why do you keep repeating the same comment over and over? Why would it "only" be darker? You seem like a mentally deficient person.

[–] milstar 10 years ago

Arguably original. Mostly 'cuz is more kinda consistent with the rest of teh movie or how much it could be. On other hand, I soemtimes wish they used alternative one, just to end the series.

[–] ultimatenexus 10 years ago

Due to the back blast, it wouldn't matter which way the rocket launcher was pointed--it would've killed them both.

__________
"Welcome to the middle of nowhere-  -the center of everywhere."

[–] alizekeriya 10 years ago

To be honest I liked the alternative better. To better explain this, the writer himself said that ''with a Vengeance'' title is meant for McClane, since he loses his job his pension etc, so it is more of a revenge based and certainly darker in the full picture. But appearantly the studio said that people would not like such a McClane and tried to go with the formula. (they thought it would ruin the franchise, this was before 4 and 5)

I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
- Vito Corleone

[–] granitodiaz 10 years ago

the writer himself said that ''with a Vengeance'' title is meant for McClane, since he loses his job his pension etc,

So the movie is called after something that happens in the last 5 minutes??? extremely doubtful

The stupid have one thing in common.They alter the facts to fit their views not the other way

[–] alizekeriya 10 years ago

acdc I would love to show you the statement but it is on the DVD commentary, so if by any chance you have it or find it, the writer explains it better.(altough the third supposed ending, the "funny one" is just cheap and bad ending)

I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
- Vito Corleone

[–] nutsberryfarm 10 years ago

yippee-ki-yay!

'The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets.'-Al McGuire ✈