It’s Die Hard in a serial killer thriller!Or is it Die Hard in a murder mystery? Or Die Hard in a family drama? Or Die Hard in the great American play?! To make sense of all this, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Sean Fennessey, the host of The Big Picture and a regular guest on The Rewatchables. The plot of Striking Distance speaks to its surprising level of complexity. After he testifies against his own partner for use of excessive force, Pittsburgh homicide detective Thomas Hardy (Bruce Willis) is exiled from the tight-knit police department and ends up working for the River Rescue division, where he becomes embroiled in a hunt for a serial killer who is dumping bodies in the water. As he launches his own unofficial investigation into the crimes with new partner Jo Christman (Sarah Jessica Parker), Hardy comes to suspect that the killer may be the very same man who murdered his police captain father years earlier.As the son of a cop himself, Sean has a particular insight on the film’s subject matter, which captures a very specific cultural milieu in co-writer/director Rowdy Herrington’s home town of Pittsburgh. They also discuss Sean’s feelings about Die Hard, his thoughts on Bruce Willis’ complicated career, and his fascinating real-life encounter with Dennis Farina, who plays (Willis’ Uncle) Nick DeTillo, in what might be the movie’s standout performance, even amongst a stellar supporting cast that includes Tom Sizemore, John Mahoney, Brion James, Andre Braugher, Tom Atkins and Robert Pastorelli.There’s also in-depth analysis of the film’s possible influences – from iconic 1970s filmmakers like Alan J. Pakula and Sidney Lumet, to great American playwrights like Arthur Miller and Eugene O’Neill – and to the films and TV shows that it may have subsequently influenced – such as CopLand, We Own The Night, Pride & Glory and The Wire. Are the guys giving this largely forgotten film too much credit? Possibly…but that’s up to you to decide!The ‘Die Hard Oscars’ provide some typically strong candidates for awards recognition, before Sean and Liam compete in the ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia quiz!STRIKING DISTANCE trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PbX4LXD6EsAt the time of release, STRIKING DISTANCE is available to rent or buy through Amazon Prime Video, Apple/iTunes, YouTube, Vudu, DirectTV and all the usual platforms.
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