Die Hard with a Vengeance pushed Bruce Willis' John McClane to the limit, even more so than when he fought Hans Gruber in the first film. Hans' brother, Simon (Jeremy Irons), used McClane and Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson) in this third chapter to distract the authorities and steal gold from the Federal Reserve. Unfortunately, the film's ending ended up being a bit polarizing.

Director John McTiernan had McClane lucking into Simon's location as his goons tried to escape through Canada, blowing up the villain and saving the day. However, this ending felt too convenient and didn't seem like something Simon would allow to happen. Well, in the audio commentary for the film, screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh admits there was another ending that wasn't filmed that would've made the conclusion much more satisfying.

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One alternate ending that was filmed saw McClane tracking Simon down and shooting him through the chest with a rocket launcher, but the studio and creatives felt this sort of revenge wasn't up McClane's alley. Hensleigh had another idea in mind that wouldn't have had McClane taking months to find his nemesis, though.

In this version, McClane and Zeus are floating in the water after Simon seemingly blows up the tanker with the American gold to cripple its economy. However, while Zeus thinks they've lost, McClane tells him not to be so sure. The conclusion finds Simon on his plane with his crew, only to discover the bomb from the water fountain has been slipped in. This is the same bomb in the heart of New York that McClane and Zeus had to balance jugs of water, except it isn't used to blow up a dam. Instead, McClane kept it for a rainy day, waiting for the right moment to activate the trigger. Then, in a moment of dark comedy, Simon asks his people if they've got jugs of water on board, regretful he left this loose end. McClane arms the bomb, and as it detonates, he gets revenge on the villain who's been tormenting him.

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It was karma in the most explosive fashion, but this ending was ditched because the creatives felt it was too similar to Die Hard 2, which saw McClane similarly blow up a plane to stop terrorists. However, seeing as he already blew up Simon's chopper, this was a poor excuse. The ending should have been filmed, especially because the bomb was one of Simon's best riddles, making his death a poetic conclusion.

It also would've turned the table on Simon, and proved that as pretentious and poetic as he was, he underestimated McClane, who can be more brains than brawn when duty calls. After all, McClane's style is typically guns blazing, and his cerebral side doesn't get enough attention. And most importantly, it would've also caught the audience off-guard, which would have worked better than the cliched ending that saw McClane gunning down Simon outside a Canadian motel.

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