圣誕前夕，麥卡倫正在華盛頓的機場等待妻子乘飛機歸來過節。然而無意中他卻發現了一個重大的陰謀：被議會解職的特種部隊施上校正率領部下準備解救被引渡的中美洲毒梟艾將軍。麥卡倫將此事告知了機場警衛隊的羅隊長，但后者的官僚作風和愚蠢卻使這一切未能得到阻止。施上校帶領部下占領了機場附近的一座小教堂，設置了一個飛行控制中心，并切斷了機場控制塔與空中的一切聯系，使眾多的客機無法降落。而麥卡倫的妻子霍莉此時卻正在其中的一架飛機上。為了解救妻子和在空中的眾多客機，麥卡倫不得不再次進行艱苦的努力?？刂扑噲D修復天線的行動失敗，恐怖分子更誘使一架飛機墜毀以示警告。麥卡倫雖盡力阻止，但仍無濟于事。軍方特種部隊在關少校的帶領下趕到，麥卡倫再次被排斥在行動人員之外。

艾將軍控制了押送他的飛機并在機場降落，麥卡倫企圖抓住艾將軍以控制局面，雖然功敗垂成。但也因此而推斷出了施上校的巢穴所在。關少校率部突襲教堂。而麥卡倫卻在無意間發現，這一切都是一場騙局，關少校等人早已和對方勾結在一起。麥卡倫將消息通知了羅隊長，但警衛隊卻因記者報道引起的混亂而無法行動。

眼看艾將軍等人就要乘飛機逃脫，麥卡倫及時搭乘直升機趕到，在飛機的機翼上和對方展開了殊死搏斗。雖然被打落機翼，麥卡倫卻乘機擰開了飛機油箱。在飛機即將離地時，麥卡倫點燃了跑道上灑落的汽油。一條火龍沿著油跡追上了剛剛起飛的客機，將艾將軍人連人帶機炸得粉碎。跑道上綿延數百米的火跡也成了指引飛機降落的指示燈，眾多的飛機依次安全降落。在滿天飛舞的雪花中，麥卡倫和妻子緊緊地擁抱在一起。

Once again, New York cop John McClane is in the wrong place at the wrong time - this time he''s waiting for his wife''s plane to arrive at Washington''s Dulles Airport when he uncovers a plot to sabotage the airport''s landing system. The criminals wish to free a drug baron being extradited to America for trial by holding the airport to ransom until they all safely escape on another plane. However, if they''d known that Holly McClane was on a flight home to the very airport they were hijacking, they would have picked another day.

影片片段：

General: Freedom!

John: Not yet! You''re supposed to stay in your seat until the plane reaches the terminal. No frequent-flier mileage for you.

General: Who are you?

John: A cop.

General: A cop?

John: Yeah, one of the good guys. You see you''re one of the bad guys. Now I''ve got your sorry ass, I''m gonna trade it with my wife.

John: Sit down!

Soldiers: Go in!

Soldier1: Where did he go?

General: In there.

General: I don''t believe this. Two months of planning, and you can''t anticipate one pendejo of a cop.

Soldier1: Come on, General.

General: Where the hell is Colonel Stuart?

Soldier2: General!

General: I''m all right! He said he was a policeman. I thought you had this place secured.

Soldier1: He went in the cockpit (駕駛員座艙).

Colonel Stuart: He''s going to hell! McClane! I assume it''s you, McClane! You''re quite a little soldier. You can consider this a military funeral!

Colonel Stuart: How many GREnades (手榴彈) we got?

Soldier1: Three each!

Colonel Stuart: Use them!

John: Oh, ****!

Colonel Stuart: Go!

John: Aaagh! Oh, shit!

Colonel: You lucky ****!

Soldier1: Fire trucks, sir!

Colonel Stuart: Fall back to the church. Now!

Key Words and Expressions:

1.frequent-flier mileage 飛機里數優惠券

一種飛行積分計劃。乘客購買某些航空公司的機票可以累積免費飛行的里數。

2. pendejo 西班牙語 意為“ 傻瓜 ”

電影中將軍是西班牙裔

3. You''re quite a little soldier.

這里Colonel Stuart不是說John是一個小兵，而是說John很有勇氣。

4. fall back (to the church) 和go back (to the church)不同，側重點是“迅速地退回”。