GoldenJCJ

I’ll buy that.

I always assumed the “motherfucker” was a natural ad-lib by Willis knowing that Jackson was supposed to interrupt his line.

Count Dooku

It's a very odd and unnatural scene, and actually played incorrectly. McClane shouting and speaking rapidly. It's completely unnatural that Zeus would interrupt him to accuse him of what he was about to say when he had to interrupt him to stop him from saying it.

McClane should have said, "I'm gonna put my foot up your ass, you--!" with Willis playing it as having cut himself off from what he was about to say.

Then it would have made sense for Zeus to have conjecture about what McClane was about to say. And it would have played as McClane stopping himself from swearing at the guy whose help he needs.

The whole exchange about the N-word and who's the racist is a very mid-90s thing to unnecessarily inject into the proceedings. I don't see what purpose it serves. The audience knows McClane is the hero, so having Zeus suspect him of being a racist doesn't enhance Zeus' character. It makes more sense to establish Zeus as someone who can pick up quickly on the fact that McClane is a good guy who needs help to accomplish something important.

Crocker Jarmen

I thought was the way the movie portrayed Zeus' character, that (rightly or wrongly) he had a chip on his shoulder and saw racism in everything. Like, it was even supposed to be humorous.

Count Dooku

I think they just wanted Sam Jackson to angrily shout the N-word and remind people of Pulp Fiction.

Draven

Considering what McClane was wearing when Zeus first saw him, it’s not that big of a stretch for Zeus to think McClane might actually be racist (especially at that time).

Count Dooku

Zeus readily accepted McClane's explanation that he was a cop and was being forced to wear the sign by a terrorist.

GhostLee2

Speaking of what McClane was wearing, I watched a network broadcast that replaced the word with "everybody." I get their not wanting to show that word onscreen, but what they did just made the scene pointless. Nobody is going to attack someone over an "I hate everybody" sign.

milo bloom

IIRC, that’s what the sign said when shooting and they used CGI to put in the N word for the film.

But I agree that it changes him from being a racist threat to an annoying kook.

Count Dooku

A naked man standing out on the street waiting to get beat up or shot only seems like a threat to himself.

GoldenJCJ

Which is also kind of strange because didn’t Simon also have McClane rattle off some kooky stuff when he was confronted by the guys on the stoop? All the less of threat when he’s spouting crazy talk.

Count Dooku

That was Zeus. He told McClane to act crazy so the neighborhood toughs would leave him alone.

GoldenJCJ

That makes sense. I always thought he as reciting something that Simon told him to say.

Obi-Wanma

I'm pretty sure that he does say it with Yippie-Kay-Yay at the end.

Why So Blu?

That's the joke. We know McClane was gonna call him a MF, but because Zeus has a chip on his shoulder, so he tries to reframe it. Then McClane says I was gonna call you an asshole. Asshole is less hostile than calling someone a MF.

Count Dooku

That's #2 Die Harder

John Galt

People guessing someone's computer password by analyzing the person's life and magically settling on their pet's name plus their high school football jersey number which just happens to be correct.

Obi-Wanma

And Die Hard 3.

Count Dooku

I would guess your password as Dagny$$1957

Count Dooku

I was wrong.

GoldenJCJ

I can see how it could be misremembered. At the moment you’d expect McClane to say it, he says “say hello to your brother for me”. The “Yippee Ki Yay Motherfucker” comes after that in a more subdued shot.


It’s still better than the lame PG-13, “Yippee Ki Yay Mother…” *gunshot* that we get in Live Free or Die Hard.

John Galt

That would be too simple. My password is the entire novel typed out.