Summary

• Ricochet is a dark thriller connected to Die Hard via the character of Gail Wallens (Mary Ellen Trainor).
• Denzel Washington's character faces torment and mental anguish, creating a bleak and harrowing journey.
• Originally conceived as a Dirty Harry sequel, Ricochet's script was rejected by Clint Eastwood as "too grim".

Arguably Denzel Washington's most shocking thriller is also a stealth Die Hard spinoff. Producer Joel Silver had a run of megahits from the 1980s onwards, having produced Commando, Predator, The Matrix and many more. Silver also produced the first two Die Hard movies, which had a sizable impact on action cinema. While action movies during the 1980s were dominated by indestructible, muscle-bound heroes played by Schwarzenegger and Stallone, Die Hard was fronted by an all-too human everyman. Bruce Willis' McClane bled, struggled and even cried, bringing a human element to the genre.

Even now, Die Hard is considered one of the best action movies ever made. Willis went on to front four sequels, though ironically, McClane became more like the invincible action protagonists he was once an antidote to. The original also created a template for similar films, with examples including Die Hard on a Boat (Under Siege), ...on a Plane (Passenger 57) or ...in the White House (Olympus Has Fallen).

Ricochet Is A Stealth Die Hard Spinoff Thanks To One Supporting Character

Die Hard had its own extended universe before it was cool

Ricochet is also connected to Die Hard with the character of Gail Wallens (Mary Ellen Trainor), a reporter who covers the Nakatomi Plaza takeover and Styles' fall from grace in both films.

Something even devotees of the Die Hard saga might not realize is that it has its own spinoff. In 1991, Denzel Washington fronted action thriller Ricochet, where his cop turned assistant district attorney Styles is tormented by vicious killer Blake (John Lithgow), whom Styles once arrested. Years later, Blake escapes from prison and sets out to destroy Styles' reputation and life piece by piece. Ricochet is also connected to Die Hard with the character of Gail Wallens (Mary Ellen Trainor), a reporter who covers the Nakatomi Plaza takeover and Styles' fall from grace in both films.

Ricochet never draws attention to this Die Hard crossover or uses any overt easter eggs related to the latter. Still, the fact Ricochet was produced by Silver and the screenplay was penned by Die Hard co-writer Steven E. de Souza makes the connection undeniable. This Denzel Washington movie has some visual nods to the 1988 classic too; Styles spends the final act wearing a dirty vest, he's seen firing McClane's trademark Beretta and like Hans Gruber before him, Blake falls to his death in the finale.

Ricochet Is One Of Denzel Washington's Darkest Thrillers

Ricochet and Die Hard are tonal opposites

What's important to note about Ricochet is that it's more of a psychological suspense thriller than an action movie like Die Hard. It has bursts of action, but the real focus is on the mind games between Styles and Blake. Lithgow's performance is incredible, with Blake being a monstrous figure who has made it his sole mission in life to dismantle Styles. This element makes Ricochet one of the bleakest films Washington has ever appeared in, with Styles being subjected to an escalating series of psychological and physical humiliations by Blake.

Ricochet is currently available to stream on Max.

This includes being kidnapped, forcibly injected with drugs, and being infected with an STD. Ricochet can be very lurid and unrestrained at times, though director Russell Mulcahy injects enough humor to keep it from getting too overwhelming. An earlier cut was said to be even more unpleasant, but the violence was toned back after test audiences found the movie too dark.

What makes Ricochet so harrowing is how convincingly Washington plays Styles' crumbling mental state, as the character is driven to despair while nobody believes his wild claims about Blake. Of course, Styles later turns the tables, clears his name and gains his revenge, but his journey to get there is a grueling one.

Ricochet Was Almost A Dirty Harry Sequel

The script for Ricochet did not make Clint Eastwood's day

Fred Dekker (The Monster Squad) penned the movie's screenplay on spec, and Ricochet was originally conceived as a Dirty Harry sequel starring Clint Eastwood. According to an interview with The Flashback Files, Dekker loved the first two Dirty Harry movies but felt the other sequels were lacking. Like the final product, the Dirty Harry version of Ricochet would have followed Eastwood's San Francisco detective as he is targeted for revenge by a criminal he busted years before.

When Fred Dekker was briefly in line to direct Ricochet himself, he envisioned Kurt Russell playing Styles.

Producer Joel Silver sent the Ricochet screenplay to Clint, who rejected it as "too grim" for a Dirty Harry sequel idea. The movie was then reworked as an original project, with no ties to the Eastwood series. This was probably for the best since it's tough to picture Clint's Harry being put through the same level of torment inflicted upon Washington's Styles. The film needed a character more in the Die Hard, John McClane mold to work, and it's doubtful Eastwood would have committed to the amount of anguish required.

Source: The Flashback Files