which also features an outrageous alternative conclusion — Jonathan Hensleigh truly embraced this notion when devising the intricate narrative of John McClane’s (Bruce Willis) third adventure in New York City.
While he flawlessly captured the characters, sharp wit, and development of the plot, he also imparted an extraordinary realism to the heist at its core. So much so that after the NYPD (which utilized a robot dog in 2021) reviewed his script for clear reasons, the FBI contacted him due to their concerns regarding his detailed understanding of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and its vault, which they found quite alarming — as he recounted in a DVD commentary (via Uproxx).
He mentioned, “One day I received a call from the FBI. They were very worried about how I had such extensive knowledge about the Federal Reserve, particularly regarding the vaults being in proximity to a subway spur and the logistics surrounding the aqueduct tunnel, etc. I explained, ‘Well gentlemen, the reason why I know what the vault resembles in the Federal Reserve is that they allowed us access. They demonstrated it to us. The reason why I understand that a subway spur is very near the vault and that you could feasibly tunnel through it is that they provided us with the plans and the layout.” He then added, “And the reason why I’m aware of an aqueduct tunnel running through Manhattan that trucks can navigate is because I read about it in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. I truly don’t possess any kind of secret proprietary information that I shouldn’t have.”