EXACTLY! They took a taught, procedural thriller and turned it into an "action movie" for teenagers. Don't get me wrong; I think Bruce Willis is an excellent action/comedy star, and he played a terrific role in this frat-boy film, but why did they have to rip off a classic?? Come up with your own damned story for your crash-and-burn shoot-'em-up, don't sully Fred Zinnemann's cerebral masterpiece. At least they changed the title.

Zinnemann is more or less unknown to everyone but film buffs, despite making numerous classics in his quite short list of films, including High Noon and From Here To Eternity. His work is so compelling that, even though I've watched Day of the Jackal numerous times, I never noticed until someone pointed it out that there is NO MUSIC whatsoever, beyond the marching bands in the parade.

Handgun reference: The other weapons in the original all appear quite authentic, including the commander of the firing squad using a Model 1892 revolver, and not some prop department Colt Police Positive.