Die Hard (dir. John McTiernan, 1988)
There really isn’t much more than can be said about Die Hard. Starting in late November, every freelance writer starts on the same pitch about Die Hard and Christmas, and every December, they come out in full force. It doesn’t matter that we have read them all before. We will read them again, the writer will get their meager payment for the exercise, and all of us will eventually end up watching Die Hard at some point before the year closes out.
This is as much a holiday tradition as gift giving, eggnog, and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
But Die Hard is great, isn’t it? The discourse over its status as a Christmas classic is really beside the point. Regardless of its festive qualities, it is probably the best pure action film of the last forty years. James Cameron has some competition with Aliens and Terminator 2, while George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road is a masterpiece, but those are as much science fiction as they are examples of the action genre.
Die Hard is perfectly structured, perfectly paced, and perfectly cast. There’s not a wasted moment over its 132 minutes. It makes terrific use of its location as we follow the characters through Nakatomi Plaza. There’s no better use of elevators, vents, and rooftops than in a film. We have a sense of who all the major characters are. We understand their motivations and the reasons for what they do in the film. Bruce Willis plays John McClane as vulnerable and terrified for much of the runtime, which is why he’s a great protagonist. Aside from the murders, the audience is basically on board with Hans Gruber and his multinational crew of thieves. Most of that is due to Alan Rickman’s unbelievably charismatic performance–his first major film role, by the way!–but you also want them to succeed because the plan is so audacious. The supporting players are just as talented as the leads, crafting believable characters with minimal screen time. I know all I need to know about Al Leong’s character because he steals a candy bar from a concession stand.
About the only things about the film that don’t hold up are its more conservative thematic elements and the reason why Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) hasn’t fired his gun in years. There’s some very eighties panic over Japan in the film. Germany doesn’t do much better. The treatment of Holly Gennero (Bonnie Bedelia) and her decision to focus on her career instead of marriage was bad at the time of the film’s release and hasn’t grown better with the years. And, uh, learning that Powell shot a kid hits much differently now. I mean, he feels really torn up about it, but yeesh.
Still, it’s great. I know this has been repeated ad nauseam by so many men in the decades since Die Hard’s release, but unfortunately, I am nothing but a cliche when it comes to this film. If you’ve seen it before, watch it again. If you haven’t, you’re going to have a good time.
Welcome to the party, pal. Now let’s watch Die Hard.
oliveresque 