Die Hard (1988)

 Die Hard (1988)

“Yippie-ki-yay, Mother Fucker” (everyone’s favorite Die Hard line from John McClane)

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? That is the age-old debate that surrounds this action-thriller. Without a doubt, you bet it is. Not only is the setting during Christmas, but the holiday music incorporated throughout is enough to win the debate. Terrorists can still do their thing during Christmas, you know. Satisfied? Great, let’s talk about how this is one of the greatest action films of all time and revolutionized the genre to make it better, more evolved. The combined forces of director John McTiernan (Predator) and stars Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman created an unforgettable experience. Excellent, relatable performances, great stunt work, and a pleasing mix of comedy/action delivers the goods for this classic.

As the 80’s came to a close, action films were waning. The formula for these films involved macho men (usually someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger) and nonsensical villains with outlandish schemes. The formula was becoming stale, and change was needed. Enter the idea about an everyman forced into extreme circumstances where this type of action is necessary. Likewise, enter the idea of a villain who is smart, cunning, and has legitimate means. A more personable villain. Of course, these ideas would be played to death in the future (and subsequent sequels), but better than the alternative. Yes, Bruce Willis plays a hero. But a hero who can get banged up (the iconic bloody tank top), can show emotion if needed (not a macho personality), and uses humor as a way to combat nervousness (great one-liners, though!).

The idea for this actioner came only the year before when screenwriter Jeb Stuart came across the idea to adapt Roderick Thorp’s novel to the big screen. He kept the book’s “Christmas in LA” setting and added relationship drama to the fold. He also scaled down the setting as it mainly took place at one office building, the fictional Nakatomi Plaza. The plaza was actually set in a vacant Fox Plaza which was under construction at the time. After the success of Predator, John McTiernan came on board to direct. They had a difficult time casting the film as seemingly any big name turned down the role…but Bruce Willis and his everyman persona was cast. For a man with hardly any movie credit and known for his comedic television series Moonlighting, it was an odd choice at first. As the film neared its release date, faith in Willis was very low and was kept away from marketing. It became known he was difficult to work with. In the end, it didn’t matter because Willis became a star, and the action genre was seemingly revived.

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is an NYPD cop and his wife, Holly Gennaro (Bonnie Bedelia) invites him to the Christmas party at her new job, Nakatomi Corporation located in Los Angeles. We learn that their marriage is strained. During the party, a group of German thieves led by the vastly intelligent Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) take control of the building and take everyone hostage…all except one John McClane. With little or no help from the local police (except for Sgt. Al Powell played exceptionally from Reginald VelJohnson) and no escape, McClane must take matters into his own hands.

The performances were really good. I believed Willis as the ordinary human being facing extraordinary situations outside his control. He is not the strongest nor the fastest action hero, but instead is a more humane, relatable hero. His one-liner delivery is superb throughout. That said, Alan Rickman has the honor of having the best villainous performance since Darth Vader. He was a man with a plan. Being Rickman’s first role in the film industry, he knocked it out of the park. At least deserved an Oscar nomination. Regardless, he ushered in a new era of action movie villains with at least some sense of intelligence. The supporting cast was also really good, even if they do not have much to work with. Willis built a strong rapport with Reginald VelJohnson, whose character was battling his own demons. And Paul Gleason! Critics such as Roger Ebert knocked his performance as the “dumb cop.” Be that as it may, it was still pretty entertaining to watch him shoot down McClane’s actions in the high-rise.

Overall, Die Hard is about as close to perfect as an action movie you can get. Even those subsequent action films repeated what happens here (you know the taglines, Die Hard but on a bus, etc), it still feels fresh here. That is because we get committed performances from everyone with Willis and Rickman standing out. Willis even offered to do his own stunts. The action is really great, and every sequence mattered. Some images will stay with you forever thanks to Jan De Bont’s handiwork. With many of these action sequences film on one enclosed location (another thing this film influenced), he did a great job with the camera. The scene where Hans Gruber falls off the tower proves that. One more thing! I love how composer Michael Kamen incorporated “Ode to Joy” in the soundtrack. Not the first piece of music to come to mind.

This is one of the greatest action films of all time in terms of sheer entertainment and influence. While future films are definitely entertaining, this is the film to see. A great start, middle, and finish. And is this a Christmas movie? You bet your soul it is!

My Grade: A+