Die Hard (A or 4/4 stars)
'Die Hard' (directed by John McTiernan) came out 23 yrs. ago, if that's to be believed. For me, it was, and still is, the pinnacle of the action movie genre. John McClane (Bruce Willis) had intended on spending Christmas with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) & children, ironing out his marital issues & trying to resolve that situation that has him working in NYC as a cop while her job keeps her in L.A.. When John shows up at his wife's job at the Nakatomi Plaza (30th floor) during an employee Christmas party, they continue their ongoing argument. When she brushes past him to give a speech, 13 armed terrorists, led by the suave-yet-maniacal Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), have other plans.
After taking over the high rise Nakatomi Corporation Tower, traveling up to the 30th floor, & holding the attendees of said annual Christmas party (including Holly) hostage, they begin the complex procedure of breaking into the skyscraper's high-tech vault to steal some $600,000,000. Hans has proclamations of letting the hostages go after stealing the $$, but it's all lies. Hans thinks he has everything in control; however, the only thing that he didn't figure on was that John McClane - calling himself the 'fly in the ointment' - is in demolition mode. With much invested in the hostage situation, John disregards orders of the authorities surrounding the building. And though he is terrified of heights, John McClane is ready & willing to take-on the bad guys with one handgun & a lot of guts.
'Die Hard' is nothing short of a modern day action classic - perfectly constructed for optimal enjoyment. The internal struggle btwn. John, Holly, & the terrorists mixed with the bang 'em up explosions (throughout) makes for a great combination. Really, 'Die Hard' has it all: cat & mouse games btwn. the good guy vs. the baddies; preposterous situations; humor; tons of action; explosions; deaths; a great 'buddy component', between John McClane & the cop down on the street; a strong woman (Holly); tons of crackling one-liners; and of course, one of those "yes, the bad guy is dead!! Oh wait, no he's nottttttt" moments {haha}.
Bruce Willis is simply fantastic as the wisecracking, no B.S. hero. He portrays John as an 'everyday' man who gets caught up in circumstances that thrust him into potential hero status. We root him on, big time. I loved the wild look about him; particularly in his eyes - when aiming to save his wife, the hostages, & defeat Hans. And this is the film that made Bruce Willis the worldwide star he is. I could say the same for Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber; one of the best action genre villains of all-time. His suave looks, gentlemanly demeanor, cunning wit, & strange baritone inflections add to his volatility & malice. My skin crawls thinking of him. Bonnie Bedelia is great as the wife-in-danger. William Atherton plays an effective slime ball (and provides some comic relief) as a tabloid journalist. And Reginald Veljohnson (of Family Matters) is great fun as John's cop counterpart.
No matter when I watch it, 'DH' remains one of the most gripping, thrilling examples of the action film genre. I don't know how many action movies were spawned because of the success of 'Die Hard'. But I'm sure it's in the hundreds, if not thousands; at this point. And none of them live up to the original's standard of rip-roaring excellence. There are so many individual scenes/visuals to remember fondly: John climbing up an elevator shaft, throwing himself off an exploding building, sprinting across glass shards (pulling them out of his bloddied feet), the ending with 'Let it Snow' playing over the credits. 'Die Hard' is not an example of exemplary cinema. But for what it is ... it's exceptional. Yippee kiyay, motherf*ckers!!!
After taking over the high rise Nakatomi Corporation Tower, traveling up to the 30th floor, & holding the attendees of said annual Christmas party (including Holly) hostage, they begin the complex procedure of breaking into the skyscraper's high-tech vault to steal some $600,000,000. Hans has proclamations of letting the hostages go after stealing the $$, but it's all lies. Hans thinks he has everything in control; however, the only thing that he didn't figure on was that John McClane - calling himself the 'fly in the ointment' - is in demolition mode. With much invested in the hostage situation, John disregards orders of the authorities surrounding the building. And though he is terrified of heights, John McClane is ready & willing to take-on the bad guys with one handgun & a lot of guts.
'Die Hard' is nothing short of a modern day action classic - perfectly constructed for optimal enjoyment. The internal struggle btwn. John, Holly, & the terrorists mixed with the bang 'em up explosions (throughout) makes for a great combination. Really, 'Die Hard' has it all: cat & mouse games btwn. the good guy vs. the baddies; preposterous situations; humor; tons of action; explosions; deaths; a great 'buddy component', between John McClane & the cop down on the street; a strong woman (Holly); tons of crackling one-liners; and of course, one of those "yes, the bad guy is dead!! Oh wait, no he's nottttttt" moments {haha}.
Bruce Willis is simply fantastic as the wisecracking, no B.S. hero. He portrays John as an 'everyday' man who gets caught up in circumstances that thrust him into potential hero status. We root him on, big time. I loved the wild look about him; particularly in his eyes - when aiming to save his wife, the hostages, & defeat Hans. And this is the film that made Bruce Willis the worldwide star he is. I could say the same for Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber; one of the best action genre villains of all-time. His suave looks, gentlemanly demeanor, cunning wit, & strange baritone inflections add to his volatility & malice. My skin crawls thinking of him. Bonnie Bedelia is great as the wife-in-danger. William Atherton plays an effective slime ball (and provides some comic relief) as a tabloid journalist. And Reginald Veljohnson (of Family Matters) is great fun as John's cop counterpart.
No matter when I watch it, 'DH' remains one of the most gripping, thrilling examples of the action film genre. I don't know how many action movies were spawned because of the success of 'Die Hard'. But I'm sure it's in the hundreds, if not thousands; at this point. And none of them live up to the original's standard of rip-roaring excellence. There are so many individual scenes/visuals to remember fondly: John climbing up an elevator shaft, throwing himself off an exploding building, sprinting across glass shards (pulling them out of his bloddied feet), the ending with 'Let it Snow' playing over the credits. 'Die Hard' is not an example of exemplary cinema. But for what it is ... it's exceptional. Yippee kiyay, motherf*ckers!!!