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Die Hard
I haven't had a good day, I've had legal action threatened on me by my aunt so I thought with the possibility of legal action I'll review Die Hard. Die Hard is without a doubt a classic film. It is the definition of what makes a good action thriller and despite it having been made in 1988 feels more modern today than ever before. Simply put: if you haven't seen Die Hard, what have you done with your life?
Die Hard follows New York policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis), who decides to visit his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and daughters on Christmas Eve. They meet up at a holiday party held at the Japanese-owned office building where she works. The festivities are cut short when the office building is seized by a group of terrorists led by Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber, who would go on to become one of cinema's most well-known bad guys.
It's not hard to see why Hans Gruber is so popular. He is not only a formidable opponent for John McClane but also one of cinema's most complex, well-rounded and entertaining antagonists. It helps that Hans Gruber is played effortlessly by Alan Rickman; his iconic speech patterns are perfect for the character and just like Severus Snape it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role. A simple line like 'Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho.' become iconic thanks to Alan Rickman's toned down delivery. He doesn't play it for laughs, yet that's exactly why so many people laugh at that line. Alan Rickman understood the irony that the line delivery needed, that the humour comes from the fact that it's ironic for a terrorist leader to utter Santa Claus's famous phrase.
Which brings me onto another point: Die Hard's setting of Christmas. The Christmas setting is the reason why many consider Die Hard a Christmas movie and whilst I can see their point, I don't necessarily agree. One thing I will say however is that the Christmas setting is perfect. Despite the serious plot and thriller style of the film, if Die Hard can be called anything it is a feel-good movie. It takes the threat of terrorism seriously but at the same time it laughs at how utterly ludicrous it is. Die Hard is the kind of film you put on at Christmas after a lot of drinking just to have fun and be merry despite all of the dark things going on in the world. It's the opposite of, say, the DC movies that practically shout 'LOOK HOW DARK THE WORLD IS'. Die Hard knows the world is dark but also knows that now and then there's no harm in laughing at the darkness. That's not to say Die Hard is a comedy - it's not - but when it does include jokes it has a wonderfully witty sense of humour.
Some may groan at action heroes having cool catchphrases but there's nothing more cool than 'Yippie ki yay, mother****er!'. This is a phrase literally perfect for John McClane's character: an innocent bystander who reluctantly finds himself involved in stopping a bunch of terrorists whilst on holiday. John McClane is essentially a cowboy in a modern environment. He is the mysterious stranger entering an unfamiliar town and if he were a Wild West cowboy he would be closer to Clint Eastwood than John Wayne. Bruce Willis plays the part with a certain confidence that works wonders for the character. His performance may not be as strong as Alan Rickman's but like Mr Rickman it would be hard to accept anyone other than Bruce Willis in the role.
Like the previously reviewed Hot Fuzz, Die Hard is not short of frankly awesome action sequences. And when there's no action sequences, it is wonderfully tense. The director John McTiernan blocks the scenes to perfection to get the exact right amount of tension and emotion that the action on-screen requires. Just look at this scene, for example:
I haven't seen directing blocked any better than that. Any filmmaker who considers producing a thriller should use Die Hard as an example of directing 101. I'm sure many would agree that there is no better guide for directing a thriller than this.
Also: isn't Die Hard just a perfect title? It's punchy and straight to the point. It might seem like a silly point to make but it's among the greatest film titles of all time. For me, it is up there with 'Psycho' or 'A Good Day To Die Hard'. Whoever came up with that title needs to be applauded; I can't imagine the film being called anything else now.
Overall, Die Hard is pretty much the perfect action thriller movie. It's got a perfect title, perfect directing, perfect protagonist and arguably one of the best and most iconic film villains of all time in the brilliant Hans Gruber. When Die Hard features comedy in its narrative, it has a wonderful sense of wit and provides many of the film's best moments. The action sequences are equally as strong, providing moments of great tension and sheer awesomeness. Die Hard is the kind of movie that knows how ridiculous the terrorism threat really is and isn't afraid to point it out, unlike for example DC films that simply love to shout 'LOOK HOW DARK THE WORLD IS'. If you haven't seen Die Hard, then watch it now. You're missing out on one of the all-time greatest thrillers, mother****er.
I haven't had a good day, I've had legal action threatened on me by my aunt so I thought with the possibility of legal action I'll review Die Hard. Die Hard is without a doubt a classic film. It is the definition of what makes a good action thriller and despite it having been made in 1988 feels more modern today than ever before. Simply put: if you haven't seen Die Hard, what have you done with your life?
Die Hard follows New York policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis), who decides to visit his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and daughters on Christmas Eve. They meet up at a holiday party held at the Japanese-owned office building where she works. The festivities are cut short when the office building is seized by a group of terrorists led by Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber, who would go on to become one of cinema's most well-known bad guys.
It's not hard to see why Hans Gruber is so popular. He is not only a formidable opponent for John McClane but also one of cinema's most complex, well-rounded and entertaining antagonists. It helps that Hans Gruber is played effortlessly by Alan Rickman; his iconic speech patterns are perfect for the character and just like Severus Snape it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role. A simple line like 'Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho.' become iconic thanks to Alan Rickman's toned down delivery. He doesn't play it for laughs, yet that's exactly why so many people laugh at that line. Alan Rickman understood the irony that the line delivery needed, that the humour comes from the fact that it's ironic for a terrorist leader to utter Santa Claus's famous phrase.
Which brings me onto another point: Die Hard's setting of Christmas. The Christmas setting is the reason why many consider Die Hard a Christmas movie and whilst I can see their point, I don't necessarily agree. One thing I will say however is that the Christmas setting is perfect. Despite the serious plot and thriller style of the film, if Die Hard can be called anything it is a feel-good movie. It takes the threat of terrorism seriously but at the same time it laughs at how utterly ludicrous it is. Die Hard is the kind of film you put on at Christmas after a lot of drinking just to have fun and be merry despite all of the dark things going on in the world. It's the opposite of, say, the DC movies that practically shout 'LOOK HOW DARK THE WORLD IS'. Die Hard knows the world is dark but also knows that now and then there's no harm in laughing at the darkness. That's not to say Die Hard is a comedy - it's not - but when it does include jokes it has a wonderfully witty sense of humour.
Some may groan at action heroes having cool catchphrases but there's nothing more cool than 'Yippie ki yay, mother****er!'. This is a phrase literally perfect for John McClane's character: an innocent bystander who reluctantly finds himself involved in stopping a bunch of terrorists whilst on holiday. John McClane is essentially a cowboy in a modern environment. He is the mysterious stranger entering an unfamiliar town and if he were a Wild West cowboy he would be closer to Clint Eastwood than John Wayne. Bruce Willis plays the part with a certain confidence that works wonders for the character. His performance may not be as strong as Alan Rickman's but like Mr Rickman it would be hard to accept anyone other than Bruce Willis in the role.
Like the previously reviewed Hot Fuzz, Die Hard is not short of frankly awesome action sequences. And when there's no action sequences, it is wonderfully tense. The director John McTiernan blocks the scenes to perfection to get the exact right amount of tension and emotion that the action on-screen requires. Just look at this scene, for example:
I haven't seen directing blocked any better than that. Any filmmaker who considers producing a thriller should use Die Hard as an example of directing 101. I'm sure many would agree that there is no better guide for directing a thriller than this.
Also: isn't Die Hard just a perfect title? It's punchy and straight to the point. It might seem like a silly point to make but it's among the greatest film titles of all time. For me, it is up there with 'Psycho' or 'A Good Day To Die Hard'. Whoever came up with that title needs to be applauded; I can't imagine the film being called anything else now.
Overall, Die Hard is pretty much the perfect action thriller movie. It's got a perfect title, perfect directing, perfect protagonist and arguably one of the best and most iconic film villains of all time in the brilliant Hans Gruber. When Die Hard features comedy in its narrative, it has a wonderful sense of wit and provides many of the film's best moments. The action sequences are equally as strong, providing moments of great tension and sheer awesomeness. Die Hard is the kind of movie that knows how ridiculous the terrorism threat really is and isn't afraid to point it out, unlike for example DC films that simply love to shout 'LOOK HOW DARK THE WORLD IS'. If you haven't seen Die Hard, then watch it now. You're missing out on one of the all-time greatest thrillers, mother****er.