Review: Die Hard (1988)

A Christmas film released in the summer... Yeah, these don't often fair well with audiences. However, in the summer of 1988, audiences were feeling particularly festive when a little film called Die Hard was released. Despite opening in 3rd place in the middle of July, Die Hard would remain popular through the end of its run in October, and would become the Seventh highest grossing film of 1988. Over the following years, Die Hard became the standard for all action flicks; the film all other action movies are held up to, and is considered by many to be the greatest action film ever made.

A New York City cop spends his Christmas Eve fighting off terrorists in a Los Angeles office building.

"Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker."

Doesn't sound all that exciting, does it? I've tried, and no matter what I put as a plot summary, it wouldn't do the film justice. You see, Die Hard is THE action movie. It has a little bit of everything: Action (obviously), comedy, suspense, drama, romance, and it all happens at Christmas. What more could you want from a film? It also happens to be one of the most exciting films I have ever seen.

John McClane is an unlikely action hero. He's an everyday guy with average looks and no special abilities to speak of. But this is what makes him so great. Watching Die Hard, you believe that the whole situation McClane finds himself in is purely accidental. If Schwarzenegger or Stallone had been in the role, the film would have felt like to much of a coincidence. Filmmakers took the right route in casting Bruce Willis. 

Hans Gruber is, in opinion, one of the best film villains to ever grace the big screen. He's suave, sophisticated, attractive, charming, and, lets be honest, quite sexy. He's the type of guy that would make a terrific husband... That is, if he wasn't a cold blooded, murdering terrorist. Played to perfection by Alan Rickman, Gruber was voted the 46th greatest screen villain of all time in a 2003 by the American Film Institute, and though I'm pleased he landed a spot on the list, I believe that his position should have been higher.

Some people argue that Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie, but I'd debate that it is one any day. I mean, it occurs on Christmas Eve during an office Christmas party. That's a Christmas movie hands down. Even portions of the score are based around well-known Christmas songs, and the film's characters make several referrences to it being Christmas. What more do you need? Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Period. Anyone who says differently is talking bull.

"I'm going to count to three, there will not be a four. Give me the code."

This movie made Bruce Willis. Before Die Hard, Willis was a popular TV personality, starring on the hit ABC series "Moonlighting", but that was all he was known for. So, when it came time to cast Die Hard, Willis was hardly at the top of anybody's list. In fact, the original choice to play John McClane was Mr. Action Star himself, and one of my personal favourites, Arnold Schwarzenegger. When Arnie declined the role, it was offered to Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson; even Richard Gere and Burt Reynolds were offered the chance to play McClane. After all of those actors also declined the part, it was offered Willis, who readily accepted, and it was a good thing too. I mean, can you picture Rambo running around a terrorist-occupied building unnoticed? Haha :-)

Die Hard was also Alan Rickman's introduction to feature films. Having only perviously worked on stage and in television projects, Die Hard was a massive step forward in Rickman's career, and Hans Gruber is still the role that Rickman is best known for; well, that and Professor Snape from the Harry Potter series, but, as far as adults are concerned, he's probably better known for his role in Die Hard. He is truly brilliant as Gruber, the role he was born to play, and he steals every scene he's in.

The rest of the cast are also very good in their roles, especially Reginald VelJohnson, who gives Die Hard emotion as Sgt. Al Powell, and De'voreaux White, who provides the film's comic relief as Argyle. Fabulous acting by all involved.

"If this is their idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year's."

Now, if you haven't already guessed, I love Die Hard. I love it a lot. Die Hard is my favourite film, and it has been for quite some time. I couldn't say enough good things about it, and I would never say a bad word against it (Unless forced to, like I was in my 12th grade Honors Physics class. Ugh. That was hard...). I love Die Hard 10 times more than I do any other film, and I'm quite sure that it'll always be my favourite.

Die Hard is great popcorn flick that I can't imagine anybody hating. It was made to be enjoyed by all (... of a certain age). 10/10

Trivia: As I stated above, Die Hard was originally created as a vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger; however, its script was not written as a stand alone project. Nope, Die Hard was originally written as a sequel... to Commando! Yes, I said Commando, Schwarzenegger's 1985 action hit. After Arnie declined the film, the script was reworked and made into the gem that it is today, Die Hard. Thank goodness for that!