Die Hard

Even if the non-action parts are a tad slow in comparison, that is more than compensated by so many things that makes Die Hard so brilliant.

For one thing the action is explosive and consistently exciting, and the cinematography is astounding being very inventive and colourful. John McTiernon(The Hunt for Red October, Last Action Hero) directs briskly and efficiently, and the pacing a vast majority of the time is exhilarating.

Then there is a terrific score by Michael Kamen, some intelligent and witty scripting and a plot that doesn't feel forced or convoluted. Not to mention some excellent acting. As good as Bruce Willis is, yes his character is somewhat two-dimensional, but he is also resourceful and world-weary and Willis handles this really well, it is Alan Rickman who steals the acting honours as Hans Gruber. Gruber is cold, calculating, suave and menacing, in my opinion only Rickman could do justice to such a character. Overall, a superb movie, not only the best of the Die Hard franchise but one of the best of the action genre. 10/10 Bethany Cox

In the late 1980s, Director John McTiernan refined the action film genre with this action- packed thriller that not only stars Bruce Willis is the role that defined his career, but also brought impressed audiences everywhere with ecstatic action sequences complete with amazing practical effects, inspiring characters, and one of the most original scripts for an action movie written for its time. This movie stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York cop who heads on vacation to Los Angeles for the holidays, to spend Christmas with his wife Holly Genero (played by Bonnie Bedelia) and kids. Upon arriving at the Nakatomi Plaza building where she works, he and his wife ended having an argument dealing with family matters. Their dispute is eventually interrupted when the building becomes under attack by a dozen German terrorists lead by the ruthless Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman) who's intent on robbing the company of its money. Pitted against overwhelming odds and Gruber's diabolical mind, John McClane must take matters into his own hands and fight off the terrorists who have his wife, along with hundreds of innocent civilians held hostage, with no aid from the Los Angeles Police Department who are helpless against the terrorists' overwhelming power.

My family and I catch this fi on cable almost every year during the Christmas season and this never gets old. Unlike other action films from the 80s that spit cheesy little one-liners and mindless gun shootouts, this film presents viewers with a very likable protagonist who is self aware with his flaws and has feels very human, a Villain who is near equally likable and incredibly smart, and the dialogue between these two characters (which are spoken via walkie-talkies for the majority of the time) is very witty and clever that keep viewers' attention. The main character John McClane spends most of the time fighting off the terrorists who are lead by Hans Gruber, and the scenes are exciting to watch. Glossing with intense gunfights, explosions, stellar camera-work and fight choreography, the scenes keep viewers strapped to their seats. In the scenes when the action lightens up, there are some interesting conversations between characters like McClane, who at one point, shares a tender moment with a cop by admitting his flaws as a husband and a man as a whole. These moments are make you feel for the character and are presented in a realistic way and not sappy way. Bruce Willis does an excellent job as the main character and his performances him as the action hero he is today, along with his famous line "Yippie Kay Yay, motherf***er". The same can be said about Alan Rickman is gives off a performances as the one of the most charismatic antagonists ever put on screen. What really impresses me about this film is the action set pieces. The Nakatomi Plaza that serves as the film's main setting (at least during the beginning) is shot nowhere other than Twentieth Century Fox headquarters. Quite interesting!

Die Hard is one of the most influential action films ever made and shines with nearly every aspect an action film needs. It is a good movie for viewers to pop a bag of popcorn, sit on the couch, and watch. Director John McTiernan did a fantastic job with this film as well as the cast. This film is a textbook example of what action films need to be and a movie that every action fan should not miss.

Die Hard (1988)

*** (out of 4)

Enjoyable and tense thriller about a group of terrorists (led by Alan Rickman) who overtake a L.A. skyscraper and the only thing keeping them from getting away with their crime is a New York police officer (Bruce Willis) there on vacation. There's a lot of very good things about this movie but I've always thought that the majority of the credit has to go to star Willis. He might not have been a A-list star at the time this was released but it's easy to see why he became one afterwards. I think what's so great about him and the character he plays is that we can believe he's just your typical guy you'd see walking around on the streets with you. That every-day-man quality that Willis has works so well here because of the odds stacked against his character you can't help but just sit back and enjoy this one person taking out a professional organization. The hilarious one-liners, the smart remarks and the way Willis makes himself know to the terrorists is just classic and we get so many great showdowns that you can't help enjoy all of them. It certainly doesn't hurt that you've got a strong supporting cast with Rickman being a villain you just love to hate. The coldness RIckman brings to the part is the perfect contrast to Willis' cop and it works perfectly. Reginald VelJohnson, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia and Paul Gleason also add great support for Willis to play off of. The action scenes are certainly some of the best you're going to see and what holds them together so well is the direction by John McTiernan. He perfectly blends the humor, tension and the action but he also gives the film a wonderful pace that keeps it moving at a fast rate. DIE HARD might be far-fetched in what one man is able to do but this really doesn't take away from any of the fun.

In stepped John McTiernan and Bruce Willis with Die Hard. Willis, most famous at the time for the comic TV Series 'Moonlighting', made a perfect ordinary-man-in-an-extraordinary-situation action hero. He was believable as John McClane and not immune to being hurt. He bled and felt pain, a first for the genre. And yet his cool confident delivery of a great wisecracking, intelligent script made him all the cooler. But most credit should go to Director John McTiernan, king of the sophisticated action flick. He made action movies slick, smart and full of pace and wit while never letting up on the bullets, cars and bombs front.

Special praise must go out to Alan Rickman too whose performance as chief baddie Hans is to this day one of cinemas finest, moving convincingly from cool, calm and collected to desperate and nervous, never once seeming anything less than utterly ruthless and calculating. Even after we discover that Hans isn't there as a political terrorist but simply as a thief, he loses absolutely no villain credibility when he responds to Holly McClane's criticism by saying "I am an exceptional thief, Mrs. McClane and since I'm moving to kidnapping you should be more polite." Although we know Hans is capable of vile acts, he actually sees those as merely means to a greater and somehow justifiable end. His disposition is almost humanitarian and you would imagine him as quite a gentleman outside of the context of the crimes he commits in Die Hard's arc. In the end though, Hans is a pure sociopath that even the audience is conned into sympathizing with. I would actually argue that Die Hard is the greatest pure action film ever made. Yippie-ki-yay *muddy funster*... and happy holidays.

Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

Bruce Willis is stirring up trouble for the bad guys in "Die Hard." In the first of three awesome films, he stars as Lt. John McClane, a New York police officer, who has been invited to the wrong Christmas party.

This is an action film for future actors and directors to watch and use as a model because it is what an action film should be. I have seen many action films in my life, but this ranks at the top as it has all the right components. Action packed sequences, explosions, special effects and most of all superb performances with excellent dialogue.

"Die Hard" is a movie I will not soon forget because the story is so well crafted. Though there are no twists or curves thrown at the audience, the audience can be assured they will be treated to two hours of non-stop action from beginning to end.

"Die Hard" did not only produce great action and explosions but future stars as well. I am talking about Clarence Gilyard Jr. who starred in Walker, Texas Ranger and Reginald VelJohnson who starred in the series "Family Matters." These two actors were pivotal to this film in their respective roles.

Two other names to keep in mind while thinking of key performers are Bonnie Bedelia and Alan Rickman. I was blown away when I saw the impact they had on this film. It is as if they came in and said 'Okay boys, watch out I'm taking over." They certainly did that; however, nobody could have done better than the impact performer himself Bruce Willis.

On a scale of 1-10; "Die Hard" is given a 100 by yours truly. My only regret would be that the movie ended. I wish there was more to see in this film. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE "DIE HARD" AGAIN.