One of the best

Rating: 8/10 (1 January 2006)

"Die Hard" is one of those numerous action movies from the 1980's with one strong hero and caricature-evil bad guys. And of course the obligatory outrageous body-count. It's also one of my favorites of the period.
I read somewhere that Arnold Schwarzenegger was first offered the role of John McClane but declined. Which is a stroke of luck to say the least. This is the movie that launched Bruce Willis action-movie stardom and he is one of the definite high-points in this movie. It also helps that he looks more normal than the beefed-up Arnold, lending at least a little more credibility to his character. The second high-point is of course the always excellent Alan Rickman as the German bad guy with the British accent. He has got to be one of the most memorable movie-villains ever. The third and final piece of the puzzle is the action-scenes. This movie has some of the best action-scenes produced in the 1980's to say the least. Many 80's movies were mostly about some huge body-builder standing still mowing people down. This on the other hand is a lot more refined. Willis is the kind of character that actually bleeds and hurts and feels vulnerable. And actually has to get out of the way when the bad-guys fire back...
The story of a team of international criminals wanting to steal 640 million dollars in bonds is not the most original story ever. But the claustrophobic "nowhere-to-run" theme of the movie set a new industry-standard and felt genuinely new. The fact that it's also exceptional in the action department and has actors to match makes it one of the most intensely enjoyable action movies to date. Recommended! 8/10