Tower Heist

Rating: 10/10 (7 November 2014)

When it comes to action-adventure films of the 1980s. You have Raiders of the Lost Ark standing as a colossus. The ultimate homage to the 1930 'B' serials. Hot on its heels is Die Hard the ultimate action- thriller.
Bruce Willis was known for the comedy crime-drama Moonlighting and comedy movies such as Blind Date. He was not someone with bulging muscles like Sylvester Stallone or a former martial arts star or bodybuilder.
John McClane the every-man who happens to be a New York cop visiting his estranged wife at her firm's Christmas party, rather partial to Roy Rogers ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Just as the party gets into full swing a bunch of European terrorists take over the office tower block to rob some financial bonds, led by the magnetic and then unknown Alan Rickman (who in those pre Google days, some critics mistook to be some undiscovered German actor readymade to be a Bond villain!)
However as the villains hold the rest of the group hostage waiting for their plan to unfurl including getting an assist from the FBI, there is a fly on the ointment. McClane is on the loose and picking off the bad guys one by one.
You have a beat cop in contact with McClane, some inept cops, even more inept and gung ho FBI agents, a slimy journalist and a film director on top form giving you one of the best action films of all time.
A mixture of thrills, action and humour. Just look at scene when Uli (the oriental bad guy) glances at the chocolate bar during a tense moment and steals it, or Rickman naming some freedom fighter groups which seem to be made up and he states to his fellow henchman that he read about them in Time Magazine.
Ultimately Willis pitches his character just right. Here is an actor hungry for that breakout role and he sure hit bulls-eye here even though some of his subsequent actions films have been disappointing.
At the other end is Rickman playing the suave, sophisticated and ruthless villain. He brings charisma by the truck load and this was also his launchpad to stardom.