Archetype action film

Rating: Null/10 (6 April 2010)

A New York cop's holiday is cut short when a group of terrorists gate crash his wife's office Christmas party and hold the workers for ransom.
Director John McTiernan's Die hard is the archetype hostage action flick, often imitated rarely surpassed. It's the sleeper hit that made Bruce Willis a star and remains sinisterly great fun to this day.
It captures that Christmas feeling perfectly with a distinguished score from the late Michael Kamen and some fine cinematography by the then unknown Jan de Bont (Speed Director).
The supporting cast are all first rate and include William Atherton, the late Paul Gleason, Bonnie Bedelia and the excellent Reginald VelJohnson as the typical cop Sgt. Al Powell. Alan Rickman, probably in his finest performance, is the heist leader Hans Gruber. His un-stereotype bad guy has oddly become a stereotype after being copied in countless action films.
Packed with compulsory 80's one liners, over the top action and a well written script, Die Hard remains a great piece of entertainment.