Never gets enough credit

Rating: 8/10 (8 September 2003)

Though I definitely can't say the film is underappreciated, it mostly gets appreciated for its action. "Die Hard" is not just effective for its incredible stunts (and boy, they are incredible!), but also because it has a great plot! Action works best when it enhances the film, and it rarely works when it IS the film. The characters are very well-developed. Bruce Willis' John McLaine is not a larger-than-life action hero. He is a burned out New York cop out of his jurisdiction, who's separated from his wife. You can actually relate to his character. Sure, it's cool to watch him blow away the bad guys, but what would you do in his situation? Jump in front of the gunfire? It's not just a cinematic device. The dialogue is slick with such memorable lines as "Yippie-ki-yay motherf**ker" and "No f**king s**t lady! Does it sound it like I'm ordering a pizza?" The movie manages to effectively combine a great plot, great action, a great sense of humor and even a little bit of heart. Plus, Willis himself never gets enough credit for his role as John McLaine--a role in which he owns! I heard Richard Gere was originally approached for the part. I like Gere and all, but there's no way he could've captured McLaine like Willis. First of all, Willis comes from a comedy background (anyone remember "Moonlighting"?), so it doesn't sound forced when he says those funny lines, with a perfectly straight demeanor. And he just has an everyman look to him. You can imagine yourself bumping into a guy like this at a local bar. And this is the dude who ends up saving the day. Go figure. Reginald VelJohnson (who many remember as Carl from "Family Matters") is great at playing the sympathetic cop, who's the only man on McLaine's side. This movie proves he has definite range as an actor, and it's a shame his film career consists mostly of bit parts and cameos. Here, he's given a supporting role, playing quite a pivotal character. Paul Gleeson plays the stereotypical loudmouth police captain, whose job is to be hated by the audience and shoot his mouth off at the cop who's simply doing his job. In a film of lesser quality, I'd probably point that out as a major flaw, but I was able to let that slide. Plus, it added to the fun of the film. And English character actor Alan Rickman is terrific as villain Hans Gruber, pulling off a convincing German accent that's not over-the-top and maintaining a coldly terrifying demeanor throughout. This is a film for everybody, even if you're not the biggest action fan. "Die Hard" is good, solid entertainment that never ceases to please.
My score: 8 (out of 10)