A Seminal Action Film for 'Die-Hard' Genre Fans!

Rating: 9/10 (22 April 2015)

Die Hard is an action picture with a capital 'A'. In fact, you might as well go ahead and capitalize the whole darn word. It's an expertly constructed machine for mayhem - a relentlessly thrilling, masterfully executed action film that turns up all the knobs and sets the standard for all of the American films made in the genre.
To begin with, it's the classic plot hook of one man against many, right against wrong - a sweaty, bare-chested, all-American hero who battles a band of swarthy, heavily accented terrorist villains. But Die Hard is more layered than your average action movie. It is Christmas Eve. John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York cop, is in town to spend the holidays with his kids and to fashion a reconciliation with his estranged wife Holly, who works for the Los Angeles branch of Nakatomi Corporation. Planning a rather different holiday agenda are the terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). The dastardly dozen invade the plush 30th floor offices of Nakatomi during its Christmas party, and hold the employees hostage as a computer whiz cracks a code that will put our bad guys in possession of $600 million in negotiable bonds. McClane's in the john when the bad guys arrive, and he manages to slip away into the bowels of the building with nothing but his handgun, where he becomes the fly in the ointment of the criminals' plans. As the FBI helplessly marshals its forces outside, it's up to McClane to carry on the battle from within. McClane must scrap his way through the mêlée, free the hostages, and in the process repair his troubled marriage. Shirtless and barefoot, McClane swings through elevator shafts, clambers up heating ducts and creeps across rooftops as he tries to pick off the bad guys one by one.
There's something satisfyingly claustrophobic about the premise, and the movie makers fully realize it's potential. Director John McTiernan works here with a clever script that offers ample opportunity for violence that is mind-boggling without being mindless. He composes the action cleanly and logically allowing the proceedings to acquire a sense of scale that can't help but impress. The film always looks gorgeous, and it never stops being exhilarating.
At the center of this whirlwind of a movie is Bruce Willis, who blends the vulnerability - normally unseen in action film heroes - deftly with the requisite superhuman feats. He almost burns the screen with his overwhelming charisma, his wicked sense of humor and his big-balled bravado. He ensures McClane remains human and relatable, even as the bodies pile up around him. The rogues in the movie pitch in equally commendable performances, particularly Alan Rickman. Smarmy yet charismatic, Rickman adds a theatrical flourish to his performance which only makes him more menacing.
Sleekly engineered, impeccably staged and shrewdly dosed with humor and sentiment, Die Hard manages to be heart-pounding and teeth- gritting every single time. Yippy-Ki-Yay!