Original monster action spectacle

Rating: 8/10 (16 April 2002)

Wow what a whopper, this beast was an instant classic of monster proportions, and it's easy to tell why - Bruce Willis on top form, getting his vest filthy for the first time and pouring out those witty asides, Rickman scorching as the teutonic baddie in his tailored suit, the constant stream of banter keeping the less active moments racing and those action set-ups to die for. But this is far more than just some jokes and some explosions, the whole setup is a masterpiece of cunning simplicity, one man against them all, trapped with nowhere to run and nothing to do but fight for his life, using the high-tech tower as the ideal arena for Willis' particular flavour of wiseguy superhero, with every move carefully prepared for and in keeping with the overall picture. The characters are believable and even charming, the dialogue constantly snappy, the music perfect, and the attention to detail fantastic - every character is allowed a bit of interest to make them all memorable (perhaps they were thinking sequel even then?), there's so much little stuff going on, so many minor details of plot that all just keep on ticking along until their turn in the sun arrives, the logic always totally on the money with none of the gaping holes in reason that typify yer average cheapo actioner. A genuinely intelligent action blockbuster that really made an effort and pulled out all the stops to create a really top quality experience, deserving of all its success and two (almost as good) sequels. Movie magic.