An action lover's film

Rating: 9/10 (21 September 2018)

The 1980s' classic, Die Hard, is an action-lover's film. It's a film full of intense stand-off scenes, explosions, and suspense like every big-budget action movie should. It follows the smartass and heroic cop, John McClane, who has no problem refusing orders, so he can do what's right and save his wife.
The film opens on Christmas Eve, where the New York City cop, John McClane has flown to L.A. to visit his estranged wife and hopefully patch up his failing marriage at her office Christmas party in the Nakatomi tower. The plot takes a turn when a group of international terrorists, led the sinister antagonist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), take control is the tower to steal $640 million dollars' worth of bearer bonds from the company's vaults.
Meanwhile, John McClane is taking out the terrorists one by one in an effort to save his wife and the hostages in the tower.
Director John McTiernan uses screen time very effectively by cutting away from big moments and watching a character's reaction leaving it to the audience to wonder what is going on, a tactic popularized by Alfred Hitchcock to create suspense. As Gruber and his gang of terrorists make their way into the building, guns in hands and arrive on the party floor, we do not see the moment they take control. Instead, we see McClane, barefoot and wearing an undershirt, with his reaction to the gunfire as he runs to the stairs looking for a safe floor. We then cut back to the party where Gruber has already taken control of Nakatomi tower.
McTiernan also uses many low-angle views of John McClane to show how he is a powerful character and close up shots so we as the audience is able to feel his emotions throughout the film. The use of wide shots in Die Hard allows us as the audience to feel like we are there with John McClane on his journey to save his wife by seeing the dark environment he is in and what his surroundings are. There are very few scenes where with a lot of light. Since the movie takes place at night, it provides a darker ambiance that isn't often associated with "Christmas" movies but fits well with action movies.
The suspense in this film is also fueled by classical music in scenes where something big is about to happen. Besides using a classical score throughout the film, there is a string quartet playing when the terrorists first arrive on the floor and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" is being played when the terrorists finally manage to open the vault.
While the plot of this film is composed mainly of McClane neutralizing the terrorists and saving the people of the tower, there is a smaller and more important story going on: a man who just wants to be with his wife and kids on Christmas and is willing to kill to get his family back together. This subplot provides John McClane with the persuasion and drive to stop at nothing to fight off the terrorists.
While parts of the story do not seem believable like McClane falling down an elevator shaft and grabbing onto a small ledge to save himself, the story is believable enough to keep the audience engaged and wondering what will happen next to McClane and Gruber and the rest of the people in the building. Also, with the extensive use of melodrama and action in this movie, there isn't a dull moment between the cynical Hans Gruber and the heroic John McClane who treks around Nakatomi tower barefoot, even on broken glass.