Welcome to best action movie of all time, pal!

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2019)

"Die Hard" is a 1988 action film directed by John McTiernan starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman. As the popular meme states, there are people who think this action classic is a Christmas movie and people who are wrong. Since its original release (as it was told me) this film has been the only choice for the perfect Christmas Eve in my family. A few years have passed since I joined this tradition and immediately fell in love with it - and even now it's the highlight of the day to me. It doesn't only enjoy cult status because people watch it during the most wonderful time of the year and feel great thanks to it, it's a cinematic masterpiece that's near perfect. With the beginning shots, the atmosphere begins to set in immediately. The best of it all are the plot and the screenplay: Not only are there iconic protagonists, each and every supporting character has a well designed personality and plays a major part in the story. Additionally, it's perfectly paced and keeps a packing tension every single second, mostly due to the extreme ingenuity of the writers. It might take place in a limited area, but still delivers a powerful and far-reaching experience. From bombastic and realistic explosions to intelligent shootouts, the film develops a scenario that never becomes boring. It offers enough variety and lives from its love for detail, thus enabling the viewer to dive in the situation completly. John McClane, the sarcastic anti hero is getting along perfectly with the calculated and cold antagonist Hans Gruber (brilliantly played by the late legend Alan Rickman). It's always a great joy to see how they fight each other verbally and in the end face to face. Thanks to outstanding editing and a ingenious sound score the buildup to the final showdown is always a treat for a perfectionst like me. In most instances it feels like a video game I'll never get the chance to play myself and that's always a sad realisation. All in all, this action film is the perfect film for Christmas Eve and ranks high up in the list of the best Christmas films of all time (only a certain Frank Capra film is better) and will always be a part of my tradition. It never gets bad or ages badly, even more than 30 years after it hit the big screen it's way better than most of the blockbusters of our modern cinema. Often copied but never reached, it will forever remain on the top spot of action films. To me, Christmas can only begin when I see Hans Gruber fall of the Nakatomi Plaza. Otherwise it's not Christmas.