Action with a soul

Rating: 10/10 (15 September 2009)

I think we've all become conditioned by video games and MTV style editing to the point that style over substance - or story - has become the requisite method of storytelling when it comes to an "action" film. In the case of Die Hard, we're talking a complete opposite impetus. It's plainly obvious that this film created the mold and should have set a standard for anyone who aspires to write, direct or produce a film in that genre that wants more than just to thrill those with explosive stunts.
Though there's a fair amount of guns and villainous treachery to be had, enough to satisfy any hardcore fan of action films, it's the heart of Bruce Willis' Officer John McClane and his everyday man determination to right a wrong that rises Die Hard out of the been there done that approach of storytelling.
His portrayal gives a needed balance to the yang of Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber character. Making both Willis and Rickman's roles and their motivations all the more memorable and takes it completely out of cliché terrain.
Take heed, Die Hard is the pinnacle of this genre category. Plain and simple, it's a classic.