Great movie, possibly best ever action film

Rating: 6/10 (9 September 2007)

A fantastic film, John McTiernan's "Die Hard" is one of the best action productions of recent times. Bruce Willis is cool and effective as the 'human' hero as he sweats his way through each brilliantly choreographed action sequence, delivering his one-liners with perfect timing. He gets great support from Reginald Veljohnson, Bonnie Bedelia, Alexander Godunov and a very impressive Alan Rickman as terrorist leader Hans. Michael Kamen's clever music makes good use of "Ode to Joy" as it sways from one mood to another. Our director keeps the film rolling at a good pace, balancing the drama and tension well and never allowing the suspense to let up.
There are a few slight draw backs. The annoying characters of news reporter Dick Thornberg and Deputy Chief of Police Dwayne T. Robinson get on your nerves, as does the overkill type finale featuring vengeful terrorist Karl (Godunov). None of this takes anything away from a great film in which we constantly find ourselves on the edge of our seat waiting to see what will next befall our hero, John McLane.
A must see film for every action or suspense fan. Take it from me, I saw it 8 times at the movies.
Monday, May 11, 1992 - Video
Despite the several times I have seen this picture, which has resulted in my enjoyment diminishing somewhat, it still remains one of the most entertaining action films of all time.
The annoyances which I have mentioned before do get more aggravating each time, but otherwise the action sequences and Willis' and Rickman's performances are great. The highlight for me this time was Michael Kamen's clever, quirky, Christmassy music. Great stuff.
Friday, September 11, 1992 - Video