Quite possibly the definitive action flick

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2009)

"Die Hard" stars Bruce Willis as a New York cop who may be the only hope for a group of hostages held captive by terrorists in an L.A. high-rise. Unfortunately, his attempts to foil the terrorist plot are met with little assistance from the police at ground level. To paraphrase one of the film's taglines, the odds are against John McClane and that's just the way he likes it.
The cast is actually pretty solid for a shallow action flick. Bruce Willis is an ideal action hero; he exudes a mix of brains, brawn & attitude. Alan Rickman, as head terrorist Hans Gruber, delivers a memorably villainous performance. The supporting cast isn't bad either, sporting the likes of Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason & William Atherton.
John McTiernan's direction is ably handled and the action set-pieces deliver the goods. In fact, I was surprised at how well the special effects have held up. The Michael Kamen score is a pretty good one which features variations on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. There are a couple of nifty soundtrack choices as well.
In the end, this is perhaps the definitive modern action film. There may be a few cheesy moments but they detract little from the overall experience. I heartily recommend the film, especially to action junkies.