A trenchant action film classic

Rating: Null/10 (26 August 2013)

John McTiernan's second mainstream film manages to amazingly top an outstanding previous effort, Predator. This even better film will resonate will audiences even more than Predator. While Predator was a superbly crafted and fairly straightforward sci-fi action thriller, this film takes the archetypal imperfect everyman loner, saddled with personal issues(in the form as an estranged relationship with is corporate high flying wife) and through a twist of fate has him battling, against the odds an international team of highly motivated and competent) bank robbers while trying to protect his wife, who is amongst the hostages these robbers have taken.
It differed from both Predator and other action-thriller films of the period in that the hero was more human in physique, rather than the physical super-men such as Stallone, Norris and Schwarzenegger. He survives through determination and his wits rather than on brute strength, and Bruce Willis was a refreshingly original casting choice.
The plot is cleverly structured and sets up all the characters seamlessly. There are good performances from most of the key players. The robbers are all interesting, but clearly most time is spent with Clarence Gilyard Jr. and the late Alexander Gudunov, who are both charismatic, albeit it is their boss, the relatively unknown at the time British actor Alan Rickman, who steals the show and is terrific in this film, and makes for a worthy rival and antagonist for Bruce Willis's John McClane. Bonnie Bedelia and Reginald Veljohnson are also good value, as is James Shigeta as Mr Takagi. However a couple of the characters do stray into caricatures, notably De'Voreaux White and Hart Bochner as Argyle and Ellis respectively. Fortunately the other performances and the film itself as so fast paced and involving you can overlook these slightly over the top performances, and they do not detract from the enjoyment of the picture.
The good performances are woven into an expertly crafted film. Technical credits are outstanding. Jan De Bont's photography is stylish, and makes fantastic use of the Fox Plaza Tower to double for the Nakatomi building. He also makes clever use, but not over use of lens flares to create an excellent mood and atmosphere. Frank J Urioste's stunning editing, Michael Kamen's great music and Richard Edlund's brilliant but incredibly subtle visual effects all work together with truly fantastic action sequences and stuntwork, and director John McTiernan deserves huge credit. He draws out entertaining performances from most of the cast, but mixes this brilliantly clever setting up of the characters, and then orchestrating some truly outstanding action sequences with a pervading atmosphere of growing tension and suspense. It has stood the test of time brilliantly, it still by some way the best of the series, and overall comes off as a truly outstanding and emotionally satisfying thriller.
Overall a terrific achievement that has not been bettered.