dated

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 1999)

Yes, this film might have raised the bar for action movies at the time, but it's become quite dated, & may I add, looks cheesy today.
If you like your action films loud, obvious, & all american, this is for you. I think it's far from a classic (a word that is used too easily)& doesn't have the staying power of say the Wild Bunch, the Taking of Pelham 1,2,3, or the French Connection. These films, while being action films, had a sophisticated & mature feel, while at the same time weaving social commentary into their stories.
Die Hard clearly plays to an audience (most in evidence with the cheesy one liners)The movie always seems to sense that there is an audience watching.
Yes, it may have raised the bar for action movies, but it's also responsible for a slew of even more excessive, shallow & cheesy action movies that came after it. After a while it became a question of outdoing the last big action film, so that meant bigger explosions, louder, more violent. It's a shame, because at one point in time action movies were about more than just their action scenes.
Die Hard is good popcorn entertainment, something that impresses you while you're watching it, but leaves you quickly after.