That was fun

Rating: 7/10 (25 April 2011)

I know, I know, it's crazy, but I just saw Die Hard for the first time yesterday...in the year 2011. I heard how awesome and action-packed it was, so I came in expecting a two-hour thrill ride. And that's exactly what I got. John McClane was a combination of McGyver and Rambo wrapped up in a muscular chain-smoking package. As for the plot, it was pretty good. It wasn't anything too heavy, or too simplistic. A group of bad guys infiltrate a high rise building where an exclusive party is being held, take hostage those inside, blow the brains out of the company's leader, make threats and basically buy time as the group's tech wizard breaks into the highly-secured and technologically advanced giant safe containing millions of dollars in bonds. Meanwhile, McLane -- a New York cop in LA visiting his wife -- sneaks around the building picking off one bad guy after another, eventually gaining communication with an unwitting cop on patrol named Al Powell. This connection to the outside world brings in the LAPD and eventually the FBI.
The only thing that annoyed me about this film was how the cops were portrayed. They were either too hard-headed (Chief Johnson played by Paul Gleason), too smart for patrol (Powell), or just plain old dumb (the dispatchers).