One heck of a ride

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2005)

Die Hard is one heck of a movie. When I first saw it 14 years ago, some time after it had hit video and HBO, my eyes had been opened to a new type of film.
I had seen so called action movies before, but nothing held my attention as Die Hard did. The violence was shocking and at the same time, exhilarating. Only years later would I see the effect the movie had on John Woo and his references to Die Hard in both The Killer and Hard Boiled. The villains were clearly bad, but there was a good deal of charisma they carried along with some welcome humor. The bad guys in many 1980s action flicks all tended to be some evil grinning villain happy to scream, shoot and rape their way to nirvana. In Die Hard, Hans and his GQ group of terrorist/thieves shoot when necessary and have enough human quality to make them believable and entertaining. I had only known Bruce Willis from watching his great turn as David Addison in the TV show Moonlighting. He was witty, smart, and funny. I didn't know Willis could expand until I saw Die Hard. Yes he carries a quiet presence in The Sixth Sense, but I still think he does his most entertaining work in the original Die Hard. He is strong, but funny. Angry but not ranting as the cop from New York. It is a performance full of confidence and fun.
The construction of the film is fantastic. Michael Kamen's music score is memorable, Jan de Bont's great lighting give the film a signature look to complement director John McTiernan's skilled use of the camera. The sets are all well made and play their part, as the Nakatomi building is indeed a character along with the other supporting players.
The sequel "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" was not much but blood and bombs. The bad guys were all mean, ugly, grinning paper cut-outs. There were some memorable pieces to Die Hard with a Vengeance, but they all lack the qualities that made the original so good. You can't just throw in a bunch of bullets and call it a Die Hard movie, that much is sure.
The action scenes are fantastic and much emulated. The gun play is messy, loud, and exciting. Again, the level of violence was unlike anything I had seen in 1991, (Yes it came out in 1987, but I was only 7 years old). The sight of a terrorist's legs bursting into chunks becomes a common one as John mows down his opposition. I love the scene where Willis drops the chair rigged with C4. "They're using artillery on us!" "No you idiot its not the police....Its him." Fantastic. The jump from the roof with the fire hose is another classic moment filmed perfectly in slow motion.
As I watch Die Hard today in 2005, one can see continuity errors abound. Plot points don't quite add up, and one begins to wonder how this movie could ever be remade, now that every guest on the 30th floor would have a cell phone to call the cops.
I love watching Die Hard. It is a movie made with a skill from a group of incredibly skilled people. Now days as its been "Die Hard on a this or Die Hard on a that" this level of originality is hard to come by in action movies. Why watch any knock off when the original is just as entertaining as it was in 1987.
**** 10/10