Die Hard

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about Die Hard? It’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest action film ever made, a high point in blockbuster moviemaking from the 80s.  As much as I try to study obscure, depressing art films, I will always have a soft spot for a fun, escapist action-adventure like this.  And what better time than the holiday season to enjoy it? And on the big screen, no less?  Seeing Die Hard in a massive Dolby Cinema was like seeing it for the first time, the bassy sound making the explosions and shootouts all the more thrilling.(my only gripe with the presentation was that the picture was a bit too dark at times? Could be the projector). I’ve seen it so many times and it just gets better with repeat viewings.  At this point, we’ve seen so many Die Hard on a __ movies, but we forget that it’s because that concept worked so well to begin with.  Setting the film during Christmas Eve (and yes, this is a Christmas movie and I will take that notion to my grave) is ingenious as-is, bringing humor and a necessity for the inciting incident, the thieves invading the Nakatomi Plaza, to occur.  Those thieves, led by Alan Rickman in his feature debut as one of my all-time favorite villains Hans Gruber, are instantly memorable, menacing, and even somewhat sympathetic.  By making them robbers instead of terrorists (which they aren’t necessarily, contrary to popular belief; “who said we were terrorists?”) helps remove any hamfisted political messages that would be in any other macho action movie.  Gruber himself has such a charm and watchability that makes you like him even as he carries out the attacks.  Just as memorable is John McClaine, a more average family man and action-cop, refreshing given the invincible, muscular superheroes played by Schwarzenegger and Stallone at that point.  We’ve finally got an action lead that we can not only root for, but relate to and ultimately care about, with a sense of humor beyond the easy one-liners, and I can’t imagine anyone other than Bruce Willis playing him.(Richard Gere was even considered for the part. I wish I were making that up).  Each action set piece gets more riveting than the last, with few breaks in between; something that would be tiresome and numbing without a good script, but this excels at.  I’ve seen numerous criticisms of the non-action sections, revolving around Paul Gleason’s stuck-up deputy and the less-skilled LAPD (Roger Ebert was pretty vocal about this in his surprisingly mixed review) but if anything that goes to show how John McClaine doesn’t need a massive military arsenal, or even shows for that matter to go after the thieves, and that could even do more harm than good.  A comparison could be made to Will Kane in High Noon, taking on Frank Miller on his own; hell, the film straight-up references High Noon as McClaine toys with Gruber. The filmmaking here is some of the best in an American action film. John McTiernan is one of the more underrated filmmakers of his generation, not getting enough credit for his contributions to big-budget filmmaking.  The editing is quick and intense, but only when it needs to be, and not to the point of becoming disorienting.  He relies on closeups to add tension and create even more claustrophobia as McClaine traverses the vents of the Plaza.  It’s no surprise that this got Oscar nominations for its sound, editing and visual effects, as it is one of the most well-crafted action films of the late 20th century.  There are even some unconventional techniques for the time, including Dutch angles as Gruber and McClaine have a standoff.  Michael Kamen’s score is also fantastic, mixing festive bells and even an “Ode To Joy” interpolation with a heart-pounding orchestra, abandoning the typical synths to create one of the more memorable soundtracks of the 80s. If there are any films besides Lucas and Spielberg’s works that should be a blueprint on how to make a blockbuster, it’s Die Hard.  Just because it’s not high art doesn’t mean there’s no art to an adrenaline-rush thrill ride movie like this. The best escapist films deliver on the spectacle they promise, and this is no different, making it an all-time favorite of mine and a Christmas tradition.  Again, it’s a Christmas movie. Sorry, Bruce Willis.