Die Hard

🔥 3rd Watch | Top 100 | Christmas Ranked "Die Hard is not a Christmas movie." Me: "BEEEP! Sorry person; wrong choice. Would you like to go for double jeopardy where the scores can really change?" Qualifications for a Christmas Movie: ⬜- A lot of red or green ⬜- People love each other ⬜- Afterwards, the same people hate each other ⬜- At the end, the same people love each other again ⬜- Themes of family and love ⬜- Kids ⬜- Santa ⬜- Presents ⬜- Bells ⬜- Christmas music ⬜- Christmas party ⬜- Christmas tree(s) ⬜- Lights Die Hard ✅- A lot of red or green There is blood; blood is red. ✅- People love each other John and Holly are married ✅- Afterwards, the same people hate each other They are separated and argue in the bathroom ✅- At the end the same people love each other Kiss and embrace at the end ✅- Themes of family and love John loves Holly and wants to save her from terrorists. He wishes he could say sorry. He loves her and their children. ✅- Kids John and Holly have kids. ✅- Santa "We'll have to see what Santa and mommy can do." Also, "Ho Ho Ho. Now I have a machine gun." ✅- Presents The terrorists ("who said we were terrorists") want the money from the vault. The vault is the present that they are eager to open up. ✅- Bells Bells jingle throughout the film. ✅- Christmas music "This is Christmas music" ✅- Christmas party Party at Nakatomi. ✅- Christmas tree(s) Trees at the party ✅- Lights "He's shooting at the lights" *It is confirmed. Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Okay, but how is Die Hard also one of the greatest action movies (if not the greatest) of all-time? Well, with great acting, screenwriting (characters, exposition, dialogue), set design, special effects, direction, music (and more), Die Hard succeeds on every level possible. Firstly, the acting was sublime. Alan Rickman gave us a terrific performance as Hans. Everything about it was immaculate. His voice delivery, facial expressions, and even his body movement felt like something that a mastermind like Hans will conduct. Rickman knew that he was the star of the show and he kept on rocking. Without Rickman's brilliant performance, many scenes could've been dry but Alan Rickman spiced it up to perfection. Bruce Willis also has an iconic performance as John McClane. While I think Rickman's performance was superior, Bruce's performance was close behind. When you combine the two together, you get an unforgettable chemistry. It's crazy that I was so invested in two characters talking over a walky-talky for 2 hours. To add on, the characters are so well written that it amplifies the acting. Without amazing lines, the delivery of those lines doesn't matter. Without the amazing writing, smaller characters like Ellis and Agent Johnson ("no, the other one"*) could shine. With excellent character-writing, acting, and dialogue, you get unforgettable characters which make the film iconic. The characters and the screenwriting were easily the highlights of the film, but the technical aspects were also brilliant. With the methods they had available to them, they had a lot of brilliant shots. Besides a few of the explosions, the visuals and practical effects all felt authentic. They are all immersive, and with them the climax would've been way more underwhelming. Instead, the climax was among the best I've seen. In addition, the soundtrack is soooo underrated. Die Hard literally made Ode to Joy a permanent Christmas song. In addition, the score playing during the climax is enthralling and completely mesmerizing. It hits hard. Get it? Die hard. Hits hard... whatever. Just watch Die Hard already. It's a Christmas movie and it's past Thanksgiving.