Over this pandemic, one of the fun things I’ve been doing is watching some older movies with my dad. And we are going through the Die Hard franchise. This is the review for the original.
The Good:
As an action movie, the most important thing this movie has to do is have great action inside of it...and it does. It is shot in a way where you can see what is going on and it is visceral and you sometimes feel like you are a part of the action, in the way it is shot. The action is also very bloody and filled with gore, they do not hold back their punches, and they go for it with the R-rated action. And I think the stunts are a big part of the action because it is not CGI work.
This is also the film that made Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman into A-list actors. Willis is so believable as New York cop John McClane. Willis gets swept away in this adventure in LA, and cracks funny one liners. The most iconic being, “Yippee Ki Yay…” (you know the rest). And Rickman’s performance as Hans Gruber, the main villain of the movie, is believable as a terrorist taking over Nakatomi Plaza. He is a super unlikable character, but is also so likable because of the way he is portrayed.
The film has a nice sense of humor, which I wasn’t expecting. When Al Powell is getting the sweets at the gas station, and the store clerk thinks they are for Al, but Al is saying they are for his wife, and the clerk doesn’t believe him. Little moments like this make this movie entertaining.
Another thing this movie does so well is building tension once the action starts. McClane is trying to call the cops but the cops check it out, and notice there is nothing there, and McClane has to work even harder to make sure he gets out of there safe, and since he doesn’t have his shoes on, when he has the step on pieces of glass and you know that is going to hurt him, and affect him. All these little details matter for the story going forward.
The Bad:
The film takes a while to get going, but once it gets going, it just doesn’t stop going. The final runtime of the movie is 2:12 with the credits. I’m not sure it needed to be that long.
Die Hard is widely regarded as one of the greatest action movies of all time, maybe even THE greatest action movie of all time. After seeing this movie for the first time, I understand why. The action, the tension, the cast, and characters are all great, to make a great movie with one of the most iconic movie quotes of all time. The big question is. IS DIE HARD A CHRISTMAS MOVIE? (But the answer to that is for another time).
The Score: 9.5/10 (A)
Comments
I agree it is a great movie that could be set any time of the year and the plot would work. Love all the action!
Definitely put the actors on the map.
Great review Zack.