Die-Hard-a-Thon, Part 1 - Die Hard (1988)

Director:  John McTiernan

Cast:  Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Gordunov, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 132 minutes

There's nothing more fun to me than watching an entire action franchise from beginning to end and celebrating, reviewing, and picking apart the series as a whole. Well, gear up ladies and gentlemen because it's time to embark on a new action marathon. We are about to embark on a Die-Hard-a-Thon!

For those who are curious, I had not seen every single Die Hard film before embarking on this fun excursion. I had seen Die Hard twice (now three times) and Live Free or Die Hard (2007) once in the theaters back in 2007 with my dad. I have never seen Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990), Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995), or even the newest installment, A Good Day to Die Hard (2013). Therefore, this is going to be quite a fun journey into the series that defines Bruce Willis' action stardom. I've got all five of the Blu Rays sitting on my shelf and I'm ready to dive into them all. Yippie-ki-yae!

"How many sequels are we talking?"

Die Hard (1988) is widely considered to be one of the greatest if not the greatest American action film of all time. While cynical people may be quick to dismiss such a claim, there is honestly not a thing wrong with this film. Die Hard is an adrenaline packed thrill ride from beginning to end and it never once stops being great. It was a huge landmark action film that changed the game back in 1988 and has been rip offed over and over again since its initial release (Under Siege, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Sudden Death, Olympus Has Fallen, Command Performance, High Rise, etc). If a film showcases a single hero fight off terrorists/villains in a limited location, than you are probably watching a Die Hard rip-off.

Our hero in the film is John McClane (Bruce Willis). McClane, a New York cop, is visiting his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) at her office party in Los Angeles in order to reconcile their relationship. McClane's timing could not be worse though because a small group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) take over the building as soon as he arrives. McClane quickly escapes the party with his trusty handgun but without shoes. It's up to McClane to get the outside world's attention and help as he takes out each terrorist one by one.

Al "Hey That Guy!" Leong

Director John McTiernan adapted Die Hard from a Roderick Thorp novel entitled Nothing Lasts Forever. The novel is notable for being very bleak and serious in contrast to the humor and fun found in its big screen adaptation. When McTiernan adapted the novel into Die Hard, he wanted to inject a lot of "joy" into the picture. In doing so, McTiernan crafted an exciting action picture with one of the most likable lead protagonists in bad ass cinema history. After doing some research on the film, I discovered that the lead role was initially offered to Frank Sinatra! Therefore, there were no initial plans to make a fun action film starring Bruce Willis. 

That's the important thing to point out about this film. Bruce Willis was not an action star at the time of this film's release. Willis was well known for his comedic roles in the television series Moonlighting and the Blake Edwards films Blind Date (1987) and Sunset (1988). Therefore, Die Hard made a charming and comedic actor into a lovable action star with comedic chops to boot. Audiences nowadays are used to Willis as an action star. He has starred in countless action pictures (Die Hard series, The Last Boy Scout, Last Man Standing, Looper, Sin City, 16 Blocks, etc) and ranks as one of the most notable and excellent action stars in bad ass cinema history. 

I really enjoyed looking at this film from the perspective that this was Bruce Willis' first true action film. He gives a fantastic performance as a wisecracking and lovable bad ass cop. John McClane is the ultimate underdog and the every man all rolled up into one. He experiences marital issues, has a problem with authority, and can't seem to catch a break. Therefore, we as the audience really pull for John as he fights his way through the building. The first twenty minutes of the film establish everything that we need to know about John and than hurls him into a hornet's nest. I can't praise the film enough for making John McClane one of the most human and relatable action heroes of all time.

"Mr. Potter."

Major props also have to go to the one and only Alan Rickman for delivering one of the best villainous performances of all time. Hans Gruber is an unforgettably evil bastard with a great plan and a calm attitude. Even when things are out of his control, Hans still manages to keep his cool. I love how the film plays off of the fact that Hans doesn't know who or what John is at first. The two communicate over radio throughout the film and with the police on the outside. Therefore, Die Hard conveys a lot of information between numerous characters who cannot ever see one another's faces. This plays wonderfully into a great scene that I shall not spoil where one character runs into another character and pretends to be someone that they are not. It's filmmaking at its finest.

The supporting cast is completely aces all across the board. Bonnie Bedelia is adorable and strong as McClane's wife. I love how John kisses her on the cheek when he first meets up with her at her office. The two than walk into another room and slowly but surely dive into an argument about their marital issues. It's an honest portrayal of a troublesome relationship. You like each other so much but know that the issues and the tension will break out eventually.

Reginald VelJohnson is great as Sergeant Al Powell, the police officer who communicates with John over radio throughout the course of the film. The two build a great and believable friendship that adds another level of greatness to the film. Powell even gets a very satisfying mini character arc that wraps up in the film's final moments. VelJohnson basically plays Officer Carl Winslow, the same character that he would go on to play in Family Matters. I used to always think that he was put in this film after being seen in Family Matters. It turns out that Die Hard actually came before the show. Go figure.

Ebony and Ivory.

I love all of the little characters in the film too. I love the limo driver Argyle. He is such a lovable and cool dude. Karl, one of the blonde German terrorists, is also memorable. He wants revenge on McClane for killing his brother early in the film. I love how he and McClane fight one another numerous times. I have always had the opinion that many great action films should feature their villainous "right hand man" more than the actual lead villain in order to draw the audience into the ongoing conflict between the "right hand man" and the protagonist (The Last Boy Scout, SPL, The Road Warrior, Hard Boiled, Commando, The Man From Nowhere, etc). However, Karl never out stages Hans. He never takes the center stage as the film's most memorable baddie, but he remains forever memorable. Memorable character actors William Atherton, Al Leong, Robert Davi, and Paul Gleason all pop up as minor antagonists within the film. Atherton is a real slime ball in this movie. You just love to hate the guy ("That's right sir. This man has no dick." - Bill Murray).

Much like the Die Hard rip-off Under Siege that I previously reviewed, Die Hard does not feature any lengthy shootouts or action sequences. The film is peppered with memorable moments of gun fire, violence, and explosions. While I normally prefer for a film to feature an all out action scene, every small action scene in Die Hard is completely memorable. My favorite scene of action in the film is when John fights some henchmen inside of what looks like a computer lab. He lays on his stomach and fires his MP5 into a terrorist's legs and sends the guy flying through the air face first into a glass window! Awesome. I also love the part when John yells at a terrorist to freeze and than another terrorist runs up behind the guy and John blasts the guy right in the chest. So badass.

Die Hard is an excellent film because it isn't focused entirely on the action. Instead, the film is focused on delivering an exciting and suspenseful thrill ride peppered with believable human characters. I believe this is why the film is enjoyed by so many non-action fans and critics world wide. It puts all of the focus on the characters and crafts an incredible thrill ride by doing so. I could recommend this movie to my mom and my grandma and I am sure that they would enjoy it even though they would not be caught dead watching and enjoying something like Rambo III or Death Wish 4: The Crackdown.

"Thanks for the advice!"

It's impossible to not mention the champion dialog peppered throughout the film. I think it is safe to say that Die Hard features some of the best one liners in action history. Read some of these babies: "Welcome to the party, pal," "No f***** s*** lady, what do you think I am ordering a pizza," and the unforgettable classic, "Yippie-ki-yae-mother-f*****!" For a film that mentions both Rambo and Arnold Schwarzenegger within its universe, these are some great zingers.

The last thing that I want to mention is the importance of director John McTiernan. As I stated before, McTiernan really wanted to make the film joyful and fun to watch. McTiernan seems to be a forgotten action icon to me. His filmography contains some of the best action films ever made (Predator, Die Hard, The Last Action Hero, Die Hard With a Vengeance, The Hunt for Red October, and The 13th Warrior). McTiernan recently got out of prison and is making an attempt at getting back into movies. He is currently developing a SWAT team film that may or may not star Nicholas Cage. I hope for action fans' sakes that McTiernan returns to the genre soon so that he can make more excellent action flicks for us to enjoy.

More of a Roy Rogers kind of guy than a cowboy.

I did not grow up on Die Hard or its respective sequels. Therefore, I have no childhood nostalgia or bias attached to the film. As a twenty two year old watching the film twenty six years after its release, I cannot find a single thing wrong with the film. There is not a thing wrong with this dang movie! Everything fits perfectly into place. I've written quite enough about this movie and I think it's safe to say that Die Hard will move into the top ten of my top one hundred action films of all time next year. Tune in next time for the Renny Harlin directed and airplane centric...Die Hard 2...Die Harder?

Rating: 10/10 - Die Hard is the formula for the perfect American action film. It's character driven, realistic, and exciting. Highly recommended to all action fans!

Franchise:

Die Hard (dir. John McTiernan, 1988)

Die Hard 2: Die Harder (dir. Renny Harlin, 1990)

Die Hard With a Vengeance (dir. John McTiernan, 1995)

Live Free or Die Hard (dir. Len Wiseman, 2007)

A Good Day to Die Hard (dir. John Moore, 2013)