Today’s quick review: Die Hard. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is a New York cop with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. His trip to visit his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) in Los Angeles for an office Christmas party is interrupted when terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) take over the building. The police respond, but they are powerless against the threat of dead hostages. Only McClane can stop the terrorists. His only ally is a patrolman who has never fired his gun (Reginald VelJohnson), the only cop to believe that McClane should fight back rather than play it safe.
Die Hard is a classic action movie with a number of memorable moments. Bruce Willis stars as John McClane, an everyman cop who mixes human fallibility with action hero competence. For all his justified grousing about the situations he finds himself in, McClane is ultimately brave and self-sacrificing, making him a likable and sympathetic hero. Alan Rickman delivers a strong performance as Hans Gruber, a charismatic terrorist who is smarter than he seems. The wits of both hero and villain are a natural source of surprises, keeping the plot fresh even well into the hostage standoff.
While McClane does go in guns blazing on occasion, much of his role in Die Hard revolves around stealth. He is alone against a highly-trained team of terrorists, with only the weapons he can steal. Every move he makes must be thought out, and mistakes can be disastrous. Not all of his opposition comes from within. The police on the outside want him to hunker down and leave the rescuing to them, while the press is making itself a nuisance. These annoying “allies” reinforce John’s status as a decent man who takes action alone when others are too afraid to. These qualities make him one of the better action heroes around.
Watch Die Hard if you are a fan of action movies. While there is nothing profound about the movie, it is executed very well and is considered one of the classics. Those who dislike the genre may not get much out of it, but Die Hard is a good choice for anyone with even a passing interesting action movies the way they should be done.
8.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.0 for solid execution, a great protagonist, and memorable moments.