Die Hard-1988
Director John McTiernan
Starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Scott’s Review #1,458
Reviewed December 28, 2024
Grade: B+
Die Hard (1988) is one of the best action films of the late 1980s and 1990s. Because of its success and mainstream appeal, it spawned dozens of copycat films patterned after it.
It features hunky Hollywood star Bruce Willis in his breakout role, propelling him to a box-office stronghold that lasted for many years. He would later appear in more cerebral offerings like Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Sixth Sense (1999), but Die Hard put him on the map.
Is it a Christmas film, or is it not? It can be debated.
Depending on one’s socioeconomic leanings, Die Hard can be seen as a film that puts the working-class Joe in the driver’s seat and makes yuppies or corporate types look like incompetent fools.
The film, watched decades after its making, is guilty of stereotypes and clichés. It is riddled with nearly every action film standard one-liner intended to evoke laughter, which now seems silly and contrived.
Hokey? Yes, but it’s also fun and a chance to watch the muscular and sweaty Willis run barechested for most of the running time.
Like Friday the 13th (1980), the film produced several sequels, all subpar to the original.
New York City policeman John McClane (Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a posh holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for.
The festivities are quickly interrupted by a group of terrorists led by the crazed but calm Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who take over the exclusive high-rise and everyone in it.
McClane realizes that he must save the day.
John McTiernan, who directs, knows his way around the action genre, and Die Hard is easily his best. Other notable works include Predator (1987) and The Hunt for Red October (1990), so he also knows how to create an action star.
The season, the setting, and the villain are other high points of Die Hard.
The perfect setup is a glossy high-rise in downtown Los Angeles at a glitzy corporate party on Christmas Eve. Drizzling with possibilities, McTiernan adds the German terrorists for good measure and a slice of necessary Americana, a fixture of the 1980s ‘USA good, Europe bad’ mentality.
Naturally, McClane is a good old-fashioned American boy. While he initially wants his successful wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), to be a traditional homemaker, he realizes she’s good at being a corporate officer.
But, the traditional and conservative mindset still shines through.
In a stroke of genius and authenticity, the real Fox Plaza in Century City was used for the skyscraper rather than an ineffectual mock set. This adds a lot to the enjoyment, and glimpses of The Towering Inferno (1974) crossed my mind.
In standard fashion, the feds, detectives, television reporters, and police officers are primarily incompetent, except for McClane. This adds to the earlier notion that the working-class guy is the movie’s hero.
Actor Paul Gleason, well-known for a similar curmudgeonly role in 1985’s The Breakfast Club, bears much of the brunt. As he callously shouts at police officer Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), he also frets at the mayor’s reaction to the handling of the situation with repeated ‘the mayor will have my ass’ remarks.
Interestingly, Powell, who bonds over the radio with McClane, is the only character to receive a competence award. The relationship between the two male cops is warm, respectful, and a high point.
The other well-written character is the main villain, Hans. Played deliciously by Rickman, he’s a baddie for the ages, cold and calm, and his deadly tumble from the top of the enormous building is satisfying to patient fans.
Die Hard (1988) centers around the good hero cop besting the bad guys from Germany in a definitive pro-American theme popular for the times.
While the terrible 1980s hairstyles, clothes, and cheesy dialogue do not hold up well, the action is, and the film can surprisingly be watched repeatedly.
Oscar Nominations: Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound