No. 47 - Die Hard (1988)

40 STORIES OF SHEER ADVENTURE!

Rated: R for language, violence

Director: John McTiernan; Screenwriters: Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza

Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Gudunov, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, De'voreaux White, Paul Gleason, William Atherton, Clarence Gilyard, Robert Davi, Grand L. Bush

Movie Introduction: New York City policeman John McClane (Willis) has flown across the country to visit his estranged wife (Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. Straight from L.A. Airport, he stops in at his wife’s company holiday party at the Japanese-owned Nakatomi building. The festivities are interrupted when a group of terrorists, led by the sophisticated Hans Gruber (Rickman), take over the exclusive high-rise, thus imprisoning everyone inside. McClane hears gunfire, and slips out a side door leading up several stories. He is unable to call for help. Quickly he realizes that he may be the only chance the hostages have.   

Defining Moment: don’t mess with a NYC cop

The very capable McClane is able to kill a couple of bad guys, and secure a weapon, their short-circuit radio, and some C-4 explosives. Due to their limited time constraints and number, the terrorists elect to continue as planned without immediately killing the pesky New York cop, who thus far has eluded them. The police finally arrive at the building and decide try a frontal assault with a SWAT team and armored vehicle. It’s a trap and the team is slaughtered. McClane pleads on the radio for Hans to call off the attack. Hans refuses then orders a bazooka to take out the armored truck, killing all inside. McClane has had enough. He frantically grabs a few bars of the explosives, straps them onto a rolling chair and sends them down the elevator shaft. KABOOM! The entire 2nd floor is blown out, glass and debris flying everywhere... because that’s how they do it in the Big Apple!

Something subtle you might have missed:  it takes a villain

There are two essential ingredients in most successful action movies. The "hero" is obvious, and therefore easier to get right. Of equal importance is the villain, aka the antagonist. An evil nemesis that does not work can kill a film (Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman for example). Think about it. Does The Wizard of Oz work without the ageless performance by Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch? Who is Luke without Darth Vader? Die Hard introduced us to the incredibly talented Alan Rickman. What he does so well is give us a villain with multiple dimensions. He's dastardly, yet surprisingly charming. You understand his motivation, even sympathize with him. That is a lot of fun for the audience. Rickman went on to portray the deplorable Elliott Marston in Quigley Down Under, and the nasty Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. His most villainous roll was that of the slimy Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films. For most of the Potter series he was the personification of condescending evil. What a pleasant surprise awaited us as his true motivation was finally revealed.

And frankly, the failure of Die Hard 2 (1990) was the lack of a convincing villain. The good news: this was corrected in superb Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995).

Memorable Quotes:

"Just a fly in the ointment, Hans. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the ass." – John McClane

"I am an exceptional thief, Mrs. McClane. And since I'm moving up to kidnapping, you should be more polite!" - Hans Gruber

Dad's Review:

I was not a Bruce Willis fan before this movie. He was a cocky TV actor best known for his stint on Moonlighting, a TV detective series that many believed started the phrase "dramedy". I never got into that show - just a bit too cutesy. Die Hard completely changed my opinion of Bruce.

This action-packed movie blew away the box office and catapulted Willis to the status of major star immediately. He'd do four sequels and go on to star a a ton of commercial film hits including: Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, and Unbreakable.   

Die Hard is the action film by which all action films are compared. It upped the ante for the genre due to its over-the-top stunts and high-quality production. It helped that it features a vulnerable, out-matched hero (who we cheer for), a devious villain (we love him, too), and a wonderful cast of well-developed supporting characters, right down to the lowliest candy-bar-eating henchman.

It is perfectly paced. Oh, and it is a Christmas movie (well, sorta).

At the center of this film is John McClane and his estranged wife, Holly. They are separated. She has moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career. John still lives in New York City because he loves being a NYC cop. There's still love between them, but there's stubbornness, too.

Enter the terrorists. They seize the Nakatomi building and everyone inside. They are intelligent, well-financed, and man, do they have a plan! As the main group focuses on the hostages, including Holly, a second smaller team works on cracking the company's gigantic safe to plunder all inside. These determined men, and their sophisticated leader Hans, will not be deterred.

However, the one thing they did not plan for was John McClane. Once he makes his presence known, the film kicks into triple octane mode. The terrorists become obsessed with capturing him, but he's just crafty enough to elude them, much to the displeasure of second-in-command Karl (Godunov) whose brother was McClane's first victim. Some of the best film moments are the short wave radio conversations between the leader Hans and John, each trying to learn more information about the other without tipping their hands.

All the action aside, I must really applaud all the little touches, the side stories that make us giggle or warm our heart. I'm referring to Argyle, the sassy limo driver, who ends up trapped in the basement garage. I'm talking about Al Powell, the sweet beat cop who likes Little Debbies too much, and becomes McClane's radio confidant to interface with the police outside.  How about Theo? He's Hans' snarky tech specialist whose job is to break into the massive safe - he has some of the films funniest lines!

After a buffet table of explosions, near misses, and tearful reunions, you will be exhausted. It is a "Wow Moments" film, and I know you will enjoy it.

Onto No. 48... Nelson Wobble and the Cacao Foundry