Die Hard is one of those films that I never get bored of even though I’ve seen it over a thousand times. The great thing about Die Hard (aside from the long-running Christmas debate) is that you get two movies for the price of one. I think that’s why it’s still resonating with audiences 35 years later. While most movies focus on one genre, the best action movies find a way to blend different genres into a satisfying whole. Raiders of the Lost Ark begins as an adventure series but plunges into horror in the final act. “Alien” combines science fiction with a slasher film – with remarkable results. James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day mixes old-school terror with non-stop action.
Die Hard is one of those films that I never get bored of even though I’ve seen it over a thousand times. The great thing about Die Hard (aside from the long-running Christmas debate) is that you get two movies for the price of one. I think that’s why it’s still resonating with audiences 35 years later. While most movies focus on one genre, the best action movies find a way to blend different genres into a satisfying whole. Raiders of the Lost Ark begins as an adventure series but plunges into horror in the final act. “Alien” combines science fiction with a slasher film – with remarkable results. James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day mixes old-school terror with non-stop action.
When you think of classic action movies like Predator and RoboCop, you can think of them as two movies in one. “Predator” starts out as a typical action movie and then transitions into a horror ride. RoboCop, on the other hand, offers atypical shootouts with a sharp satirical twist. Unfortunately, most sequels fail to capture the creative essence that made the originals so great. For example, the RoboCop remake was just a boring action movie dressed up as The Dark Knight, and all of the Predator sequels, with the exception of Predator 2, relied on predictable gunfights and standoffs without the extra elements that made the original so memorable.
Likewise, the Die Hard franchise deviated significantly from its roots. Of the four sequels produced, only Die Hard With a Power found new ways to play with the formula. The others ranged from predictable but watchable schlock films (Die Hard 2: Die Hard) to lazy makeovers (Live Free or Die Hard) to action films that happened to feature a character named John McClane (A Good Day to Die Hard).
However, the original Die Hard is nearly flawless in its execution. Director John McTiernan skilfully builds up tension in the opening act before unleashing explosive chaos in the second part. Die Hard begins as a cat-and-mouse thriller pitting New York City police detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) against a group of unsuspecting terrorists led by the notorious Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) in a Los Angeles skyscraper on Christmas Eve. Gruber’s gang are initially unaware of John’s presence, allowing him to move around the building unnoticed in hopes of rescuing his wife and a group of hostages. This part plays out like a game of chess. John steps, Hans counters, John calls the police and Hans counters again. John then throws a body out the window to alert LAPD Sergeant Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) to the looming crisis. Eventually, the LAPD arrives, escalating the chaos and forcing John and Hans to up their pace.
At this point, McTiernan flips a switch and kicks the movie into overdrive. The second half of Die Hard is filled with intense gunfights, brutal fistfights and impressive explosions. In one memorable moment, an FBI-controlled helicopter crashes into a fireball and flips over the side of the building, allowing John to do one of those slow-motion jumps at the last second while flames frame his silhouette.
McTiernan never allows his characters to make stupid decisions. When a shootout ensues between Hans, John and the formidable Karl (Alexander Godunov) in an office full of windows, Hans orders his men to “shoot the glass”, knowing full well that John is barefoot. Later, after realizing Hans’ plan to blow up the roof during the hostage evacuation and allowing his team to escape amidst the chaos, John fires his gun in the air to drive the civilians back down. This action forces Hans to change his strategy unexpectedly, forcing John to take drastic measures to survive. It’s a pleasure to watch these characters engage in a mental battle, only appearing on screen for about ten minutes in the 132-minute film. Each move has a countermove that leads to another countermove that drives the plot forward, slowly increasing the intensity until it explodes in the final minutes.
In addition, every action seems improvised or spontaneously invented. Action scenes don’t come out of nowhere. Instead, they happen because of a calculated decision. When the LAPD sends “the car,” Hans’ men blast the vehicle to pieces with rockets, and John responds by throwing C4 down an elevator shaft, effectively neutralizing the threat, along with three or four stories. Hans’ shocked reaction says it all – nobody knows what to expect from anyone in Die Hard.
Funnily enough, the impressive stunt work gets lost in the chaos because you forget you’re watching a show. Nothing feels staged. At one point, in the midst of a gunfight, a villain spots a candy bar in a glass case, looks around, and steals it – a uniquely funny moment that was likely improvised on the fly. Later, John engages in a furious fistfight with one of Hans’ henchmen, and the two men throw each other around like rag dolls until someone dies. There’s another great scene where a villain surprises John, who draws his gun and tries in vain to de-escalate the situation. Here, too, every decision and every character trait feels spontaneous. When Hans meets John, the villain puts on a fake American accent and acts like a hostage. John wisely asks for his name, based on a list of employee names. Hans replies that his name is Bill Clay and fakes a backstory. Back and forth, tit for tat, until one makes a mistake and the other gets the upper hand.
I could go on forever, but these moments set Die Hard apart from other action films. It’s rare to see action heroes/villains with the same amount of brains and brawn.
As a minor gripe, I agree with Roger Ebert’s assessment that the film unnecessarily portrays Paul Gleason’s austere LAPD Deputy Chief as incredibly dull. His stupidity contrasts with John’s intelligence, but it’s an unnecessary step to shore up our hero. We know John rocks because we’ve had him kicking ass for over an hour. Also, a few too many endings tie everything together too neatly.
After John kills Hans and saves the day, Die Hard stumbles through the last few minutes where it probably should have just disappeared. Instead, Al enjoys his moment in the sun, followed by Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and Argyle (De’voreaux White) before everyone hops in a limousine and heads off to Let It Snow. Wouldn’t the LAPD have any questions? Wouldn’t they want John to stay here and prove he’s not one of the bad guys? Shouldn’t Al be arrested for shooting a man in a very public arena? Movies like Raiders and the Predator wisely skip these questions and cut credits, and they’re better suited to it.
Those are minor flaws in an otherwise flawless and exceptional film, though. Modern action films would benefit from studying the mechanics employed in McTiernan’s classic. Many have copied the idea of One Man Against an Army, but often miss what makes Die Hard so fun. This isn’t just your typical action blockbuster; It’s an intelligently produced thriller that unfolds naturally into an action-adventure as two top stars pit their skills against one another. To be successful, a movie needs more than just the non-stop action of Die Hard. It must also capture his intelligence.
To that end, I raise a glass on this day to mark the 35th anniversary of Die Hard, one of the greatest films of all time. Thank you for more than three decades of intelligently written, explosive fun!
Yay, yes, mother.