Die Hard (15 July 1988)
directed by John McTiernan
starring Bruce Willis, Reginald VelJohnson, Bonnie Bedelia, Alexander Godunov, Paul Gleason, William Atherton, De'voreaux White, Hart Bochner, Alan Rickman, Clarence Gilyard Jr., James Shigeta, Robert Davi, Grand L. Bush, Anthony Peck
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MPAA rating: Studio: 20th Century Fox, Silver Pictures, Gordon Company Script: Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza Based on the book by: Roderick Thorp Music: Michael Kamen Running time: 131 minutes Tags: Action; Crime; explosions; FBI; hilocopters; murder; novel adaptation; police; rifles; terrorism; Thriller Tactical strength: [9/10]
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Every once in a while, a film comes along that becomes the benchmark for all similar films for years to come. The original Die Hard movie still functions as a benchmark for comedic action thrillers. I have a hard time describing the Die Hard genre, since it essentially created the genre. Rarely do all the elements of a film -- story, script, casting, directing -- synergistically combine to create such a great whole.
First, casting. If you read some of the trivia about the casting of Die Hard, you will learn that Bruce Willis was director John McTiernan's fifth choice for the role. McTiernan considered Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, and Richard Gere ahead of Willis. Each of these actors has a unique persona that would have indelibly colored the tone of the film, and I can't think of one of these actors that could have improved upon Willis's performance. Also the casting of Alan Rickman as the terrorist mastermind stands as another landmark casting decision. Die Hard essentially launched Rickman's feature film career, and while several other actors might have played the role, I doubt they could have developed the same chemistry with Willis.
Next, the script. Too many action movies focus on action and ignore relationships. But if the audience cannot relate to or like the protagonist, it won't matter how many bad guys get blown away -- the movie will only appeal to the most bloodthirsty viewers. Die Hard doesn't ignore relationships. John McClane (Bruce Willis) develops relationships with Argyle the limo driver (De'voreaux White), his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), policeman Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), and even Hans the terrorist (Alan Rickman). These characters don't just appear in the same scenes and exchange word or bullets, they exchange meaningful personal details that establish more than just a surface relationship. John tells Al that in case John dies, Al should tell Holly he's sorry. Al shares with John that he sits behind a desk because he shot a kid and can't bare the thought of drawing his gun. John and Hans exchange witticisms that establish deeper and deeper loathing of each other. And a lot of filmmakers could learn a lot from this: you don't have to develop only positive relationships. Even the negative relationships can use some depth.
When I first saw Die Hard, I almost cheered when Hans shot Takagi (James Shigeta). That sounds heartless, but finally someone had written a real bad guy. Hans says he wants a particular piece of information by the count of three or he will kill Takagi, and on "three" he pulls the trigger. To many movies, even today, write the bad guys with no resolve to really follow through on their own threats. How often do we see the nemesis send the hero away with a henchman for execution, and the hero escapes? Why not shoot the hero right now and have the henchman drag away the dead body? So many movies would benefit from creating more realistic situations with the evil characters, and not just creating fake situations in which the hero escapes too simply.
All around, you can watch Die Hard over and over and still get a pleasant thrill with each viewing.
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