Film Review — Die Hard
Bruce Willis kills it in an unlikely festive favourite.
A wisecracking cop is unexpectedly thrown into action when a group of terrorists take over his estranged wife’s office tower.
For many it’s not Christmas until the tinsel comes out and the tree goes up. Until that first warm and spicy sip of mulled wine. Until that first exciting tear of wrapping paper on the magic day itself.
For me, the festivities don’t officially begin until I’ve watched a barefoot John McClane engage in bloody, sweary mayhem with Hans Gruber and a hoard of terrorists. Dems the rules.
Amazingly Die Hard wasn’t very well received upon its initial release in 1988. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before the masses wised up and saw it for the stone-cold classic it really is. Die Hard hits different. Ferociously paced with terrific action set pieces, yet able to switch to a comedic tone at the drop of a terrorist. It’s one of those films that you don’t even have to have the sound on to appreciate— a sure-fire sign of a perfect screenplay.
Critical to its success also is Bruce Willis, who became a global megastar thanks to his turn as one of cinema’s great imperfect heroes; the antithesis to the muscle-clad superheroes that ruled the genre at the time. McClane adds legitimacy and the essential thrilling tension as a very human, very fallible hero who you totally believe is really up against it.
The support is top-notch as well, particularly and obviously Alan Rickman, whose performance as the slick and cunning Gruber put the much-missed actor on the map as one of Hollywood’s must-have villains. Michael Kamen’s score also deserves praise as one that perfectly accompanies the action, while the subtle festive jangles serve as a wonderful juxtaposition between the bloody action and, well, Santa.
★★★★★
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