Before John McClane fought for control of an airport, teamed up with a store owner to stop a mad bomber, and shaved his head while still being badass, he was the focus of Die Hard. The movie that started it all, this flick has more action than you could ever want, with plenty of sarcastic humor sprinkled generously without.
McClane, and NYPD detective, travels to Los Angeles in an attempt of reconciling with his estranged wife Holly. He is taken to her place of work, the Nakitomi building. Not too long after that all hell breaks loose.
The company Christmas party is abruptly halted as a terrorist group led by Hans Gruber invades the building. They get rid of the phones and station their own guard at the entrance. It's up to John to defuse the situation, and he embarks on an adrenaline rush that includes but is not limited to rooftop gun battles, tossing baddies out a window, getting shot at by the police, and catching his precariously dangling wife from certain death.
It is soon learned that Gruber and his thugs are after 640 million dollars in bearer bonds. The well organized thieves execute everything almost flawlessly. That is, until John starts ruining their party.
Gruber very quickly realizes he has a problem and is infuriated by the unwelcome resistance. After killing a few innocent hostages, the police cut the power in the building making it impossible to pass the last lock on the vault.
Gruber makes his way to the roof and after tricking McClane that he was a victim, he flees. He sees on tv that Holly is John's wife, and he takes her hostage hoping to gain leverage on John. He then detonates the C4 that he planted earlier before the final showdown with John.
I'm not going to spoil the ending, just because I think the movie should be watched again anyways. Even if you know the ending, go watch this movie. There were many 'action' films in the 80's, perhaps even more than the action/comedy movies, but nobody really came close to Die Hard's caliber. It was a gritty, bloody, pulse-pounding roller coaster ride, and it was a truly enthralling film.
While not the best movie ever, Die Hard is definitely a good way to pass a couple hours on a slow day. Even if you are not a fan of action movies, I urge you to watch this movie. It's a classic, and it spawned some other great movies, including the most recent, Live Free or Die Hard which made millions on opening day and became very popular in the year 2007.
The actors in the movie are perhaps not as well known as you would think, for the exception of a few, but all of them do a great job. Of course you have Bruce Willis as the hero, and he's easy to buy as a smart ass tough cop, and he's easy to relate to. Bonnie Bedelia, who plays Holly Gennaro, spins a fine performance as a wife with her feelings towards John mixed and confused.
And then, of course, you have Reginald VelJohnson, perhaps best known as the lovable big guy Carl Winslow on Family Matters. He serves as John's guiding light for much of the movie, and while at the beginning he doesn't seem to be a very hardened cop, by the end he'll have you believing he can handle a lot of shit that gets thrown at him.
Alan Rickman's portrayal of ruthless terrorist leader Hans Gruber deserves kudos as well. He is buyable as a villian, although at some points I just couldn't see it.
Movies are sometimes called Die Hard clones, with much of their plot seemingly ripped straight from Die Hard (Speed, The Rock, etc). Everyone knows the quote that defines this movie, and if you are one of the few that don't, shut off the computer and go watch this movie NOW.
The negatives in this movie aren't very prevalent, in fact I'm hardpressed to find any. I suppose the depth of character in John is somewhat lacking, but I really don't see much else.
Die Hard gets an 8 out of 10 from me. I want to give it more but I think it would be overdoing it a little. The movie takes place in just a few locales, and it does a such a good job at keeping the action fresh that you barely even notice the movie is basically centered around one building. It's rare that a movie like this keeps you focused the entire time. You're drawn in, and the grip the movie has on you is never loosened. It's a rare example of how white knuckle shoot em ups can be great films as well. SEE THIS MOVIE.
-Drew
McClane, and NYPD detective, travels to Los Angeles in an attempt of reconciling with his estranged wife Holly. He is taken to her place of work, the Nakitomi building. Not too long after that all hell breaks loose.
The company Christmas party is abruptly halted as a terrorist group led by Hans Gruber invades the building. They get rid of the phones and station their own guard at the entrance. It's up to John to defuse the situation, and he embarks on an adrenaline rush that includes but is not limited to rooftop gun battles, tossing baddies out a window, getting shot at by the police, and catching his precariously dangling wife from certain death.
It is soon learned that Gruber and his thugs are after 640 million dollars in bearer bonds. The well organized thieves execute everything almost flawlessly. That is, until John starts ruining their party.
Gruber very quickly realizes he has a problem and is infuriated by the unwelcome resistance. After killing a few innocent hostages, the police cut the power in the building making it impossible to pass the last lock on the vault.
Gruber makes his way to the roof and after tricking McClane that he was a victim, he flees. He sees on tv that Holly is John's wife, and he takes her hostage hoping to gain leverage on John. He then detonates the C4 that he planted earlier before the final showdown with John.
I'm not going to spoil the ending, just because I think the movie should be watched again anyways. Even if you know the ending, go watch this movie. There were many 'action' films in the 80's, perhaps even more than the action/comedy movies, but nobody really came close to Die Hard's caliber. It was a gritty, bloody, pulse-pounding roller coaster ride, and it was a truly enthralling film.
While not the best movie ever, Die Hard is definitely a good way to pass a couple hours on a slow day. Even if you are not a fan of action movies, I urge you to watch this movie. It's a classic, and it spawned some other great movies, including the most recent, Live Free or Die Hard which made millions on opening day and became very popular in the year 2007.
The actors in the movie are perhaps not as well known as you would think, for the exception of a few, but all of them do a great job. Of course you have Bruce Willis as the hero, and he's easy to buy as a smart ass tough cop, and he's easy to relate to. Bonnie Bedelia, who plays Holly Gennaro, spins a fine performance as a wife with her feelings towards John mixed and confused.
And then, of course, you have Reginald VelJohnson, perhaps best known as the lovable big guy Carl Winslow on Family Matters. He serves as John's guiding light for much of the movie, and while at the beginning he doesn't seem to be a very hardened cop, by the end he'll have you believing he can handle a lot of shit that gets thrown at him.
Alan Rickman's portrayal of ruthless terrorist leader Hans Gruber deserves kudos as well. He is buyable as a villian, although at some points I just couldn't see it.
Movies are sometimes called Die Hard clones, with much of their plot seemingly ripped straight from Die Hard (Speed, The Rock, etc). Everyone knows the quote that defines this movie, and if you are one of the few that don't, shut off the computer and go watch this movie NOW.
The negatives in this movie aren't very prevalent, in fact I'm hardpressed to find any. I suppose the depth of character in John is somewhat lacking, but I really don't see much else.
Die Hard gets an 8 out of 10 from me. I want to give it more but I think it would be overdoing it a little. The movie takes place in just a few locales, and it does a such a good job at keeping the action fresh that you barely even notice the movie is basically centered around one building. It's rare that a movie like this keeps you focused the entire time. You're drawn in, and the grip the movie has on you is never loosened. It's a rare example of how white knuckle shoot em ups can be great films as well. SEE THIS MOVIE.
-Drew
