Dec 31

Dec 31 Die Hard

I never know where I’m going to land with these summer blockbuster blind spots. So far, my favorable viewing of Jaws (dir. Steven Spielberg) was later followed by a decidedly negative reaction to Independence Day 1996, dir. Roland Emmerich). I had a few reasons to go into Die Hard with high-ish hopes. The main reason, as it usually is with such celebrated films that I’ve never seen, is the hype. It’s referenced time and time again in film and television and is always painted as nothing short of the greatest movie of all time. Secondarily, I was always intrigued by the knowledge the film stars the late Alan Rickman, an actor that I, and many people my age, grew up watching and deeply admire. Thus, it was with an open and eager mind that I went into Die Hard. My conclusion? While not as infuriating as Independence Day, the film failed to reach my rather generous expectations.

I guess I’ll start discussing Bruce Willis, as his character at the beginning of the film solidly set my attitude toward the movie as whole. I’ve always considered Willis as sort of a bland nonentity as an actor. While I enjoy films in which he is the star, such as The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable (respectively, 1999, 2000, dir. M. Night Shyamalan), his performances were never the best part of those films. But lord almighty, I would take any of his bland, lifeless characters over his “cool guy” performance as John McClane. From his dismissive attitude toward everything and everyone at the film’s opening, to his insistence on having a “witty” comeback in every other scene, I found him to be intolerable. I don’t believe for a moment that his motivation in pursuing Gruber is motivated by the wellbeing of the group of hostages (which includes his separated wife). That building could be empty of everyone but Gruber and his lackeys, and I’m positive McClane would pursue him with the exact same amount of enthusiasm. His actions are all rooted in his image. He’s the cunning, capable hero, fearless of any self-sacrifice. Oh, and let’s not forget that little hint of misogyny at the beginning of the movie. For a guy who literally defines himself by his job multiple times, for him to be so childish about his wife’s career path is... very ‘80s, I suppose. My last gleaming hope of liking the movie was Alan Rickman’s performance as Hans Gruber. While he does a fine job as the debonair villain of the story, his accent work (both German and faux American) removed me from any intended tension and just made me laugh. Regardless, I did enjoy the performance. I just would have preferred it in a different film.

I may be overly critical of Die Hard, and especially the character of John McClane, as I do tend to detest the protagonists of action films, but this particular film and character has been emulated and parodied so frequently over the years that when I look at McClane, all I see an archetype that men are intended to desire to emulate. It’s as close to the idea of a superhero as one can produce without diverging into a more fantastical genre. It’s an archetype that I’ve seen do more harm than good throughout the history of film (long before Die Hard’s time, evidenced by all of the references to “badass” heroes of cinema in the script), as the male-dominated Hollywood makes movies about the manliest men for other men, to inspire them unprecedented levels of unfounded self-righteousness. Wow. I really went off there, didn’t I? I’d best get back to the movie… (puts on a raincoat, takes out a cigar). Just one more thing. Why were there random breasts everywhere? It’s like an executive watched an early cut of the film and said, “You have to meet the quota of some form of female frontal nudity every twelve minutes, or we’ll lose our key demographic. Throw some ladies on the walls here and there.” If I can react in a word: Ugh.

I didn’t hate this whole movie. Shocking, I know. There are some elements that I genuinely thought were very interesting. Most notably, I love that the communication between the “good guys” and the “bad guys” is so open, as they must speak to everyone involved through radio transmissions. All communication is available to both sides. It’s such a fascinating obstacle for McClane to overcome, and I genuinely appreciated it. I also appreciated specific moments that did stand out in an otherwise standard action film. For the most part, action violence does not affect me at all. My brain sort of just goes into rest mode while I wait for the story to lock back into gear. However, this film managed to genuinely horrify me with one moment of violence: the barefoot in glass scene. How diabolical of Hans Gruber! How very Kevin McCallister of him! I will admit it made me laugh a bit in the following scene as McClane’s dialogue makes it sound like he received a critical injury and is mere moments from death as he removes shard after shard of glass from his feet, but honestly, that’s how I’d sound in the situation, too.

While my attitude toward the principal characters in Die Hard oscillated between disinterest and seething hatred, I would totally watch a film centered around the peripheral characters. For a while there, the only character I was able to invest myself in was the limo driver Argyle (De’voreaux White), along with his associate, the giant stuffed bear. Later in the film, I found some genuine enjoyment in the less-than-subtle jabs at the ineffectual figures like the newscasters and deputy police chief. Unlike the character of McClane who I presume is an unintentional joke of a character, I am certain that these peripheral characters are intended to be hilariously incapable. Were the same film with the one change that the whole story is from the perspective of these halfwits failing to act during a crisis (like Jaws, but funny), with Argyle swooping in at the last moment to save the day, I would have had a much more enjoyable time.

I’ll end by sounding off on the debate over whether this is a Christmas movie. To me, despite the setting and various Christmas décor, Christmas movies tend to make me feel nostalgic, grateful, and peaceful. This film made me feel… Well, I think you know by now. But hey, I have a few films in my Christmas rotation that don’t make sense to anyone else, so, to each his own. While not a holiday film, I will say that Die Hard is a decent action movie as far as they go… That’s just not saying much coming from me. – Bailey 🤠🙄

The debate is finally over: director John McTiernan has officially acknowledged Die Hard (1988) as a Christmas movie (see this recent article in The Hollywood Reporter)! While re-watching the film this year I couldn’t help but enjoy all the holiday references sprinkled throughout the film. From the moment we meet John McClane (Bruce Willis), as he anxiously waits for his plane to land, the Christmas references predominate the film, from the decorations to Christmas songs playing on the limousine radio, various characters humming traditional carols, and to that eventful Christmas eve party that is central to the film’s narrative, there is no denying the ‘cheerful’ holiday atmosphere established within this film. This holiday aspect is, quite frankly, what makes this film, as if it weren’t for all the holiday elements, and Die Hard being set at Christmastime, the film would be just another over-the-top action flick that is indistinguishable from most other action movies. The holiday components add a level of rewatchability that truly makes this action film just a bit more likeable.

However, the film asks its audience to put logic aside and accept the poor choices the characters in this film make. You really couldn’t make Die Hard today. Between the advent of cell phones and modern security measures, Die Hard would have a much different flavor as an action film if it were to be produced today. While watching this film again, I had to keep reminding myself that the film was made in the late 1980s and based on a novel (Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp) published in 1979, as many of the actions and choices the characters make are completely illogical. For instance, why didn’t Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) just wait until after the holiday party to then spend all of Christmas eve (and perhaps all of Christmas day, when the offices were sure to be empty) to go through with the heist he planned? Seriously, there was no reason for the hostages, he didn’t need any codes from Mr. Takagi, and he didn’t need to attract the attention of the FBI, as he could have easily had his henchmen shut down the power to the building (somehow), so that the safe would ultimately unlock… The film would surely have become a bit boring, but there were plenty of logical ways that could have accounted for the action in the film, and made it just as entertaining and edge-of-your-seat… I really cannot get past the senselessness of the plot (but the same can be said for many action movies).

Besides the poor writing choices, I don’t really care for our lead character that much either… I know, the film would not be the same without New York police detective John McClane, but the character, in all honesty, is a pretty unlikeable guy. But perhaps that’s the point? With Willis’s performance we see the film’s protagonist as just as ruthless and diabolical as the ‘terrorists’ he is picking off. McClane is erratic, often appears to be having manic episodes (talking to himself, jumping up and down), and is just shy of being completely crazy, although this does make for some entertaining moments (the ventilation shaft scene for one). We know that McClane is estranged from his wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), so-much-so that she has gone by her maiden name in the office, and it seems completely unrealistic, to me, that Holly would willingly take him back at the end of the film (heroic rescue aside). Willis is certainly the entertaining glue that holds this film together, but his hot-headedness is also undoubtedly the destructive force that plagues the strenuous relationship he has with his wife.

Some of the best parts of the Die Hard are its action sequences and some of the cheesy one-liners that various characters rattle off (some of them are even mumbled and essentially thrown away!) that add just a touch of humor to the film. I particularly love the way that Rickman and Willis play off of each other via the cat and mouse game established between Gruber and McCane, as their back-and-forth and bantering radio exchanges always leave me in stitches. However, the industrial backdrop of the film (with all the floors under construction) began to get a bit monotonous and boring, and some of the effects, like the excessive use of steam and fog in many of the rooftop scenes, was rather underwhelming. One thing that I was pretty impressed with were several members of the supporting cast, especially the performances of Reginald VelJohnson as LAPD sergeant Al Powell and De’voreaux White as Argyle, John’s limousine driver. Each of these characters added a layer of reality and authenticity in an otherwise unrealistic and chaotic action film. All in all, Die Hard is a pretty enjoyable Christmas action flick, so long as you can overlook the faulty logic of the plot with a nice eggnog or two, which certainly would not hurt and just might make you enjoy the film all the more. – Sarah 🎄💣

What are your thoughts on Die Hard? Is the film a Christmas movie, or not? Share your thoughts in the comments below and have a very Happy New Year!