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DIE HARD (1988) **** Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Alexander Godunov, Reginald Vel Johnson, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, Hart Bochner, Robert Davi. NYC cop John McClane (Willis in his star-making iconic role) is visiting LA at Christmas to reconnect with his estranged wife Bedelia who is at an office party that becomes a nightmare when a group of terrorists take over the building led by Hans Gruber (perfect Rickman) a German nutjob out to filch millions in bonds in the vault of the Japanese company. As the " fly in the ointment", Willis does his damnedest to stop him at all costs relying on his street-smarts and out-guessing as time ticks away. Great blend of action suspense and much welcomed humor. Best bit: Willis plunging from a rooftop attack by the FBI (thinking the disheveled cop is one of the bad guys!) attached to a fire hose and shooting his way into an empty office! Hair-raising and exhilirating fun for all. "Yippiee-Kay-Ay !!!!" (Dir: John McTiernan)

"Nine million terrorists in the world and I gotta kill one with feet smaller than my sister."

Well, what else can I say besides that this is "THE" (can't stress it more) action movie from the 80's with a young Bruce Willis. Personally, I don't even know how many times I've seen this movie. "Die Hard" remains an example for all action movies that followed. At that time you had the Sly and Arnie action movies. But these were more a performance of brutal violence, with big muscles and a sense of invincibility. Bruce showed a clever, shrewd, caustic action hero, who can take a beating, but on the other hand shows that he's not completely invincible.

Of course, the action in films nowadays is much bigger, more impressive and mind-blowing, but the strength of this film is the story, the accumulated tension, lightness and the dry humor of Bruce Willis. From the first minute he takes you in his grip, and he won't let loose. You see him slowly evolve from a wrinkle-free clean-shaved top cop into a reasonable damaged hero. This pattern keeps coming back in the next two parts, which are also top movies of the same caliber.

You'll notice this is already an old movie because for instance lighting a cigarette in a public place isn't prohibited. But how the action scenes are imaged, is still top-work and should be the aim for many action flicks.

I think the sudden confrontation between Gruber and McClane is one of the strongest scenes in this film, along with the well known "Yippie-kay-yee" cry. Trademark of Willis. The fact he likes the character of McClane a lot, you see clearly in "The Last boyscout". In that movie he plays an impoverished detective with the same coolness and cynical, dry humor as McClane. Too bad that in the last two Die Hard movies, McClane is only a shadow of himself like in the original movie.

"Die Hard" is one of those rarities in movie land, which you can watch without thinking "Pfft Again this movie". It remains, for me, an enjoyment to watch.

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Die Hard tells the story of a New York City detective named John McClane who is separated from his wife. She invites him to a Christmas party at her office building in Los Angeles, and he decides to go to work things out. Once there, a group of German terrorists come in and take hostages with the intent of stealing millions of dollars in bonds. McClane manages to escape and begins to fight the terrorists one by one to save the people in the building.

Die Hard is a classic film because it completely revolutionized action films. The 80s were a time of unrealistic action sequences, predictable characters, and rudimentary plots. Die Hard changed all that. Die Hard takes place in a real world setting, or at least about as real as you can get with an action movie, so the action sequences, while insane, are slightly believable. The plot of the movie is simple, yet it's so brilliant at the same time. And the characters in this movie are engaging and a lot of fun to watch. John McClane is a really likable everyman kind of guy, we can all relate to him. Hans Gruber is an awesome villain, both cold and ruthless, yet very human. The supporting characters on the outside of the building are all great as well. Another great thing about Die Hard is that even though it's a hardcore action movie, it manages to be extremely funny at some parts, almost to a point of being able to call it a comedy. This makes the movie really easy to watch over and over again. There's really nothing wrong with this movie whatsoever in any department.

The acting is great. Bruce Willis is hilarious and hardcore as John McClane, and he portrays the adrenaline and the frustration of the situation very well. Alan Rickman is awesome in one of his earlier roles as the main villain Hans Gruber. Reginald VelJohnson is enjoyable as McClane's outside contact Officer Al Powell, and Paul Gleason is funny as a hardheaded and incompetent deputy chief of police.

Overall, Die Hard is the ultimate action film because it's fast, funny, and hardcore. It also gave us one of the most famous action movie one liners of all time...You know the one.

8/10

Even if the non-action parts are a tad slow in comparison, that is more than compensated by so many things that makes Die Hard so brilliant.

For one thing the action is explosive and consistently exciting, and the cinematography is astounding being very inventive and colourful. John McTiernon(The Hunt for Red October, Last Action Hero) directs briskly and efficiently, and the pacing a vast majority of the time is exhilarating.

Then there is a terrific score by Michael Kamen, some intelligent and witty scripting and a plot that doesn't feel forced or convoluted. Not to mention some excellent acting. As good as Bruce Willis is, yes his character is somewhat two-dimensional, but he is also resourceful and world-weary and Willis handles this really well, it is Alan Rickman who steals the acting honours as Hans Gruber. Gruber is cold, calculating, suave and menacing, in my opinion only Rickman could do justice to such a character. Overall, a superb movie, not only the best of the Die Hard franchise but one of the best of the action genre. 10/10 Bethany Cox

In the late 1980s, Director John McTiernan refined the action film genre with this action- packed thriller that not only stars Bruce Willis is the role that defined his career, but also brought impressed audiences everywhere with ecstatic action sequences complete with amazing practical effects, inspiring characters, and one of the most original scripts for an action movie written for its time. This movie stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York cop who heads on vacation to Los Angeles for the holidays, to spend Christmas with his wife Holly Genero (played by Bonnie Bedelia) and kids. Upon arriving at the Nakatomi Plaza building where she works, he and his wife ended having an argument dealing with family matters. Their dispute is eventually interrupted when the building becomes under attack by a dozen German terrorists lead by the ruthless Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman) who's intent on robbing the company of its money. Pitted against overwhelming odds and Gruber's diabolical mind, John McClane must take matters into his own hands and fight off the terrorists who have his wife, along with hundreds of innocent civilians held hostage, with no aid from the Los Angeles Police Department who are helpless against the terrorists' overwhelming power.

My family and I catch this fi on cable almost every year during the Christmas season and this never gets old. Unlike other action films from the 80s that spit cheesy little one-liners and mindless gun shootouts, this film presents viewers with a very likable protagonist who is self aware with his flaws and has feels very human, a Villain who is near equally likable and incredibly smart, and the dialogue between these two characters (which are spoken via walkie-talkies for the majority of the time) is very witty and clever that keep viewers' attention. The main character John McClane spends most of the time fighting off the terrorists who are lead by Hans Gruber, and the scenes are exciting to watch. Glossing with intense gunfights, explosions, stellar camera-work and fight choreography, the scenes keep viewers strapped to their seats. In the scenes when the action lightens up, there are some interesting conversations between characters like McClane, who at one point, shares a tender moment with a cop by admitting his flaws as a husband and a man as a whole. These moments are make you feel for the character and are presented in a realistic way and not sappy way. Bruce Willis does an excellent job as the main character and his performances him as the action hero he is today, along with his famous line "Yippie Kay Yay, motherf***er". The same can be said about Alan Rickman is gives off a performances as the one of the most charismatic antagonists ever put on screen. What really impresses me about this film is the action set pieces. The Nakatomi Plaza that serves as the film's main setting (at least during the beginning) is shot nowhere other than Twentieth Century Fox headquarters. Quite interesting!

Die Hard is one of the most influential action films ever made and shines with nearly every aspect an action film needs. It is a good movie for viewers to pop a bag of popcorn, sit on the couch, and watch. Director John McTiernan did a fantastic job with this film as well as the cast. This film is a textbook example of what action films need to be and a movie that every action fan should not miss.