Die Hard (1988)

This films starts off strong; as one of the ongoing issues in the film is the separation between Bruce Willis’ John McClane and his wife, Bonnie Bedelia’s Holly Gennaro McClane, director, John McTiernan, makes it a point to show signs of this early. He shows indications early of what’s to come in the film’s future. McClane’s seatmate on his plane to California tells him to take his shoes off once exiting the plane and James Shigeta’s Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi explains that the building is still under construction on certain floors. While these incidents seem minor, they are, in the grand scheme of things, incredibly important. Tiernan and the writers cover all of their bases with each of the minute details and rather than have the audience question the reality of some of the things later in the film, he brings them on board immediately by announcing each character’s worth and every tiny advantage and disadvantage of each character. The story is dark and suspenseful yet Willis and the other characters (particularly Reginald VelJohnson’s Sgt. Al Powell and De’voreaux White’s Argyle) to help mellow out the vibe of the film through comedy. It can be difficult to watch incredibly intense footage for two straight hours and the infusion of comedy throughout the course of the film manages to help the audience relax in a fashion that is conducive to comfortable viewing. Too much comedy or violence could tip the scale and ultimately crush the film, but the director and writers hit the nail on the head with a great balance of each. Another thing about the writing that I greatly enjoyed was the small backstory to VelJohnson’s Powell. To hear the hardships that he faced as a police officer is just enough to have the audience feel for him and cheer for him come the end of the film. The acting is phenomenal and, as great as the writing and directing is, it steals the show. Alan Rickman’s performance was, hands down, the most alluring in the entire film. The point when he meets John McClane for the first time and he quickly switches to an American accent without a second thought was impressive and I was mesmerized by his performance. The combination of drama and comedy, the unrelenting action and the next to perfect acting from every one of the actors made for a one of a kind ride that I’m not sure can ever be reproduced. In a world where reboots seem to be the first option for Hollywood, I hope that the world leaves this film as is and just continues to add to the story rather than rewrite it. This is truly one of the best films of all time. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095016/?ref_=nv_sr_1