DIE HARD
A film review by Steve Kramer
Copyright 1988 Steve Kramer
Well...looks like DIE HARD made it out before A FISH CALLED WANDA...I have no doubt in my mind these will be two of the most remembered movies shown in national movie theatre chains this summer (ROGER RABBIT being the third, probably...but who can tell?).... Thumbs up from me and my friends, although I must say it's probably going to be far more impressive if you see it in 70mm so you get the "bigger-than-life" feel...and the big sound, of course. It was impressive. Still, this one should hold its own in normal movie theatres as well.
Bruce Willis. The man "is an enigma"? No. He is a jerk. Or, used to be. He started off really hot in MOONLIGHTING and kind of sputtered out. We won't even mention debacles like THE RETURN OF BRUNO and so forth. However, in DIE HARD the director probably said "Don't be doing Seagram's Wine Cooler acting in here, or you're outta this flick." Must've been a convincing director.
In my mind (and I'll bet the rest of you will feel the same as well), Willis does a damned convincing job. The character in which he is cast feels pain, and goes through it for the people depending on him, and coincidentally for the audience. You can even feel for him. In certain places, the acting seems a bit contrived (as in when he seems to be going crazy going "what'll I do?"), a bit pushed. Other places (few as they were) were annoying with the wonderful one-liner "Yippee-ki-ay, m*therf*cker!" However, as a whole, he does a damned convincing job in his role.
Which is this: John McClain is a NYPD cop, either accidentally invited to an office Xmas bash in LA, or he has gone out there to visit his separated wife and kids...or both. I'm still unclear on this; it'll come to me. As he enters the office tower where the party is going on (cutting out the first 15-minute hullaballoo), an ingenious subplot is unfolding: a crafty, incredibly knowledgeable team of experts want to get their hands on a lot of valuable goodies locked inside a very tricky "safe" inside this building. I won't relay more detail because many of you probably have not seen this movie yet. In short, the team seals off the building from the inside, effecting a hostage situation. It's McLain's/Willis' job to get the people out in one piece, among other things. I've said too much already...go see it. It's a another must this summer. It seems to be a little *too* high on action...seems to be something happening every minute after the first 20...which is probably why the few people who *were* somehow bored with this movie didn't leave (I'd guess 3, out of a theatre of 1,000 or so). The slow-motion cliffhanger sequence (sky- scraper-hanger? ;^)) near the end was extremely well done in my opinion.... (Shhh! Ok, ok...) The amount of enforcer help summoned near the end seems a bit ludicrous to me, as do the FBI agents attitudes....
It has a fairly talented cast...not too many faces I recognized, but the main baddie has a face from somewhere I am sure, and is *very* cold and *very* calculating...a perfect villain, especially considering what he was supposed to be portraying. And one of his cronies, is that guy with the wonderfully... *stormy* (good word!) face that was also the conductor in MONEY PIT (an amusing, but strange comedy to see at 4AM)...I forget his name. I am almost 100% positive he is Germanic. But he is wonderful. The end bit was a *little* (cough...HA!) hard to believe, but...;^). I remember now. Alexander Godunov. He also co-starred in WITNESS (tri-starred? 4-starred?)
Go see this movie when you get a chance. On a large screen with a good sound system. You won't regret it.
Steve Kramer
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