DIE HARD (1988) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Director: John McTiernan Writers: Jeb Stuart and Stephen E. De Souza (from the book "Nothing Lasts Forever" by Roderick Thorp) Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald Vel Johnson, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, De'voreaux White, Alexander Godunox, Robert Davi
"Die Hard" is the most riveting, most stunning, most exciting action film I have ever seen. It's an intelligent game of cat-and-mouse, complete with some proposterous situations, a lot of carnage, some male bonding, one strong woman, lots and lots of one-liners, and it even has a villain coming back from the dead for one last kiss goodnight. "Die Hard" is a classic film which set the trend for most action films, although none has ever been as amazing as this one.
Bruce Willis set the trend for his wise-cracking lovable protagonist on "Moonlighting," and he carried it over to the action genre nicely. He plays John McClaine, a New York cop who's suffering from a little bit of workaholicism, as his family has left him so his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) can have a great job working for a big Japanese business corporation, which is located in a tall 40-story building in the middle of L.A. He decides to come and visit them for Christmas, and arrives at her office spacious office, while she goes out to the party. A couple minutes later, the party is taken over by some nasty terrorists, led by the German revolutionary, Franz Grueber (brit actor, Alan Rickman, in his trend-setting role for American films). But in the pandemonium, John escapes up a flight of stairs with his gun.
Franz wants all the money in the safe in the giant building, and he kills the president of the company when he refuses to tell him where they are. Meanwhile, he plays the cat-and-mouse game with John, albeit a claustrophobic and bloody game, as John manages to take them on one-by-one (sometimes in pairs and trios, by the way), and alert the police and media. What results is a tense, tight, and funny thriller, which is totally gripping from the first minute to last.
Bruce, who is in more bad films than good, gives his best performance, even though it lacks the depth of his "12 Monkeys" or "Pulp Fiction" characters. He shows he's a totally formidable action star, up there with the likes of Wesley Snipes and, well, now John Travolta and Nicolas Cage - not Schwarzenegger and Stallone, because Willis isn't some superman. He is shot a lot, although sometimes you just have to hold your belief because even though he's shot and cut and stuff, he still manages to beat up some bad guys at the end. Nevertheless, Willis is amazing in what would become the "Bruce Willis role."
We also get a commanding performance from Alan Rickman as the leader of the terrorists. He also became the trend-setter for the villains, as Willis became the trend-setter for the good guys. As Franz, Rickman is funny, creepy, and intelligent, all at the same time. His performance also has some form of depth - he's such a well-dressed and proper villain with his cool suit and suaveness, but as he admits at the end, it's all a cover-up since he's, at heart, just a thief, although "an exceptional thief."
And "Family Matters"'s Reginald Vel Johnson plays a cop who sadly stumbles onto the scene, and ends up becoming the only friend John has on the bottom, as most of the cops and agents turn out to be jerks, schmucks or asswholes. He and Willis have great chemistry, even though they really only have one scene where they're together, since they communicate by radio throughout the film. Their's is the essence of male bonding in movies.
And we even get a lot of humor. Willis is a geyser of smart-aleckdom, joking around the whole movie, coining phrases with style, and sharing some good old jokes with some of the few people he comes in contact with during the film. Rickman is also hysterical, becoming funnier as we get to know him. And William Atherton appears as a jerk, obsessive reporter who tries to cover what happens, and inadvertantly endangers the lives of McClane and his wife. But it's all in good fun.
Featuring stunning action sequences, amazing scenes, and a direction that's so taut that the tension is almost gripping. It's not just a stupid action film; it's an intelligent game that is probably one of the greatest times I've had watching a movie. But what do you expect from a film that stars Bruce Willis?
MY RATING (out of 4): ****
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