John McTiernan's Die Hard

Die Hard: 20th Century Fox
Rating: USA: R/ UK: 18/ Australia: M

Since I generally only review horror/Hong Kong/cult and exploitation films here at Epinions, my regular readers might find seeing a review of John McTiernan’s (The 13th Warrior) 1988 big budget blockbuster Die Hard a bit odd. I feel compelled to write about it, though—afterall, it’s the quintessential American action film (at least from the late 80’s onward)…an oft imitated, yet never duplicated, masterpiece of popcorn action cinema.

Based on Roderick Thorp’s novel Nothing Lasts Forever, Die Hard tells the story of John McClane (Bruce Willis: The Sixth Sense, Armageddon) a New York cop whose devotion to his work has nearly cost him his family. He’s travelling to L.A., to spend Christmas with his wife and kids—in hopes of reconciling. He arrives at the luxurious Nakatomi building—where his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia: Die Hard 2, Needful Things) works as a high-ranking executive for a Japanese company. The company Christmas party is going on—a party that’s about to be crashed by German radical Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman: Dogma, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves).

Gruber and his posse of well-armed Euro-crooks (including none other than Alexander Godunov) take the entire building hostage—all except for McClane. What ensues is a tense game of cat and mouse as McClane battles the terrorists and tries to save the hostages, while dealing with the local police and FBI agents outside on the scene.

And while that’s a bit of a simplification of the plot, it’s actually pretty accurate. Part of what makes Die Hard succeed is its simplicity. Despite all its pyrotechnics and elaborate action setpieces, Die Hard is essentially a heist film. Screenwriter Steven De Souza concocts a simple plot then fills it with some fantastic characters. Now, that’s not to say that these characters are anything more than archetypes—because they’re not, but they are well-drawn archetypes, which makes them very interesting to watch.

Another of the script’s pluses is its pacing. Both De Souza and McTiernan have taken great pains to make sure the film is a thrill ride with breakneck pacing. From the moment Gruber arrives on the scene until the credits roll, there’s never a dull moment in the film. Keeping a film running at that kind of hyperactive pace is no easy feat, but Die Hard succeeds smashingly. This film should be required viewing for anyone interested in writing or directing an action film—because despite all of its bombast, it features little in the way of wasted screen time. Each scene builds on the one before it and sets up the ones coming after—it’s lean and economical filmmaking…something you wouldn’t expect to find in a big budget studio picture.

McTiernan’s direction is inspired as well. While there’s none of the over-the-top flamboyance of Hong Kong’s action auteurs, McTiernan does manage to fill his film with not only some intriguing visuals, but also demonstrates that he has a real eye for the aesthetics of film violence and action sequences. Die Hard features a plethora of gun battles, explosions, crashing helicopters and more in its two hour plus running time.

The film also has a very interesting visual look as well, which can be attributed to cinematographer Jan de Bont (who would later branch out and begin directing his own films). The film has a very muted look with lots of dark colors and grays—which makes the fire of the explosions and the blood from various gunshot wounds stand out in an even starker contrast.

And while Die Hard is certainly a well made film from a technical standpoint, its real strength comes from its performances. Bruce Willis had proven that he could be a likable protagonist with his role as Moonlighting’s David Addison, but the jury was still out on whether or not he could carry a blockbuster action film. Willis’ performance quickly quieted the naysayers as he demonstrated that he was not only capable of carrying the film, but of rivaling the established action stars of the time—Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Willis brings his smart aleck schtick and his everyman sensibilities to John McClane—giving American audiences something they hadn’t seen in some time—an action film hero who was actually human. Yes, McClane pushes the willing suspension of disbelief on numerous occasions, but he certainly seems both far more real and vulnerable than his aforementioned counterparts.

Of course, Willis isn’t the film’s only bright spot. Alan Rickman turns in a tour-de-force performance as Hans Gruber. Gruber has to be one of film history’s most distinctive and intriguing villains—with his rich accent and his stylish European suits, you just can’t help but be drawn to the character. Gruber would be the inspiration for countless other film antagonists (including Anthony Wong’s gun dealer in John Woo’s Hard Boiled—at least in my estimation) and it’s easy to see why.

Die Hard also features a solid supporting cast—from McClane’s cop buddy on the outside (Reginald VelJohnson: Family Matters and those super annoying 10-10 long distance commercials) to a slimy reporter (William Atherton) to McClane’s limo driver Argyle (De’Voreaux White)—all turn in fun and impressive performances. However, the best supporting characters are FBI agents Johnson and Johnson (Robert Davi and Grand L. Bush). These two agents share a name and an occupation, but that’s about it—yeah, the humor that springs from the fact that one is black and the other is white is pretty obvious, but it amused me anyway…and the Vietnam line in the helicopter still cracks me up for some odd reason.

Ultimately, Die Hard is a finely crafted action film that has set the standard for all of the American films made in the genre. It’s inspired a sea of inferior clones seeking to cash in on its success, as well as a number of variations on the storyline (which pay the film tribute by often being pitched as "Die Hard on a <insert your place of choice here>). Still none have managed to outdo the originator—either in terms of story, performances, or direction. Die Hard is certainly little more than escapist cinema taken to the extremes (at least by American standards—while I love the film, I still think it pales in comparison to something like Hard Boiled), yet it never pretends to be anything more. I find it hard to believe that there’s anyone out there who hasn’t seen this film, but if you haven’t, run out and rent a copy…preferably of the new DVD version which looks fantastic. Die Hard is a classic action film that gets nothing less than my highest recommendation.