Die Hard - 1988

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Gordon Company, Lawrence Gordon Productions

Directed by John McTiernan

Cast:

• John McClane – Bruce Willis
• Holly Gennero McClane – Bonnie Bedelia
• Hans Gruber – Alan Rickman
• Joseph Takagi - James Shigeta
• Karl – Alexander Godunov
• Sgt. Al Powell – Reginald VelJohnson
• Chief Dwayne Robinson – Paul Gleason
• Richard Thornburg – William Atherton

Story: John McClane, a New York cop, lands at LAX to begin a Christmas vacation with his estranged family. His wife, Holly, works for the Nakatomi Corporation, a hugely successful Japanese company in the final stages of completing their 35 story skyscraper in LA. Argyle, a limo driver, takes John to the building, where he discovers his wife is still listed under her maiden name. He arrives by elevator to the 30th floor, where he is greeted by Mr. Takagi, Holly's boss. Unknown to all, a group of terrorists has arrived in the building as well, and they systematically cut all connections to the outside world. Hans Gruber and his band of thugs enter the party and immediately take everyone hostage, except John McClane, who manages to escape to another part of the building. He singlehandedly attempts to thwart the terrorists / thieves through a battle of attrition, and the results are one of the strangest Christmas stories of all time.

Review: Okay, so who am I to argue with success? Obviously this franchise has proven immensely popular, given the further proliferation of Die Hards 2, 3, & 4. John McClane is Willis' most popular character, and a natural extension of his role in the television series Moonlighting with Cybil Sheppard. McClane is a street cop, a no-nonsense, shoot first ask questions later police officer who apparently gets the job done in the style of Dirty Harry. Alan Rickman is exceptional as Hans Gruber, the ex-terrorist with aspirations of becoming wealthy no matter how many lives are lost. As in most McTiernan action films, there is little background or lead in, just enough to let you know who the players are, and the action quickly starts and barely pauses. Bonnie Bedelia is excellent in her role as Holly Gennero, the top executive with people skills and a sense for reasonable control. She is the perfect executive who thinks of her people first and attempts to maintain calm under duress. Alexander Godunov plays Karl, the hot-headed terrorist on a mission to kill McClane for killing his brother. While no one will ever consider the Die Hards as Oscar worthy films, they are fun and exciting, and definitely collectible. Rated R for some brief nudity, drug use, and a whole lot of gratuitous violence. Like Vin said in xXx, “....think Playstation...Blow shit up!”

The Thomas Crown Affair - 1999

United Artists, Irish DreamTime, MGM

Directed by John McTiernan

Cast:

• Thomas Crown – Pierce Brosnan
• Cathrine Banning – Rene Russo
• Detective Michael McCann – Denis Leary
• Andrew Wallace – Ben Gazzara
• Detective Paretti – Frankie Faison
• Paul Cheng – James Saito
• Anna Knudson – Esther Caňadas

Story: Thomas Crown is a very smart and very successful man. He has his own building in Manhattan, a townhouse filled with Marble, granite, art and sculpture, a personal assistant who tends to his every need, a psychiatrist who gives him marvelous advice, apparently everything a man would want. But he is bored. Mergers and Acquisitions are not enough to challenge him, so he decides to branch out into art theft. And not just any art. He steals, through an elaborate plan of diversion, a $100 million dollar Monet from the wall of the museum where it is housed. Not only does this now involve the police, but also an insurance investigator [“I represent a couple of Swiss gentlemen who would rather not have to write a check for $100 million.”]. A beautiful and unusually bright insurance investigator who soon comes to suspect Crown. The remainder of the movie is a game of cat and mouse, as the two maneuver to see who will come out on top.

Review: John McTiernan is famous for the hard hitting, action adventure films, so the remake of a Steve McQueen classic must have been a challenge. This is a different kinds of drama and suspense, based in the world of the very wealthy. Brosnan is up to the task, and perfectly portrays the well mannered, savvy businessman who is bored to death with the society crowd and craves something more from life. Rene Russo is the perfect foil for Crown, the driven, intelligent, and self confident woman who competes and excels in a man's world. Leary has his work cut out for him, bur rises to the occasion as the street detective who has to keep up with Russo, and is always one step behind. The flow of the film is more even than the original, and the photography and scenery is amazing, from the New York City shots to the island that serves as Crown's hideaway in the Caribbean. The homage of having Dunaway as the psychiatrist (She played Catherine Banning in the original), and retaining the original theme (Windmills of Your Mind – written for the original film and performed by Sting) bring an overall polish to the movie that make it one of the best. Nudity and some language make this a poor choice for the under 14 set, but most teens should be able to enjoy the film with a minimum of giggling and pointing. Definitely a collectible, and one to watch with the wife when the lights are low and the kids are in bed.