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!”