Monday, November 12, 2018

Die Hard

The next selection in the TCM Big Screen Classics series is Die Hard which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary.  I distinctly remember seeing this in the theater when it was first released (which makes me feel old) and I absolutely loved it!  I got to see it again yesterday and it is just as fun as I remember.  John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York City police officer, has come to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to reconcile with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) who has taken a high power job with the Nakatomi corporation.  He arrives at the Nakatomi high rise building during a Christmas party which is interrupted by a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who seize control of the building and take everyone but John hostage.  The terrorists are heavily armed and attempt to open the vault to steal $640 million in bearer bonds.  The police and the FBI are in over their heads, so John, with the help of a lone LAPD officer (Reginald VelJohnson), attacks the terrorists one by one until an epic confrontation with Gruber.  Even thirty years later, this movie is still suspenseful and exciting with great action sequences, especially when McClane jumps off the roof ahead of an explosion.  Bruce Willis became the ultimate action hero after this movie and its easy to see why with his wisecracking bravado touched with a little vulnerability.  This movie was my first introduction to Alan Rickman and I loved him as the suave and sophisticated, yet ruthless, villain Gruber (many believe Gruber to be one of the best movie villains ever).  This movie has often been imitated but, after seeing it again on the big screen, I realize how vastly superior it is to many that came after, especially this one!

Note:  Do you consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...