04. Die Hard (1988)

Based on the book Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, Die Hard tells the story of John McClane (Bruce Willis), an average joe sort of cop who flies out from New York to  LA to spend Christmas with his family starting with his estranged wife’s office party when the party is taken over by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his cadre of German terrorists. McClane, in a private bathroom at the time, is the only one able to stop the terrorists and he does so with extreme prejudice. Die Hard is a tense and action packed thriller with McClane sneaking around the place taking out the terrorists one by one with limited resources while trying to make sure the hostages are not hurt. Bruce Willis plays McClane as a flawed tough guy who is capable of handling business but not an immortal super hero. McClane’s only support comes by way of Sgt Al Johnson, an officer responding to a disturbance at the building and who communicates with McClane via radio and offers up advice and moral support. Unlike a lot of action heroes, McClane shows real vulnerability and that makes his bravery and daring all the more impactful. John McClane has grown into one of the great American action heroes spanning four movies and I love them all but the original is the best as McClane is never as vulnerable and accessible as he is here. Also, Die Hard is the first movie to give us the sublime Alan Rickman who is always fun to watch and has the ability to elevate the most mediocre material into something more. His debut here finds him with great material and he shines accordingly.

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