[Movie 310 / Day 330]
A much loved action movie in it’s own right, DIE HARD also qualifies as one of the best Christmas movies ever made, thanks to being set on Christmas Eve. As such, at this time of year, it’s almost the law that it should be watched, and as I’ve recently bought all four movies on bluray, I figured now would be a good time to peel off the shrink wrap.
Putting the movie on, I was instantly at home with the familiar plot – John McClane (Bruce Willis, in the role that defined him) goes to visit his estranged wife, Holly, for Christmas. While he’s waiting for her to finish her work party on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Plaza, terrorists take over the building by force and crash the party, holding everyone hostage. Except for John, of course, who managed to slip away in the confusion. Barefoot and wearing a vest, he spends the next 120 minutes as the fly in the terrorists ointment, causing trouble for them at every opportunity while they ineffectually chase him around the top of the skyscraper.
The movie is so well known that there’s not much point in writing an in-depth review, but suffice it to say that it’s sat near the top of the Action genre since its release and it doesn’t look like it’ll ever be shifted, especially now it’s available on shiny bluray and looking better than ever. The acting is all of a high standard, especially Willis (it is, after all, the role that launched his movie career) and Alan Rickman who is a delight to watch as über-baddie Hans Gruber (and like Bruce, is in his first real movie role). There was far more humour than I remembered and I found myself chortling at several of the witty one-liners – and they’re not all reserved for Bruce, either.
All-in-all, you know what you’re going to get with DIE HARD. A splendid feast of action and comedy and one that never seems to feel tired or particularly old (despite some of the dodgy 80s hair on display). If you haven’t seen it recently, you should rewatch it, and soon.
My Rating: 
[ IMDB rating: 8.3 / 10 | IMDB link | Running time: 131 mins | Buy Bluray ]
