DIE HARD REVIEW!!! (THE CHRISTMAS/NOT CHRISTMAS MOVIE OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON)

Initial release date: July 15, 1988

Studios: 20th Century Fox/Gordon Company/Silver Pictures

Taglines: 40 Stories. Twelve Terrorists. One Cop.

40 Stories of Sheer Adventure!

Plot: NYC policeman John McClaine is visiting his estranged wife and kids on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClaine realizes that there's no one to save the hostages - but him.

Cast

Bruce Willis - John McClaine

Alan Rickman - Hans Gruber

Bonnie Bedella - Holly Gennaro McClane

Reginald VelJohnson - Sgt. Al Powell

Paul Gleason - Dwayne T. Robinson

De'voreaux White - Argyle

William Atherton - Thornburg

Hart Bochner - Ellis

James Shigata - Takagi

Alexander Godunov - Karl

Writer(s): Jeb Stuart (Switchback; Just Cause; The Fugitive)

Steven E. de Souza (Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life; Judge Dredd; Street Fighter)

Director: John McTiernan

Rated R (132 minutes)

Initially I wasn't planning on writing about Die Hard this holiday season. But, since the Dietrich Theater booked the film for a week (at this point showing for a couple more days), I figured why not since I already own the Blu-ray copy of it.

The 1988 action-packed Christmas/not Christmas movie will always be one of the best action movies out there today. All of the action is extremely intense and the action and thrills will easily satisfty any action fan.

The stunts in this movie are insane and really memorable. Two stunts come to mind when I think of this movie: when John McClaine is in the elevator shaft and where he jumps off the rooftop after it explodes. Just seeing that the stunts were done mostly with practical effects is astonishing.

After seeing this movie many times over the years, I can't see any other person portraying either McClaine or Hans Gruber since Willis and the late Alan Rickman are really awesome in this film. Rickman made Gruber one of the most memorable action villains in cinematic history.

*** In the spring, I am planning on checking out some throwback action movies and may include a couple more Die Hard movies***

Here are a lot of tidbits about this 1988 action-packed movie that is or isn't a

Christmas movie!!

• The fictional Nakitomi Plaza was the headquarters of 20th Century Fox, so the studio could use one of its own buildings and didn't have to hold back on stunts and action sequences. While Jeb Stuart was writing the screenplay, he did a tour of the building, and immediately incorporated some of the locations and objects he found there into his script as set pieces. The company charged itself rent for the use of the then-unfinished building. Some of the middle floors were occupied by legal and administrative departments, so only empty floors were used for filming. Still, the filming of scenes that involved gunfire had to be postponed until after hours because some of the employees from the active floors started to complain about the noise.

• The scene where Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman meet up was unrehearsed to create a greater feeling of spontaneity between the two actors.

• The scene where McClaine falls down a shaft was a mistake by the stuntman, who was supposed to grab the first vent, as it was originally planned. He slipped and continued to fall, but the shot was used anyway; it was edited together with one where McClaine grabs the next vent down as he falls.

• While making the movie, cinematographer Jan de Bont got trapped in an elevator. This later gave him the inspiration for the opening of Speed, which he directed.

• 20th Century Fox formally admitted that this movie is a Christmas movie after stating that, "it's the greatest Christmas story ever told," in a new trailer to mark the 30th anniversary of the movie's release. However, the debate on whether it's a Christmas movie or not among fans continues to this day.

• This movie is unusual for action movies of the period is that the hero and villain never get into a fist fight, emphasizing that this is a battle of wits between them.

• John Travolta was considered for the role of McClaine. But Fox wouldn't allow it, because Travolta was considered a "has been" at that time. However, he would co-star with Willis in Look Who's Talking, Look Who's Talking Too and Pulp Fiction.

• Hans Gruber was also the name of the afversary in Our Man Flint (1966) with James Coburn.

• The role of McClane was offered to various major stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Gere, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson, Don Johnson, Paul Newman, James Caan and Al Pacino.

• The perception of film stunts changed shortly before production of Die Hard following a fatal accident on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie, and a push was made to prioritize a film's crew over the film itself. Even so, Willis insisted on performing many of his own stunts, including rolling down steps and standing on top of an active elevator.

• Die Hard's premiere took place on July 12, 1988 at the Avco Theater in LA. In North America, the movie received a limited release in 21 theaters in 13 cities on July 15, 1988, earning $601,851. It was considered a successful debut.

• It received a wide release the following week on July 22, across 1,276 theaters, and earned $7.1 million. The movie finished as the No. 3 movie of that weekend, behind Coming To America (in its 4th weekend) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (in its 5th weekend).

• While the movie never claimed the No. 1 box office ranking, it spent 10 straight weeks among the top 5 highest grossing films. In total, it earned an approximate gross of between $81.3 million and $83 million. This made it the 7th highest grossing film of 1988, behind, Crocodille Dundee II, Twins, Big, Coming To America, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Rain Man.

• Before Die Hard's release, action movies often starred muscle-bound actors like Schwarzenegger and Stallone, who portrayed invincible, infallible heroes in unrealistic settings. Willis' portrayal of McClane redefined the action genre, presenting a normal person with an average physique completely counter to that archetype.

• In 2017, Die Hard was selected by the US Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry.

• Die Hard is now considered one of the greatest action films ever made. On the movie's 30th anniversary in 2018, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Die Hard was easily one of the most influential films in the action genre, whose impact could still be seen in contemporary films.

https://youtu.be/jaJuwKCmJbY?si=uUPDi-GO3oRugRjT