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Summary: ONE of the best ACTION RIDES EVER!
Review: Die Hard is an action packed thrill ride from director John Mctiernan(director of Predator,Rollerball,Basic, and Die Hard with a Vengeance). The film is about a New York cop named John Mclane who flies to L.A to visit his wife Holly at the Nakotomi plaza where she has a great job. John arrives at the skyscraper and proceeds to the 30th floor where a christmas party is going on. He meets Nakatomi(Holly's boss) and discuss his business profits. John argues with Holly over the use of her maiden name and then she walks out of the office. The next thing our hero knows is that Hans Gruber(a very menacing Alan Rickman)is shooting up the place. He takes everyone hostage except John, who escapes and then plays a cat and mouse game with his enemies, Terrorists with HUGE artillery that the Los Angeles police can't even compete with. Bruce Willis steals the show in his breakthrough role. Great 80's movie
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Summary: Even if You Don't Like Explosion Movies
Review: Oh Gawd! Not another explosion movie! Well, in fact, that's right. It's _not_ just another explosion movie. It's not a generic execution of a formula. It's not all special effects. It's actually worth seeing. Why you ask? Well, it's got hook. It's got a villain that is expertly crafted by the screen writers, and absolutely perfectly portrayed by Alan Rickman. This character, Hans Gruber, is despicable, complex, and deliciously hate-worthy. It's his job to drive this film. If you don't hate him, the only thing left is... well, explosions. But you do hate him, and that fact makes all the difference. Rickman is so good at playing Gruber that, while the character is secretly hijacking a skyscraper, the actor is publicly hijacking the entire movie. I own this DVD, and I gotta tell ya, every time I see him get it in the end, I stand up and cheer. It's that kind of film. (Oh. You haven't seen it, and I just ruined it for you by telling you the villain gets it? Yeah right. Sorry 'bout that.:-) If Rickman is the guy I love to hate, Willis is the guy I hate to love. Lots of violence. Lots of explosions in most of what he does, but check out _Twelve Monkeys_ or _Fifth Element_. They work, and so does he. Willis's character in _Die Hard_, John McClane, has depth. Marital conflict. Head trips. The audience cares about him too. He's not just a slip filling the hero role. Willis has a way of delivering, and allowing others around him to shine. Bottom line: This is to action films as Hank Williams is to Country music: it engages people who normally dislike the genre. Even if you aren't the action film type, _Die Hard_ is worth a try.
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Summary: Wonderful action movie. A tribute to personal responsibility
Review: The Bruce Willis character is obviously someone who will lay his life on the line when push comes to shove. I wish our current president had taken a page from the John McLane handbook instead of going AWOL from the National Guard (of all the places that you can go AWOL from that has to be the lamest). What if instead taking out the terrorists, McLane had decided to let them escape and then formed a task force to 'go after' them using taxpayer money? What if he had never found the head honcho terrorist but instead decided that there were other terrorists who weren't as tough or cunning to fight and had a lot of natural resources which coincidentally McLane's family business was capable of making use of? All of these Democrats served in the military: Al Gore, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, Wes Clark, Gray Davis, David Bonior (one of the Baghdad Boys), and Max Cleland served in Vietnam. Ted Kennedy, Walter Mondale and Chuck Rangel served in Korea. Jimmy Carter ('No president of the United States in the twentieth century served more time in the military than Carter' - John Eisenhower), John Glenn and George McGovern served in WW II. All of these Republicans dodged the draft: George W Bush, Dick 'I had other priorities during Vietnam' Cheney, Tom 'the minorities took all the good positions in the army so I had to be a Bugman during 'Nam (by the way I'm Not French)' DeLay, Rudy Giuliani, Dennis Hastert, Trent Lott, Bill Frist, John Ashcroft, Jeb Bush, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Ronal Reagan, Saxby Chambliss, George Will, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Bennett, Michael Savage, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Ralph Reed and Ted Nugent. What political outfit do you think John McLane would have voted for?
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Summary: Superb Action, But A Very Non-Tolerant Message
Review: This was a fantastic action flick, but the deeper message cannot be ignored. John McLane found himself among what everyone perceived as "terrorists." He quickly assumed a "cowboy" posture, even going so far as to adopt the name "Roy" (Rogers). He then acted unilaterally against the terrorists, seeking to kill them whenever he could. He did not seek to form a coalition, he did not crawl whining to the United Nations, he did not adhere to the principles of diversity, tolerance, inclusion and compassion -- he just got to work killing the terrorists. The result he obtained was wiping out the terrorist threat because, if this unilateral cowboy had not killed the terrorists, they would have killed him. Shouldn't John have reached out to these fellow human beings? Shouldn't he have sat in the corner doing yoga, asking himself "Why do they hate us?" Shouldn't he have considered the culture from which they came, or their religious history? Why did people enjoy this film so much, seeing a guy behave as John did, merely greasing a terrorist whenever he saw one and completely eliminating the terrorist threat?
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Summary: the best of the die hards
Review: This movie absolutely kicks major ass!!! Bruce Willis is the best in this movie and Alan Rickman is a great evil terrorist. My advice: buy this movie and the other Die Hards. They are the greatest collection to have and in my opinion the best action movies of all time.
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Summary: Dynamic Thrill Classic!
Review: I hadn't watched this movie since seeing it in a real, walk-in theater back in l988. I still remember how electrifying all of this was--and it absolutely galvanized the packed theater, with everyone cheering and whooping and stomping the floor! I watched the DVD version last night and was once more completely hooked. From the first frame to the last, you're galvanized by Bruce Willis like you've never seen him and action and characters who instantly connect. Even the fashion and backdrops that make this an 80s film don't bother you. The characters were delineated so brilliantly that they're timeless. You watch this flick, with 9/11/02 instantly coming to mind and it makes you think of how innocent we all were--when we had villians as simple as Alan Rickman's money-grubbing plan that had nothing to do with terrorism but everything to do with greed. It makes me think of those fantastic Republic serials of the 40s that were edited for lightning fast pace, with thrills galore! Even though "Die Hard" has been relentlessly ripped off countless times, Willis and this master crew of action geniuses bring this movie to electrifying life. It's vibrant, visual, dynamic aura makes "Die Hard" a classic that will be watched a century from now, along with similar action classics, like "Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938)and Republic Studio's collection of mythical serial thrillers like "G-Men versus the Black Dragon" and "Daredevils of the Red Circle."
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Summary: One of the best action movies ever made!
Review: The first in the awesome "Die Hard" movie trilogy is a dynamite, terrifying, and explosive action-packed adventure that has lasted through the ages and still is an unstoppable movie paralleled by so few, even now. In a few ways, it's gotten more unsettling considering how much worse has actually happened in real life than what takes place in this movie. Still, even with all the bad stuff happening, I refuse to let it ruin the fun of 1988s "Die Hard", one of my favorite action movies of all time. The whole adventure begins as just another day for Mr. John McClane, an off-duty police officer who travels from snowy New York City, to visit his estranged wife Holly McClane who he hasn't spoken to in quite a long time following marital turmoil. Holly McClane works in a high-rise office building called Nakatomi Plaza in sunny Los Angeles and is having a party celebrating a business success. However, the supposedly clear blue sky/big sur paradise is turned into a massive cesspool of a nightmare when a vicious band of renegade terrorists led by Hans Gruber break into the lobby of the Nakitomi Plaza and take over the whole place, and holding the partygoers hostage on the 30th floor and sealing off all of the exits and entrances. John McClane whose now on his own, leads a one man army (That's himself) to rescue the hostages and to bring down the vicious group of terrorists. An LAPD officer named Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) receives word of an emergency call from the building but finds nothing suspicious in the lobby (according to what he thought) but when about to take off, believing that it was "nothing more than a wild goose chase", he gets a shocking wake up call and then, the action really gets going when a large group of LAPD headed by the extremely strict and sometimes mean-spirited Chief of LAPD Sergeant Dwayne Johnson and F.B.I. task forces arrive in attempts to fight the terrorists but only McClane, by himself, can be able to face off against the bad guys and from here, it's a very wild ride. It was "Die Hard" that made me a fan of Bruce Willis's movies and while a good number of others he did such as "Armageddon" are excellent works, the "Die Hard" movie trilogy is to me, his crowning achievements in his career. He is truly awesome in this movie, playing the often disgruntled and stressed-out NYPD officer. The one who truly steals the spotlight is none other than the then newcomer Alan Rickman. Rickman's role as the quiet but dangerously cunning terrorist ringleader Hans Gruber is absolutely unforgettable and it deservedly brought Rickman's incredible talent to light. Although Bruce Willis' character is the main one in this movie, I have to hand it to ya, Alan Rickman is the shining star in this movie and his character Hans Gruber is by far the best of all of the Die Hard villains. I'm not too familiar with his movies as of writing this review but the ones I've seen ("Harry Potter" "Sorcerer's Stone", "Chamber of Secrets, "Galaxy Quest") with him in it are great. Then we got the warmhearted character Al Powell played by none other than the "Family Matters" star Reginald VelJohnson. Reginald was perfect for the role of playing the warmhearted Al Powell and made for some excellent extra entertainment. I couldn' have thought of a better choice. Overall, "Die Hard" really benefits from a brilliant cast, excellent plot, and astounding directing by John McTierman and from all of this, this film succeeds on so many levels that there are no peers except it's sequels but they are different in their own unique way. While I could argue about whether this or 1990's "Die Harder" being superior, This movie is without a doubt the most fun and original of them all, even if it is rivaled by it's 1990 sequel but there's no denying that this one though is the most praised and loved classic of them all. "Die Hard" spawned an endless conveyor belt of action movies that borrowed a lot of action and plot patterns very similar to these movies. Some were great, some were duds but "Die Hard" is the grandfather of them all. Bruce Willis has made quite a few great movies since this one such as "Fifth Element", & "Armageddon" but the Die Hard movies to me, remain his crowning achievements of his career. The DVD includes the movie itself on the disc one with theatrical trailors and improved visual quality. The second disc contains commentary (whoopy..), interviews with the actors, as well as deleted scenes that failed to make it into the main movie itself. As for me, I'm not a fan of deleted scenes and I usually find them to be quite boring if you ask me. As a result, I'm in no major hurry to replace my VHS edition any time soon. The movie transfer is amazing, as the original version was well ahead of it's time when released but the DVD transfer improves it to make it an even more hard-hitting edge classic for the ages. All in all, there are lots of great action movies out there that have been spawned in the wake of the Die Hard movie trilogy but I recommend this movie out of all of them. While most of the other action movies are based on just action and fun, "Die Hard" takes those elements and blends them with intelligent dialog, awesome directing and unbelievable cinematography that propels the Die Hard movies so many miles above their peers. I also recommend "Speed" (Avoid "Cruise Control") as that one in it's own ways, rivals the punch of "Die Hard" and has even more action. Overall though, no action movies even the sequels have toyed with action and fun the way the 1988 original did and thus, this movie is a definite essential. Get the two sequels as well. This movie series started strong with this 1988 original and ended "With A Vengeance" with the "Die Hard 3: With A Vengeance". I could give this movie countless stars but have to give it a five because that's the highest I'm able to rate it here. Buy the "Ultimate Collection" box set with the movies boxed in one! I'm finally exhausted of words for now. Enjoy the movie and have a good time!
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Summary: Great movie that impacted hundreds of movies
Review: Die Hard is an excellent movie that has impacted action movies since the moment it was released. The story involves New York cop John McClane who is visiting his wife in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve at the huge Japanese corporation at which she works. At the company Christmas party, German quasi terrorists take over the building so that they may steal the $640 million dollars in the company's safe. McClane escapes them, but then must try and get the building and all the hostages back by taking on all of the terrorists himself. All the action stereotypes are started here and there is nothing wrong with that. This movie is fully enjoyable and should not be missed. Look at any action movie made after Die Hard, and you will see its obvious influences. This is the role that defined Bruce Willis as an action star. His street smart, shooting one-liners from the hip, no nonsense cop John McClane is a great character. Even with all the stereotypes, you still believe he can actually save the day even though he is just one man. Alan Rickman gives another excellent performance as the bad guy you love to hate, Hans Gruber, the leader of the terrorists taking over the building. The film also stars Reginald Veljohnson as the cop on McClane's side as he battles the terrorists, Bonnie Bedelia as John's wife Holly, Paul Gleason as the moronic chief of police, Hart Brochner as a conniving coworker of Holly, and a very funny role for De'voreaux White as John's limo driver, Argyle. The Five Star Collection DVD is well worth it for fans of this movie. The two disc DVD has too many extras to mention, but if you like this movie, you will love this DVD. Action fans everywhere will love this action classic that inspired a new generation of action films!
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Summary: One of our favorite Christmas movies....
Review: For several years, without fail, my wife and I would watch "Die Hard" along with "It's a Wonderful Life," "A Christmas Story," and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," our list of can't-miss Christmas movies. "Die Hard" we'd view at other times, but we haven't been able to watch it for a couple of years, because of our two young children who get up late and go to bed late. We do miss it. One sign of a great film is that you can watch it over and over again and enjoy it just as much each time; precious few action films are that good. This one is, which is why it began a new action formula. I saw "Die Hard" with a friend the summer of '88, and when I went back to college that fall, I convinced my wife (then girlfriend) to go see it with me while it was still in the theater. She didn't think she'd like it, as she hadn't yet seen a modern action film that she really liked, but she loved this one for its humanity as well as the fun quotient. Willis' character John McClane is not the virtually superhuman, ex-special forces hero who simply cannot die or fail, so typical in action movies of the time; he is very real and human, like Michael Biehn's Reese in "The Terminator." Though it's predictable enough for you to know that McClane will foil the bad guys, at times you don't know whether he will ultimately survive his ordeal, and the viewer really cares about that. Unlike most action movies of the time, there are only two suspend-your-disbelief moments: the big one is McClane's fall inside the large, vertical air shaft where he miraculously catches a small opening a couple floors down; the runner up is the fire-hose-as-a-harness jump off the blown-up roof, improbable because of how poorly he ties it to himself, as well as the fact that the hose reel likely would have been blown off the building in the explosion. Apart from these, everything that he does could be accomplished by an intelligent, experienced cop. Action films are so much better when they are well grounded in reality, and don't depend on unbelievable luck or superhuman feats. This film is also realistic about the capabilities of the weapons and explosives used. So many films are not, especially with regard to guns and the power of different kinds of ammunition. I remember laughing hysterically at a scene in Steven Seagal's "Hard to Kill," where his and Kelly LeBrock's characters are making a getaway from several bad guys armed with full-auto AR-15 assault rifles. Her little Jeep has a light fiberglass hard top, and as the vehicle's top, sides, and windshield are riddled with dozens of bullet holes from around and overhead, our heroes are neither hit nor killed, which would have easily happened even if the bad guys only had 9mm weapons to penetrate the vehicle. They want you to believe that the bullets were barely able to make the holes and fell into the vehicle as harmless lumps of brass and lead, but the extremely powerful bullets of the AR-15 could only be stopped by the engine block and a few parts of the suspension and frame, otherwise they would sail through and through the Jeep and still be able to kill someone hiding behind it. Its 53-grain .223 bullet (used by the DC-area snipers) has a muzzle velocity of about 3,300 feet per second (2,250 mph or 3,620 kph), compared to about 1,400 fps (955 mph or 1,536 kph) for the huge and legendary 200-grain .44 magnum, and 1,200 fps (818 mph or 1,317 kph) for the workhorse 115-grain 9mm. Most people have no clue how powerful even the lower-powered ammunition is. Many films might show a heavy, wooden conference table like the one in this film stopping the "low-power" 9mm rounds, but when McClane successfully shoots Marco through the table with his Beretta pistol ("Thanks for the advice!"), we see an accurate display of why the 9mm is the favorite round of law enforcement everywhere. The bad guys' Uzi machine guns are 9mm also, as is Hans' stylish little pistol (I do believe); only Karl has a high-powered weapon in reserve. Such a well-organized group of bad guys would want their weapons to use the same ammo, as depicted, so they could share easily, or use a fallen man's ammo if necessary. John McClane certainly makes it necessary, doesn't he...! Anyway, characters in these films need not be one-dimensional and narrowly focused to move the action along. You can have character development, even with bad guys, and have great one-liners too. You can have a macho good guy who suffers from human frailty. For an action film, this one has it all: great casting and good acting; good plot and writing; good sound, effects, and great stunts; good directing and editing. "Die Hard" is excellent entertainment and the perfect action movie, very deserving of this special edition DVD! If you don't have it, buy it today!
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Summary: "Die Hard" in Outstanding Action
Review: Perhaps the most influential action movie ever made, "Die Hard" transcended 80's action cliches when it debuted back in 1988, and it still outperforms most action films today. Bruce Willis is perfectly cast as a real guy hero, walking around barefoot, tired and wounded for most of the film as he gets trapped in a a 40-story tower when terrorists, led by an exceptional Alan RIckman, come in and take over. The film was brought to the screen by producing team Lawerence Oliver (Predator) and Joel Silver (Predator, The Matrix, Swordfish) who seem to have a knack for pulsating action films. It doesn't hurt that they have Director John McTiernan (Predator, The Hunt for Red October) on their team. He directs "Die Hard" with laser-like precision, with not one shot out of place or one directorial trick misused. McTiernan knows how to string together intense but watchable action sequences, and his style seems taylor-made for "Die Hard." Also working on "Die Hard" were "Predator" editors John F. Link and and Frank J. Urioste, who bring to "Die Hard" the same quick-paced sensibilities that they brought to that particular alien action thriller. What also makes "Die Hard" and enduring film was the film works as a swift-paced character study as well as a a heart-racing action film. You care about McClaine: His problems with his wife, his separation from his family and his attempts to defuse the terrorist [danger] by himself. You love to hate Alan Rickman, who portrays Hans Gruber, as a slick theif using his former terrorist past as a cover for his heist. Also along the way, you get to know a haunted street cop (Reginald Johnson), McClaines' wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and Grubers' right hand man (Alexander Godunov). Instead of the typical brainless action thriller, "Die Hard" pulls out all the stops to be anything but hollow-headed.
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