Rating: 
Summary: Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho
Review: Die Hard is action film director John McTiernan's ( Predator, Die Hard With a Vengeance, The Hunt For Red October, Last Action Hero) best work and is certainly one of the best action films ever made. Followed by two lesser but good and entertaining sequels, Die Hard 2: Die Harder and Die Hard With a Vengeance. The basic plot of Die Hard is that NYPD cop John McClane (a great performance by Bruce Willis) comes to L.A. to visit his wife when her office party on the top floor of a 40 story building is crashed by terrorists. Willis must play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the terrorists to rescue everybody, a plot that has been re-used in several films with different settings (battleship, train, plane, etc.) including Under Seige, Under Seige 2: Dark Territory, and Air Force One. Alan Rickman is really good as head baddie Hans Gruber, a cold, ruthless, calculating, slick, desperate, and ultimately cruel villain. In my opinion he and Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons) compete to be the best Die Hard villain. Though there are too many supporting characters, they play their parts well, including Hart Bochner as a smooth-talking hostage who tries to negotiate his way to freedom, William Atherton as a slimy reporter, and Bonnie Bedilia as McClane's wife, Holly. Others include James Shigeta as Joseph Takagi, Reginald VelJohnson as Seargent Al Powell, De'voreaux White as as Argyle, and Robert Davi (Licence To Kill, Maniac Cop 2) as Special Agent Johnson and Grand L. Bush as Agent Johnson (no relation). The skyscraper is an excellent setting, and the explosions and gunfights are nothing short of spectacular. They include a rooftop and helicopter explosion, an armored car being taken out by a rocket launcher, an elevator shaft/first several floors bombing, a rooftop gunfight, a top floor gunfight, and an office gunfight, plus several chases. Oscar nominations for Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects by the visual effects maestro Richard Edlund (three Star Wars films, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, Alien 3, Plotergeist I and II, and 2O1O). No wins for Die Hard. The music is very well done, the cinematography is great, the screenplay is good and has some funny lines, and the makeup is especially outstanding and realistic, showing how it would be if you got shot. Overall, a groundbreaking action film that is a real treat to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Diet
Review: Despite a lacklustre set of DVD extras, and a better-value boxed set, this is the most essential of the 'Die Hard' films. Influential enough to spawn a genre of itself (even today, certain films are 'a bit like Die Hard'), this film combined the '70s disaster movie with a fashionable set of chic european bad guys and a plot which saw a lone hero use wit, courage and an MP5 to defeat a numerically-superior opposing force. Put like that, the film sounds merely adequate, but the beauty is in the execution - 'Die Hard' is polished. It looks and sounds gorgeous, and is paced so that, after a short introduction, it's constant action until the finale. It took Bruce Willis a decade of solid work to step from the shadow of his John McClane character. Only Willis' hair and the awful, awful trailer have dated from 1988.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, fantastic DVD
Review: Die Hard has taken its place among the modern classics. Plot, characterization, musical score... everything is there. Bruce Willis is the resourceful but outmatched hero; Alan Rickman is the ideal villain, with an intelligence and adaptability that many screenwriters strive to produce but few achieve. So much ground has been covered by other reviews that there's no point praising the movie further. The DVD edition, however, is amazing. I've watched Die Hard pan-and-scan for so many years that when I finally saw it widescreen there was just so much more to see. I'm amazed not just at how well widescreen (and DVD's sound quality) enhanced the movie, but at what was missing before. The panning was badly done in the original VHS version, hiding important things unnecessarily. (When Al first enters the building, for example, and walks down the hallway, there is an arm holding a machine gun ready to shoot him if he goes further. This is not visible in the standard version, not because both figures wouldn't fit in the frame but because the panning was just that poor.) DVD sound makes its mark on the movie in a big way when the office chair loaded with C-4 detonates. The special features are decent as well, making this more than just a movie-and-trailer DVD. If you liked the movie in VHS--or if you've never seen it and would like a good action DVD--don't pass this one up.
Rating:
Summary: The Action Film All Others Are Measured Up To!
Review: John McTiernan's DIE HARD is the film that set a new standard in action films. Not only is Bruce Willis charismatic as the realistically foul-mouthed cop John McClane, but the action scenes are somehow believable. The characters seem to look, think, and act like real humans. I'm sure, there are a couple scenes that are unbelievable, but isn't that the point of watching a movie? To see things you can't witness in real life? Alan Rickman plays Hans Greuber who, along with twelve terrorists, decide to take the inhabitants of a skyscrapter hostage. McClane, however, escapes and wages a one-man war against the terrorists, who hold his wife hostage! This is slam-bang action entertainment at its finest, with some witty (and very realistic) dialogue, and its stunning action sequences. This is highly recommended on all counts. Director John McTiernan also directed the third film in the series, DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE.
Rating:
Summary: One of the classic action movies of all time.
Review: This is one of the landmark movies in action movie history. It set the foundation for so many other movies that came after it. "Under Siege" and "Air Force One" are two movies which were in many ways replicates of this thriller. "Die Hard" was Bruce Willis' breakthru flick as far as the box office is concerned. Instead of an attitude-laden wise guy, Willis plays a New York cop who just wants to lead a simple life & has no wish to be a hero. However, he gets caught up in hostage situation in an L.A. skyscraper. From that point on, Willis' character must fight off the bad guys by himself while the F.B.I. and LAPD are more interested in making him the scapegoat of the whole debacle. "Die Hard" does not let up on the amount of action & has no real dry spells where nothing is going on. In fact, action wise, it has probably the most "punch" of any action picture ever made. The 2nd "Die Hard" is o.k., the 3rd one is absurd & silly. However, the original is by far the best & will forever remain an classic for those who love an adrenilene rush along w/their popcorn.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest action films i've seen
Review: This movie has it all. It's not boring- it keeps you into the movie, but without the ridiculous unrealism we see in so many action movies today. It set the formula for many action movies we see now. Probably the best thing about this movie is its realism. There were only three scenes with explosions- and they were pretty much necessary to what was going on. In other action movies, you see just about everything exploding. It just gets stupid and boring. But Die Hard relied on the plot and the suspense rather than the special effects. Another very realistic aspect of this film is how McClane's (Willis') appearance during and at the end of the movie reflects what happened to him. By the end of the movie, his feet are bloody and blackened with dirt, and he has blood and dirt all over this upper body. In some other movies, the hero just seems to be some kind of superhuman who can withstand any near-death experience and emerge unscathed. Another thing I liked about this film is how it avoids stereotyping. The villain, Hans Gruber (Rickman) is just a "common thief" (as they call him in the movie). He was not politically motivated to do what he did. Therefore, the fact that he is German in the movie should not be offensive or stereotypical. The only, and I mean only, fault I can find with this movie was the music. It was boring, dull, and got on my nerves. It was not the kind of music that should be used for and action film. They should've had Hans Zimmer (the master of action music- The Rock, Crimson Tide, Broken Arrow, The Peacemaker...) compose the musical score. Overall, this movie is for just about anyone. It has the exciting action that many people like, but it is not overly unrealistic or crazy like some other action movies. See this movie- you will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: the best action movie ever
Review: hands down, this movie is it. the action, the stunts, the dialogue, the characters, the story, plot twists.. this movie has got it ALL. it flakes on nothing, and highly delivers on everything. it even has urkel's neighbor in it. DA BOMB!
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Die Hards, best of movies!
Review: This has to be the best film ever made, there is so much action. And it does have a very good plot with cool twists, I have heard that a lot of people say that the plot is not at all original but I disigre, at the time the plot was the first of its kind. It set the standards for movies off all kinds. The lines are soo great they have to be some of the best I have heard, it adds humor to the film. And the ignorance of most of the police men clash with the heart of cop that supports McClane (Brue Willis). Just an over all amazing film, A MUST SEE!
Rating:
Summary: Yippi Ki Ya!
Review: Die Hard has set the standard for all action movies to date. Alan Rickman plays one of the best villians I have ever seen, cunning and deadly.
Rating:
Summary: Cool!
Review: Best cop movie ever (other than Bullitt). This film put Bruce Willis on the spot. His performance did not seem made up, but as a real guy in a bad place. Alan Rickman played a great badguy and Bonnie Bedelia played a smart part as Willis's wife stuck with the other hostages. A great and believable film with a down right great director (John McTiernan) this film is all the goods. Great sound, music score and visual effects! Also superb action! Grade:A-
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