It’s scary to think that the Die Hard films first came out 25 years ago, 4 years before I was even born. Now we have five of them and one must wonder if there will be an end to them.
The first film in the series, known simply as Die Hard, was brought to us in 1988 by director John McTiernan.
John McClane (Bruce Willis) of the NYPD finds himself in trouble when a gang of terrorists take over the hotel where his wife and others are throwing a Christmas party. But McClane is a hard man to kill, regardless of how reluctant he is to be the hero.
The Die Hard series is known for its impressive displays of explosions, action sequences and mind-boggling stunts. And the first film is no exception. Guns and explosions galore, tense moments and crazy concepts, this film is a true roller coaster ride of epic action.
I loved Bruce Willis’ portrayal of John, the reluctant hero, who tries to cover his fear and panic with stubbornness, cursing and jokes. Throughout the film his character blossoms into this determined and slightly dark figure.
What I didn’t overly like was the storyline, which seemed to be jumbled around and in places had no purpose. But you can look past this thanks to the brilliant combo of acting, special effects and stunts.
My favourite moments and scenes include Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) killing Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi (James Shigeta)… the blood was very 80s looking; John versus the blonde guy with the glasses; putting the blonde guy’s body in the elevator with a Santa’s hat and ‘Now I have a machine gun HO HO HO’ scrawled on his shirt… nice taunt; the blowing up of a police’s RV… yikes; John chucking an explosive strapped to a computer monitor down an elevator shaft… the result is a humongous explosion; the scene where there’s glass everywhere… all I can say is poor John’s bare feet; John jumping of the roof just as it explodes… typical Die Hard fashion; and finally John’s wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), punching a reporter. What fun!
And my favourite quotes from this film are:
- ‘Of all the terrorists in the world I had to kill, it had to be one with feet smaller than my sister.’ – John
- ‘Yipee ki ay mother f*cker!’ – John
Overall, this movie is a brilliant introduction to an action-packed series, with many unique ideas and some humour thrown in that makes for a rather interesting watch.
An 8.1 out of 10.
Reviewer's Digest 