Film of the Week #25 - Die Hard

Karl Hungus

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095016/

Not sure there's much for me to say about this film. It's one of the quintessential action films of all time, and there's hardly a fault with the film. It's perfectly paced, there's a sense of mounting tension that few action films manage to pull off, and then there's Alan Rickman's preformance as one of the best baddies to be put on screen.

Discuss.

Kingp35

Definitely in my top 5 favourite movies and for me it's the best action movie ever made. What I love about it is that McClane is just an average cop caught in the wrong place and the wrong time. He gets his ass kicked throughout the entire movie giving us that iconic blood soaked vest. Willis is excellent as McClane and delivers the one liners perfectly (many of which he ad libed). Alan Rickman was superb as Hand Gruber and as Karl says he is one of the all time best bad guys.

Imagine if first choice Richard Gere had got the part of McClane :eek:

Karl Hungus

Kingp35 wrote:

Definitely in my top 5 favourite movies and for me it's the best action movie ever made.

Personally, I wouldn't say best.

I mean, as great as it is, it's not quite up there with Leon. Even Alan Rickman can't compete with Gary Oldman's phenominal preformance as Stansfield in that film.

Tusky

Karl Hungus wrote:

Personally, I wouldn't say best.

I mean, as great as it is, it's not quite up there with Leon. Even Alan Rickman can't compete with Gary Oldman's phenominal preformance as Stansfield in that film.

Leon, an action movie ?

Duggy747

You could class Leon as an Action movie.

Die Hard is a definitely a defining moment of 80's action movie and without a doubt a benchsetter for future action films that came afterwards. It brought us McClane who would be hard to imagine without Willis taking the helm. McClane wasn't like an unstoppable machine that was normally portrayed by Arnie, Stallone, Norris, etc. He was more of a person most could warm due to his weaknesses: he could get injured, was like an everyday joe caught in a bizzare situation, a lot of things he tried would cock-up. Back then it was completely fresh and even today it's still a fresh release from all these so-called action heroes who are more like metrosexual, emotional types where the obligatory weaknesses are portrayed to give us "character development", *groan*! That and the must-have obligatory romance scene has been getting old forever. I'm still shocked that in The Hithcer remake the 2 MTV-teen protagonists had time to feel horny after all the murdering that was going on, especially while a loon was stalking them

Die Hard is definitely in my top 10 movies and especially Top 5 (along with Aliens, T-2, The Matrix 1, and Robocop).

And to finish the post with a classy quote from Die Hard:

Hans: Mr. Mystery Guest? Are you still there?
John: Yeah, I'm still here. Unless you wanna open the front door for me.
Hans: Uh, no I'm afraid not. But you have me at a loss. You know my name but who are you? Just another American who saw too many movies as a child? Another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he's John Wayne? Rambo? Marshall Dillon?
John: Was always kinda' partial to Roy Rogers actually. I really dig those sequined shirts.
Hans: Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mystery Cowboy?
John: Yippee-ki-yay, motherfúcker.

(I love imitating Hans, sounds like an evil toad or something )

Karl Hungus

Tusky wrote:

Leon, an action movie ?

I suppose it depends on your definition, but yes, I'd consider it an action film. It's certainly more than just a simple action film at that though.

senordingdong

I think it's amazing how it's an action film that doesn't seem to degrade with time.
Everybody has these movies that they will always own and rewatch every now and again, because they mean something to them, they are close to that particular film. For example, a friend of mine loved Edward Scissorhands since she was a child and rewatches it regularly, and always cries at the end. I would ahve imagined that after seeing it so many times, the blow would be softened but like I said, it's special to her.
Everybody has a movie like this in their collection.

Now action films are the ones that are pre-required to degrade with repeated watching. But that's the beauty of Die Hard. It's just as entertaining everytime you watch it but without needing a personal attachment to it.

ixoy

Excellent movie - have it twice over on DVD. As has been said, it re-defined the action movie.

What's great about it (and what makes me worry about 4.0) is the fact that McClane is just an ordinary guy who gets caught up in a mess. He's not invulnerable - either emotionally or physically. Take the scene where he races across a room with glass spraying everywhere. Nowadays, the hero would be fine or vault across the room. McClane spends the next ten minutes on the phone in pain, picking glass shards from his feet, and yet then still summons up the reserves to keep fighting.

Outside McClane, there's some superb action scenes. I still adore the moment when the news crew are idling by, wondering if it's an interesting story, and McClane drops a bunch of explosives down the lift shaft and we see a smashing fireball. "You got that. Tell me you got that", says the awe-struck reporter and myself.
Lots of other great lines, and not just the famous one plus great deliveries, particularly from Alan Rickman: "Now I have a gun. Ho. Ho. Ho." And noone has ever said "F.B.I." better than him in the history of the universe.

Great film with fairly decent follow-ups. All time classic of the genre (and as an all out action movie, my personal favourite).

senordingdong

Not to mention the two F.B.I. agents having the same name.
A really unusual gag for the type of movie.

CerebralCortex

Tusky wrote:

Leon, an action movie ?

Damn you got their first.

Jello

Fantastic film, very re-watchable, great action sequences. Definitely one of my favourite action films too and a well deserved FOTW. Alan Rickman was brilliant - a very memorable movie villain, and Willis... don't think I need to say any more

So now just hoping and hoping 4.0 will be ace.

johnny_ultimate

I think as a child of the 90s I perhaps cannot appreicate Die Hard for what it really is.
My first watch was within the last 18 months and I did thouroughly enjoy it. Its a perfectly exciting action film, with some iconic moments and great scenes throughout. But I think having watched all kinds of imitators following in it's wake prior to even watching this, the impact was kind of lost on me.
It is a wildly entertaining popcorn film, but for me it is just that, and I cannot say I hold it in the same high regard as every other poster thus far.

Karl Hungus

CerebralCortex wrote:

Damn you got their first.

Ok! I give up! What kind of film is Leon so?

johnny_ultimate wrote:

It is a wildly entertaining popcorn film, but for me it is just that, and I cannot say I hold it in the same high regard as every other poster thus far.

I won't say you're wrong, but it is a film that's meant to entertain, and it hits that target perfectly.

Paligulus

Die Hard did for the action genre what citizen kane did for spinning newspapers.

End of discussion!!! lol!!!

qwertplaywert

IMO its THE best action movies of all time, and one of the best movies overall
AND BEST VILLIAN EVER!

randomchild

Die Hard song

An amazing song based on the trilogy. The bridge is absolutely quality!

Eirebear

Hmm, interesting decision this week.
Would it really make it into the forefront of everyones mind if it wasnt for the (worryingly) imminent 4.0?

Dont get me wrong, as an out and out action film, its certainly up with the best (doesnt come into the same category as leon for me), but thats all it is, but i just wouldnt have it up there in my all time favourite" list.

All in all though, its definetly an Iconic film....Yip Ki Ay!, Willis' Vest and the afforementioned Rickman.
ya know what?
Good call!

Lemming

I whole heartedly endorse this product and/or service.

One of the most entertaining action films I've ever watched (and watched and watched and ... etc.). It just doesn't seem to degrade over time.

Jesus Wept

ah Die Hard, my favourite Christmas Movie

BopNiblets

Must watch this again,
And you guys must watch this! http://joblo.com/stiller-in-die-hard

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Die Hard is my all-time favourite movie. There's something about it, that makes it stand out from all other films.
It's one of the films on the Film Studies course in UCD and it was great watching the reactions of people who hadn't seen it before when we watched it in class.
For an action movie, the dialouge is priceless and it definitely qualifies as the ultimate lads movie, for a night in front of the tv with the lads and a couple of cans.
If you want to experience the movie to it's fullest extent, get your mates over, supply some beer and movie food, such as nachos and popcorn, and watch the trilogy back to back. Everytime you do this it is better than the last and before you know it, you and your friends can re-enact the entire film word for word. How many other films can be that enjoyable?

BlitzKrieg

randomchild wrote:

Die Hard song

An amazing song based on the trilogy. The bridge is absolutely quality!

i love it.


Die Hard Trilogy is probably my second favourite trilogy (after the Alien trilogy) It did action so different to other films at the time and the sequels (not so much the 2nd) expanded on its unique action set pieces (less *uber tech stuff* more creative use of everyday stuff) and I dont care what anyone says, it die hard 3 had a better ending it would have been better then the 1st one, but 1 had a great ending and 3 had an ok ending.


On the topic of 4. I hated the initial trailer, from its horrible title to the plot. But the last trailer I saw shows that at least they are keeping the creative action scene elements.

PullMyFinger!

Recently re-watched all 4 films and just had to see if this had been a FOTW, Im glad to see it was

All has been said here already. I dont know of any other film so easy to re-watch. A genuine classic and the best action film of all time.

If I was to rate the 4 Id go;

1
3
2
4

grames_bond

PullMyFinger! wrote: »

If I was to rate the 4 Id go;

1
3
2
4

you would rate the 3rd movie as second best?! that is regarded as the worst out of the 4 (i still loved it tho, but not as much as the others) bruce willis says he didnt even like 2 or 3, he rates 1 and 4 as the best!

Necronomicon

grames_bond wrote: »

you would rate the 3rd movie as second best?! that is regarded as the worst out of the 4 (i still loved it tho, but not as much as the others) bruce willis says he didnt even like 2 or 3, he rates 1 and 4 as the best!

Each to their own. 4 would be at the bottom of mine as well.

PullMyFinger!

grames_bond wrote: »

you would rate the 3rd movie as second best?! that is regarded as the worst out of the 4 (i still loved it tho, but not as much as the others) bruce willis says he didnt even like 2 or 3, he rates 1 and 4 as the best!

Willis has said different things in different interviews, tbh I think he's just covering his arse In one he's said Die Hard 2 is the most under-rated of the (at the time) 3 and he loved it.

MooseJam

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Ok! I give up! What kind of film is Leon so?

It's a romance