We have come upon December and with it the holiday season, which opens the door for an entire genre of films to be enjoyed at this special time of year. Today’s film is no exception and is often discussed as one of the best Christmas films of all time. Of course, I am talking about the Christmas classic Die Hard! But let us waste no time before diving into this holiday season movie. This is Die Hard!
Die Hard was released in theaters in July, 1988. The story was based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. The film was directed by John McTiernan, written by the pair Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza who adapted the novel to the screenplay. The score was produced by Michael Kamen. The stars of the film were Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, and Reginald Veljohnson. When New York cop John McClane attends a holiday party in an attempt to reconcile with his estranged wife, the festivities are indefinitely put on hold when a band of terrorists seize control of the building. Outnumbered and outgunned McClane is all that stands between these hostages and tragedy.
Despite a running time of two hours Die Hard is phenomenally paced, and McTiernan’s knack for directing thrilling action is as good here as it was in Predator. This was the frontrunner that started the action movie genre in which our protagonist has to triumph over overwhelming odds with minimal resources. The film’s writing succeeds not only as a thrilling action movie, but as a Christmas movie as well. McClane is a far more relatable protagonist than standard action movie protagonists of the era. When his plans go awry, he doesn’t have the brawn to power through these terrorists, so he instead uses his brain.
The performances in Die Hard are quite the treat as well. Rickman was an unknown in Hollywood at this point in time and was mostly known as a Broadway actor. His Hollywood debut as Gruber is legendary. Similar compliments extend to Veljohnson as a marvelous supporting actor and to Willis’ engaging performance as our unlikely hero. Among the film’s cast were faces such as Paul Gleason and Clarence Gilyard who also offer wonderful performances.
Being a Christmas film we do get some lovely holiday jingles alongside noteworthy standouts from Kamen’s score. The film also makes good use of extremely practical sets. The feature was filmed entirely on location at Fox Plaza within Los Angeles, the real life inspiration for Nakatomi Tower. The building had not yet been opened to the public as it was still under construction. Throughout the film audiences get a glimpse of the construction sites at various points in the movie.
Die Hard is largely an adaptation of the novel Nothing Lasts Forever, which in turn was originally inspired by the movie The Towering Inferno. The original script for the movie was changed a handful of times. In the original script, the events took place over a period of three days as opposed to just a single night as in the final film. Other changes included changing the motivations of Hans and his team, so they would be more engaging for a summer blockbuster.
The film was made on a budget of $35 million and only expected to be a moderate hit in theaters. But it ended up becoming a mega hit, making $141 million during its theatrical run. The film, as mentioned above, also gave birth to a whole new genre of film while also spawning four direct sequels. Die Hard was released to a mixed critical reception but it got an overwhelmingly positive audience response. Overall, it was viewed exceedingly favorably by the film world and is often part of the discussion when talking about the most influential action films of all time. Die Hard was also inducted into the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress in 2017, an honor reserved for films that are deemed visually, historically, or aesthetically significant.
This film was also responsible for propelling the career of its main lead Bruce Willis as he was primarily a TV actor at this point. Also, he was the third choice for the role of John McClane, with the first two being Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone respectively, both of whom passed on the role, and a good thing too. Willis makes this role his own and Die Hard wouldn’t be the same without him.
Die Hard is not only an action film but also one of the most poignant Christmas movies ever made. The film left such an impact on Hollywood that many projects try passing themselves off as the next Die Hard. Yet no film has ever come close to dethroning the original summer blockbuster. I very much recommend checking out this holiday classic if you haven’t done so yet! I’ve even partnered with Amazon to bring you a specialized purchase link for Die Hard! These links help support my reviews at no additional cost to you. If you haven’t seen Die Hard yet what are you waiting for? It is a holiday classic and a fantastic action movie. It has my highest recommendation!
