Die Hard

There’s little doubt that Die Hard remains one of the most entertaining and flat-out thrilling examples of the action genre, and one would certainly be hard-pressed to find more than a couple of overt faults within the film’s 131-minute running time. From John McTiernan’s stylish direction to the uniformly effective performances to Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza’s sharp screenplay, Die Hard is rife with positive attributes and – unlike some of its ’80s action-movie brethren – the film still holds up surprisingly well today. The now-infamous storyline – which finds Bruce Willis’ John McClane forced to take on several terrorists (led by, of course, Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber) within the confines of a towering skyscraper – is packed with memorable supporting characters and a whole host of unexpected twists, though it’s clear right from the get-go that Die Hard‘s success is due primarily to Willis’ star-making, thoroughly ingratiating performance. Rickman’s turn as the smarmy yet charismatic Gruber is equally effective, and it’s certainly not difficult to see why the character now ranks among the most memorable villains in cinematic history. A slight case of overlength notwithstanding, Die Hard is undoubtedly deserving of all the kudos and critical acclaim it’s received over the years and – given the current state of the action genre – it seems highly unlikely that it’ll be topped anytime soon.

**** out of ****