‘Yippee Ki‐Yay…’
I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And also a time to watch a man in a dirty vest murdering terrorists. Ladies and gentlemen – Die Hard…
Die Hard (1988) – 10/10
Die Hard is to action movies what Alien was to horror and sci-fi. A game changer. For action movies, there is before Die Hard and after Die Hard. In the decades since the film’s release, the amount of imitators that have attempted to recapture the magic of Die Hard is astonishing (Die Hard in a boarding school, Die Hard on a plane, Die Hard on a mountain and on and on). Watching it again so many years later, everything that made the film so electrifying upon release is still very much present and correct. Bruce Willis gives a career-best performance as John McClane. Director John McTiernan weaves together a bunch of narrative threads (the limo driver, the sidekick, the terrorists, McClane himself) whilst still making us care about all of them. And that’s without mentioning Alan Rickman’s unimpeachable turn as the unforgettable antagonist Hans Gruber.
What makes Die Hard so appealing is that John McClane is not a superhero or a mutant or even a particularly willing cop – he’s just a normal guy caught in an abnormal situation. Every other film in the franchise forgets this magical element to some extent.
Die Hard 2 (1990) – 8/10
I’m often surprised by the breadth and intensity of the ‘Is Die Hard a Christmas film?’ discourse (it is, of course). But what does surprise me is that nobody claims the same for Die Hard 2. For my money, Renny Harlin’s sequel is much more festive than the film that preceded it. There is snow and Christmas lights all over this thing, not to mention the many Christmas songs that make it onto the soundtrack. This cosy factor almost makes up for the fact that the plot is much more implausible this time around. The chances of this happening again to so many different people who were involved in the first movie are incredibly slim.
That being said, Die Hard 2 boasts an excellent ensemble cast (William Sadler, Dennis Franz, Bonnie Bedelia etc) and in terms of visuals and spectacle, it is probably the most impressive film in the franchise.
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
Original director John McTiernan is back but everything else is different. The action has moved from L.A. to McClane’s spiritual home of New York City, McClane’s wife Holly is estranged and doesn’t appear here at all and instead of snow and Christmas lights we have bright sunshine and heat rising from vents. The other big difference is the addition of Jeremy Irons and particularly Samuel L. Jackson – the latter of whom provides a real shot in the arm to the franchise and whose incredulous wise-crackery dovetails beautifully with Willis’ world-weary, booze-soaked smartassery.
While the third act doesn’t quite live up to the potential set-up in the opening hour of the movie, Die Hard with a Vengeance is still a rip-roaring good time and the last truly great film in the franchise.