Die Hard
 

Director: John McTiernan
Writers: Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza,
  from the novel Nothing Lasts Forever
  by Roderick Thorp
Cast:

• Bruce Willis — John McClane, NYPD
    
• Bonnie Bedelia — Holly Gennero McClane
• Hart Bochner — Harry Ellis
• Alexander Godunov — Karl
• Alan Rickman — Hans Gruber
• Reginald VelJohnson — Al Powell, LAPD
• Devoreaux White — Argyle

Twentieth Century Fox, 1988

 
Die Hard is an action-adventure movie, realistic, exciting, and suspenseful. The dramatic unity is tightly focused: a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles high-rise office building, and a New York policeman who happens to be visiting his estranged wife at an after-hours company party in the building, and decides he must do what he can to stop them.

Bruce Willis propels the movie. He is a never-say-quit, die-hard sort of guy, a regular cop who is a creative, tough, and determined fighter. Being severely outnumbered and outgunned simply makes him thoughtful without slowing down his inventive countermeasures.

Reginald VelJohnson is a Los Angeles police sergeant, the first official outsider on the scene, who develops a walkie-talkie rapport trying to coordinate with Willis inside the building.

Alan Rickman is excellent as the head of the gang, with a great mix of sophisticated underplay and ruthless overplay. The villains are scary and their villainy well-motivated.

The plotting moves quickly with some fine dramatic surprises and even a few unexpected bits of humor. At a few points, some extra dialogue would have justified or smoothed over some unlikely progressions, but nothing too critical.

Die Hard is well done and very enjoyable; an excellent film.

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© 2007 Robert Wilfred Franson