I watched "Die Hard" (1988) for the second time recently!
Let's talk about it!
I had two sources of inspiration to rewatch "Die Hard": first, I watched it for the first time during my first parental leave and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and so I had the urge to include it in my second leave. The second inspiring push came from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", as the film is practically required viewing for the series. Given that Husband and I are currently on round three of watching the series in its entirety (Michael Schur does it again!), I'm excited to pick up on all of the allusions to "Die Hard" that I missed the first two times because the movie wasn't fresh in my mind.
Overall, "Die Hard" is such a great popcorn-popping action movie. It's packed with fun action and has great silly quotable lines. In the grand "Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas movie?" debate, I am solidly in the "Yes this is definitely a Christmas movie!" camp. Frankly, its Christmas movie status only enhances it, as it is pretty impressive to be an action movie for all seasons that can also accompany the merriest time of the year.
Especially given some of the movies I've been watching lately, I particularly appreciate and am pleasantly surprised by the great feminist messaging around Bruce Willis's John McClane recognizing the importance of supporting his wife’s career and being able to apologize. He even concludes the film by introducing his wife (played by Bonnie Bedelia) with her professional unmarried name, Holly Gennaro, which gives her the opportunity to correct him by using her married name to signal that their reconciliation is within sight. It is so charming that a hard-hitting action movie includes the feminist undertones!
It's also interesting seeing who "Die Hard" casts as the bad guys. It's probably ignorant of me, but choosing mostly vaguely German/European dudes to be the film's terrorists seems like the only acceptable version of “generic foreign terrorists” anymore, and seems borderline progressive for the 1980s. In addition to these trope-y villains, "Die Hard" also lampoons inept, stubborn, and myopic police leadership, over-confident federal agencies, and an "if it bleeds, it leads" news media.
Inarguably, the biggest reason "Die Hard" retains its indisputable charm is that Bruce Willis is SO likable. As McClane, Willis is a just-right balance of cynical cop, adrenaline-fueled daredevil, and scrappy underdog. It is striking how much he sweats, bleeds, and gets banged up, as well as the fact that he starts off his ordeal at a special disadvantage because he spends most of the movie barefoot. Willis skillfully balances the human and incredible aspects of McClane to make him an extremely fun hero to root for.
But it's not only Willis's performance that clinches this movie's status as an officially rewatchable romp. Bonnie Bedelia is a no-nonsense and well-regarded competent professional woman who isn't above punching a reporter who exploited her family's plight or offering softness and hope for her marriage. Alan Rickman is both delightfully and ruthlessly wicked as the infamous Hans Gruber--his infamy so preceding him that [spoiler] I was surprised at his demise at the end of the movie. The quickly forged bantering yet affectionate camaraderie that develops between McClane and Reginald VelJohnson's Sgt. Al Powell is a great expository device. This relationship also enjoys a satisfying two-part conclusion once the two officers finally meet face-to-face, with the two men clearly caring for and appreciating each other and Powell reconnecting with his competence as he takes out the last bad guy.
With all it has going for it, it is perhaps unsurprising that I gave "Die Hard" a 5.
{Heart}
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