Die Hard

For action fans, Die Hard is considered to be the best Christmas film of all time but, to be realistic, there are plenty of other great contenders all competing for that spot. Sure, we never actually see Christmas day in Nakatomi Plaza but then the same can be said of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and much of It's a Wonderful Life takes place in an entirely different season but I don't want to spend too much time debating this as what really constitutes the best festive film is personal to all. Instead, I want to talk about an NYC cop caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Set on Christmas eve, John McClane is caught in a difficult marriage made worse by his decision to stay in New York as a police officer while his successful wife has moved, along with both children, to LA where her successful company are enjoying a festive party in the brand new Nakatomi Plaza. Everything was set for a peaceful night until a German terrorist and his goons take almost everyone hostage except for McClane who must try to save everyone including his wife, and you probably know the rest.

Ironically released in the summer of 1988, Die Hard is directed by the action maestro John McTiernan who had just released Predator a year before and who would go on to direct The Hunt for Red October two years later. Bruce Willis stars as McClane in his first major action role as the average middle aged man pitted against a group of sophisticated, international baddies led by the fantastic Alan Rickman, in a role that also propelled his career in Hollywood.

Watching this today, Die Hard has lost none of its charm and remains a highly enjoyable action thriller, and the best in the franchise by far. Much of this is in thanks to McTiernan's direction, Speed director Jan de Bont's cinematography and just keeping the effects practical. Every action sequence feels exciting and never becomes repetitive with the story perfectly paced throughout. I feel this also benefits from being staged around a confined location where we are reminded what kind of odds McClane is against and the target of the villains. Combined with an entertaining script that offers a nice amount of humour, although I could have done without William Atherton's slimy reporter, this really is a perfect action flick.

Die Hard set the stage for so many action films who have tried to repeat the formula and they so often miss the mark. Here is a film that plays it safe, knows who its audience is and completes its mission to the letter offering two hours of entertainment with just the right hint of festiveness that you could have watched it in the summer of 1988 and still had a very good time.