Warning: Like I said before, my blogs are going to be filled with spoilers and also may contain graphic scenes not suitable for some readers. If you want my ratings but not a spoiler, scroll down to the bottom of the page to where it says “Credits”
Summary: John McClane, an NY police officer, flies down to LA for Christmas to see his wife at her job’s Christmas party at Nakatomi Corporation, before surprising their kids on Christmas Day. While there, German terrorists begin their heist on the 2.5 billion dollar company, taking the entire floor as hostage, including their CEO, and John’s wife, Molly. John temporarily evades the terrorists, but soon realizes he is trapped inside the building up on the 30th floor with everyone else and he is the only one who can save them.
One of the things that makes this movie great, other than the action-thriller that it is, is the humor. From the very beginning when John meets his limo driver and talks about how he is new, and has never driven a limo before, then followed up with John comforting him saying that its ok because he had never ridden in a limo, either, to the iconic “yippie ki-yay, motherfucker” and then finally at the end when Molly sucker-punches the newsman, the humor in the movie really makes the audience love the characters even more. I love all the wise-ass comments from John to the main German bully, Hans. It shows that he isn’t only a badass hero, but a funny one as well. Any more jokes, tho and it would have taken away from the overall mood of the tense situation at hand. For humor its a 4/5 star.
It’s an action movie, so of course their is going to be blood and death. And in this movie there is plenty of that. In the beginning to when the security guard gets first shot in the head, to when John wrestles a terrorist down the stairs killing him, and putting him in the elevator for the others to see, to all the machine gun spray down deaths and crawling barefoot over shattered glass from the shootouts, the action in this film was amazing. The rocket launchers blowing up the the LAPD’s armored vehicles and the terrorists lining the entire roof with C4 only added to the intensity. For action its a 5/5 star.
This movie is a thriller as well, and I just watched it again, before coming to write this and again, I was on the edge of the couch in anticipation. Camera angles, I think had a big part in it, too. When John was jumping across the empty elevator shaft, the audience could see straight down into the darkness of being on the 30th floor and the fear he must’ve felt. Again when he used his gun to wedge in the wall frame and lower himself down the building by the strap, like he did with the roof fire hose. Again the camera pointed down to show the fall. Finally, when John was Facing Hans and he had his wife at gunpoint, he dropped the machine gun, as per Hans request, but then reached behind him and ripped the packaging tape off his back to pull out his pistol and shot Hans, and another guard, then pushed Hans out the window and watched him fall from the 30th floor. For thriller its a 4.5/5 star.
In the End, John manages to kill all 12 terrorists, and save all the hostages, except for 2, and make it back to his wife and children.
Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Absolutely. The countless Christmas trees, and Christmas songs throughout the movie, in addition to the “Christmas Miracle” it took for John to kill all 12 professionally trained assassins definitely makes it a Christmas movie
CREDITS
So, overall, I would rate this movie 4.5/5 stars. If you have never seen it, definitely watch it, and if you have already seen it, watch it again, but think about Molly and her maiden name, and also what Al said about his gun and what changed. Now, please leave comments, your opinions, any questions you have and any movies you want me to criticize.
Patrick Barton 