Posted: 02/08/2011

Die Hard Review

by Robert Baum

Review: Die Hard (1988)

In his latest action spectacular, producer Joel Silver has spared virtually no expense. It has a running time of just over two hours and utilizes very few locations. Its director John McTiernan previously teamed with Silver (and Lawrence Gordon) on last year’s sci-fi actioner Predator. The film stars “Moonlighting” star wiseacre (or vice versa) Bruce Willis. Some might not have allowed themselves to believe—myself being one of them—that Cybil Shepard’s small screen sidekick could do little more than appear prominently in supermarket tabloids to say nothing of a major studio release with a hefty salary (reportedly five million) afforded to prominent names with impressive box office records.
Based on Willis’ prior forays as a leading man on the big screen (Blind Date and Sunset, both directed by Blake Edwards), that would be considered quite a gambleand might serve Fox better as a tax write off. Fortunately that is not the case as Die Hard is actually solid entertainment and Willis actually turns in a decent performance. He leaves his smirksome small screen scoundrel David Addison completely out of the picture. Well the script (co-written by frequent scribe Steven deSouza) does allow for some humorous moments but Willis wisely doesn’t camp it up.
John McClane (Willis) is a New York cop in Los Angeles for Christmas. He is not exactly full of holiday cheer as his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) has relocated to California for business. She is a prominent figure in a successful corporation. McClane hopes to patch things up with her at her company’s Christmas party.
The party could not have come at a worse time, however. A band of baddies invade the skyscraper where the party is held. With a plan devised with immaculate timing and precision, the building is under the control of the intruders. The building’s occupants are all but shut off from the world. Bad news for the business folk—particularly for two (James Shigeta and later Hart Bochner). The unwelcome guests have prepared themselves for every forseeable contigency—save for an out-of-town lawman visiting an estranged wife. Though the odds are not exactly in McClane’s favor (he has but his service pistol with a couple clips and the bad guys have an arsenal and more ammunition than the policeman), he does have the element of surprise.
When McClane does manage to make contact with the outside. help does not arrive. The terrorists manage to stonewall the cops who feel McLane is a crackpot save for one lawman (Reginald VelJohnson) out on patrol. The situation is not really helped by a telejournalist (William Atherton) hoping his sensational scoop will make him a star. Like Geraldo Rivera’s blasting open Al Capone’s vault, perhaps?
Though a bit of overkill, particularly in the last few minutes where we see a redemption for one of the characters, Die Hard offers drama seldom seen in this sort of fare. Clearly this is Bruce Willis’ breakout role. Though his onscreen adversary, Alan Rickman making his cinematic debut, is a remarkable presence. As Hans Gruber, the leader of the European subversives, Rickman steals the show from Willis and just about any actor he appears with onscreen. He is a presence which ranks with the talents who have played some of the most memorable foes faced by James Bond.
Director McTiernan manages a great feat as magical as anything devised by the visuals provided by Richard Edlund, a onetime employee of George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic, whose ouvre include Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Ghostbusters. McTiernan turns what could be an action toy romp into something more than just a big-budgeted showcase of gunplay and pyrotechnics.

Robert Baum is Currently a Bryn Mawr, PA-based film afficanado and pop culture junkie.

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