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Die Hard [Blu-ray] by John McTiernan
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Bruce Willis, Paul Gleason, Reginald VelJohnson Director: John McTiernan Brand: WILLIS,BRUCE Producer: Beau Marks Producer: Charles Gordon Producer: Joel Silver Producer: Lawrence Gordon Writer: Jeb Stuart Writer: Roderick Thorp Writer: Steven E. de Souza Blu-ray: Region Code 1 Audio: Cantonese (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Korean (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed) Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 2.35:1 Running Time: 131 minutes Blu-ray Release Date: 2007-11-20 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Die Hard [Blu-ray]Movie Review: Now I Have a Machine Gun, Ho-Ho-Ho Summary: 5 Stars
Every year when Christmas rolls around I like to have some friends over to enjoy a cup of cheer (potent Egg Nog recipe available upon request), put on some nice Christmas music, light some candles, prepare some delicious h'oure dourves, and gather around into my humble but sufficient cinema and watch a wonderful holiday favorite. This year I'm going to watch Die Hard and to me Christmas just wouldn't be complete without it.
John McTiernan's (Predator and The Hunt for Red October) classic action yarn that spawned three explosive sequels never seems to get old, no matter how dated the hair, clothes, and portrayal of hip California cocaine addicts may get. Die Hard follows John McClane (Bruce Willis) to his quasi-wife's (Bonnie Bedelia) Christmas party in a skyscraper on the west coast. He is a New York cop whose wife and children moved out west as she takes a great opportunity and adjusts. Evidently, they are having some marriage problems but it is downplayed just enough. The building is empty with an exception of the group who is having the Christmas party on one of the highest floors. "Terrorists" lead by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) take over the building and chaos ensues. Gruber's plan would've worked out just fine if John didn't get away and slowly begin to take out each of his minions, while tipping off the local authorities. The feds soon come in and the film blows up into an action classic....and also a Christmas classic.
It has perhaps as likable and convincing a hero as you can get in John McClane and Bruce Willis upstages every other action hero by making John not only smart and funny but easy to relate to with very little drama. It's an effortless performance that I can only compare to Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Just little fearless remarks coupled with a cynical look on his face make John go from typical good guy to what every boy dreams they could become under these circumstances. It's fantastical and it's kitschy, but that's forgivable because it's a holiday movie and even more importantly, action is still the priority in Die Hard.
On the other side of the coin, Die Hard's greatness is completed by its formidable and accessible antagonist, Hans Gruber. Even after we discover that Hans isn't there as a political terrorist but simply as a thief, he loses absolutely no villain credibility when he responds to Holly McClane's criticism by saying "I am an exceptional thief, Mrs. McClane and since I'm moving to kidnapping you should be more polite." Although we know Hans is capable of vile acts, he actually sees those as merely means to a greater and somehow justifiable end. His disposition is almost humanitarian and you would imagine him as quite a gentleman outside of the context of the crimes he commits in Die Hard's arc. In the end though, Hans is a pure sociopath that even the audience is conned into sympathizing with. I would've wanted him to get away if his opposition was Van Damme, Segal, or Stallone...maybe even Arnold.
The supporting cast is another huge strength and helps to highlight the humorous undertone in the film. The cops and feds are all amusing and rich characters, especially Reggie VelJohnson as the relatable LAPD sergeant Al Powell. The villains are purely chaotic thugs with just enough variety to make them a bit more than just John's body count. William Atherton's performance as a reporter is also worth noting, as is John's limousine driver, Argyle.
Even the edited for television versions are worth enjoying where the swearing is replaced by wonderfully light little curses like *slug of a ditch*, *melon farmer* and *bad mother cruncher*. Those of course make it both amusing and accessible to all ages and Die Hard is one of the best examples of hilariously edited television movies. But that is of course not what makes it a great movie. I would actually argue that Die Hard is the greatest pure action film ever made. Yippie-ki-yay *muddy funster*...and happy holidays.
Summary of Die Hard [Blu-ray]No Description Available. Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure Rating: R Release Date: 20-NOV-2007 Media Type: Blu-Ray
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