Die Hard (Five Star Collection)

Die Hard (Five Star Collection)
by John McTiernan

List Price: $29.98
Our Price: $24.99
You Save: $4.99 (17%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases

DVD Cover Information

Movie Reviews of Die Hard (Five Star Collection)

Movie Review: One of the best action movies ever made!
Summary: 5 Stars

The whole adventure begins as just another day for Mr. John McClane, an off-duty police officer who travels from snowy New York City, to visit his estranged wife Holly McClane who he hasn't spoken to in quite a long time following marital turmoil. Holly McClane works in a high-rise office building called Nakatomi Plaza in sunny Los Angeles and is having a party celebrating a business success. However, the supposedly clear blue sky/big sur paradise is turned into a massive cesspool of a nightmare when a vicious band of renegade terrorists led by Hans Gruber break into the lobby of the Nakitomi Plaza and take over the whole place, and holding the partygoers hostage on the 30th floor and sealing off all of the exits and entrances. John McClane whose now on his own, leads a one man army (That's himself) to rescue the hostages and to bring down the vicious group of terrorists. An LAPD officer named Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) receives word of an emergency call from the building but finds nothing suspicious in the lobby (according to what he thought) but when about to take off, believing that it was "nothing more than a wild goose chase", he gets a shocking wake up call and then, the action really gets going when a large group of LAPD headed by the extremely strict and sometimes mean-spirited Chief of LAPD Sergeant Dwayne Johnson and F.B.I. task forces arrive in attempts to fight the terrorists but only McClane, by himself, can be able to face off against the bad guys and from here, it's a very wild ride.

It was "Die Hard" that made me a fan of Bruce Willis's movies and while a good number of others he did such as "Armageddon" are excellent works, the "Die Hard" movie trilogy is to me, his crowning achievements in his career. He is truly awesome in this movie, playing the often disgruntled and stressed-out NYPD officer. The one who truly steals the spotlight is none other than the then newcomer Alan Rickman. Rickman's role as the quiet but dangerously cunning terrorist ringleader Hans Gruber is absolutely unforgettable and it deservedly brought Rickman's incredible talent to light. Although Bruce Willis' character is the main one in this movie, I have to hand it to ya, Alan Rickman is the shining star in this movie and his character Hans Gruber is by far the best of all of the Die Hard villains. I'm not too familiar with his movies as of writing this review but the ones I've seen ("Harry Potter" "Sorcerer's Stone", "Chamber of Secrets, "Galaxy Quest") with him in it are great. Then we got the warmhearted character Al Powell played by none other than the "Family Matters" star Reginald VelJohnson. Reginald was perfect for the role of playing the warmhearted Al Powell and made for some excellent extra entertainment. I couldn' have thought of a better choice. Overall, "Die Hard" really benefits from a brilliant cast, excellent plot, and astounding directing by John McTierman and from all of this, this film succeeds on so many levels that there are no peers except it's sequels but they are different in their own unique way.

While I could argue about whether this or 1990's "Die Harder" being superior, This movie is without a doubt the most fun and original of them all, even if it is rivaled by it's 1990 sequel but there's no denying that this one though is the most praised and loved classic of them all. "Die Hard" spawned an endless conveyor belt of action movies that borrowed a lot of action and plot patterns very similar to these movies. Some were great, some were duds but "Die Hard" is the grandfather of them all. Bruce Willis has made quite a few great movies since this one such as "Fifth Element", & "Armageddon" but the Die Hard movies to me, remain his crowning achievements of his career.

The DVD includes the movie itself on the disc one with theatrical trailors and improved visual quality. The second disc contains commentary (whoopy..), interviews with the actors, as well as deleted scenes that failed to make it into the main movie itself. As for me, I'm not a fan of deleted scenes and I usually find them to be quite boring if you ask me. As a result, I'm in no major hurry to replace my VHS edition any time soon. The movie transfer is amazing, as the original version was well ahead of it's time when released but the DVD transfer improves it to make it an even more hard-hitting edge classic for the ages.

All in all, there are lots of great action movies out there that have been spawned in the wake of the Die Hard movie trilogy but I recommend this movie out of all of them. While most of the other action movies are based on just action and fun, "Die Hard" takes those elements and blends them with intelligent dialog, awesome directing and unbelievable cinematography that propels the Die Hard movies so many miles above their peers. I also recommend "Speed" (Avoid "Cruise Control") as that one in it's own ways, rivals the punch of "Die Hard" and has even more action. Overall though, no action movies even the sequels have toyed with action and fun the way the 1988 original did and thus, this movie is a definite essential. Get the two sequels as well. This movie series started strong with this 1988 original and ended "With A Vengeance" with the "Die Hard 3: With A Vengeance".

I could give this movie countless stars but have to give it a five because that's the highest I'm able to rate it here. Buy the "Ultimate Collection" box set with the movies boxed in one!

I'm finally exhausted of words for now. Enjoy the movie and have a good time!