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Jul 05, 2019Janice21383 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Die Hard has gained near-legendary status, but one upon a time, it was a new film, which I saw in the theatre. I remember thinking "that was fun, but ridiculous." At that time, people were used to more realistic cop/action movies, along the lines of The French Connection. Films like Rambo and Die Hard promoted the first-person shooter style and indestructible hero*, long before they existed in video games. I also remember disliking Bruce Willis's "cowboy" John McLane (whom we're supposed to love), but in no way is he as unpleasant as he is in the next film in the series. And he's more than balanced by Alan Rickman's sublime villain Hans Gruber -- apparently he wrote most of his own part. And the film has other things going for it: a tight "bottle" story, exciting action, and quotable dialogue. Overall, I recommend it, and only wish the following films were as good. *Yes, I know he cut his feet. They didn't bother him long, or in any important way. See attached video.