 High above the city of L.A., a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. But one man slips away unnoticed - an off-duty cop named John McClane (Bruce Willis) - and now he's the only chance anyone has. A crackling action thriller from beginning to end, Die Hard explodes with heart-stopping suspense! Storyline: New York City Detective John McClane has just arrived in Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his wife. Unfortunatly, it is not going to be a Merry Christmas for everyone. A group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber is holding everyone in the Nakatomi Plaza building hostage. With no way of anyone getting in or out, it's up to McClane to stop them all. All 12! Written by Film_Fan Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Greg Maltz on February 15, 2008 -- One of the oft-repeated yarns about Blu-ray is that older movies don't benefit much from 1080p production. Nothing could be further from the truth, and Fox's Blu-ray version of Die Hard proves it. Available both as a single disc release and as disc one in the Die Hard Collection set, the film that introduced the world to John McClane (Bruce Willis) may not win any video or audio awards, but the picture and sound are dramatically improved over previous versions. Like every classic action film, Die Hard delivers a diabolical villian in Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), a hero that defines his time in McClane and a trademark line--yipee-ki-yay, mother f-----. It's an action-packed, unapologetic portrayal of a true-blue American everyman kicking ass against a dozen heavily armed Europeans, while taking figurative aim at corporate lackeys, women who choose careers over men and clueless federal agents. Sound fun? It is! The film starts as McClane lands in Los Angeles where his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) has moved to capitalize on a career opportunity. When she moved from New York, she took McClane's young kids with her. An old-fashioned New York cop, McClane is slow to accept that his wife's career may be more important than his own. But he's starting to get the picture as a limousine picks him up at the airport to take him to the luxury high-rise office building where Holly's company is holding a Christmas party. He quickly learns that his wife has started using her maiden name and his plans for reconciliation take a back seat to his feelings that Holly is drifting away. But before the reunited couple can catch up together, a team of terrorists storm the building and take everyone hostage. Everyone, that is, except McClane who slips away unseen when he hears gunshots. After witnessing the terrorist leader, Gruber, assassinate Holly's boss, McClane goes into vigilante mode. He singlehandedly takes out one Eurobrute after another--mostly by using his wits and fists. In the process, McClane involves the LAPD, who in turn call in the Feds. With the agents outside proving more helpful to the criminals than the hostages, McClane must figure out how to outwit Gruber and company himself. He starts to unravel their plans, leading to adrenaline- infused fights and explosions. Always playing the unappreciated, invisible hero, Willis' McClane excels by pitting raw energy and common sense against the sophisticated plans, brute strength and superior weaponry of his enemies. But can he outwit Gruber, save the hostages and rescue his marriage with Holly? The success of Die Hard lies in the appeal of John McClane. Where other action heros of the era seem untouchable, like James Bond; superhuman, like Batman; aloof, like Harry Callahan or John Rambo; or simply nuts, like Martin Riggs, McClane seems like an old buddy you can invite over for a bar-b-que. Part of his appeal lies in his frequent complaints about being unappreciated. Anyone who has gone beyond the call of duty and not been recognized can relate. But by underplaying the role, Willis instills in McClane a set of values wherein he's not looking to be rewarded. He just wants to have a peaceful, relaxing Christmas and hopefully rekindle his marriage. And look. A whole team of terrorists ruined it for him. The plot setup, to base an action movie full of violence, explosions and death on a man just trying to reunite his family, is brilliant. Even your mother will like it, no matter how much she frowns upon violence. Of course, the success of Die Hard kicked off one of the most successful franchizes in film history, with Live Free or Die Hard proving a hit at the box office last summer. But fans agree that none of the sequels lived up to the rush of the flagship film. It's an easy recommendation on Blu-ray. Cast Notes: Bruce Willis (Officer John McClane), Bonnie Bedelia (Holly Gennaro McClane), Reginald VelJohnson (Sgt. Al Powell [as Reginald Veljohnson]), Paul Gleason (Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson), William Atherton (Richard Thornburg), Hart Bochner (Harry Ellis), James Shigeta (Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi), Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber), Alexander Godunov (Karl), Bruno Doyon (Franco), De'voreaux White (Argyle), Andreas Wisniewski (Tony), Clarence Gilyard Jr. (Theo), Joey Plewa (Alexander), Lorenzo Caccialanza (Marco). User Comment: MadReviewer from Oldwick, NJ, 31 July 2001 • "Die Hard" is the prototype type for the modern action film. Since it's also one of the best action films ever made, that happens to be a very good thing. "Die Hard" is lean, mean, and doesn't contain a single second of wasted screen time. The direction, the action, the story, the acting . . . every aspect of this film comes close to big-budget action movie perfection. Since "Die Hard" was first released in 1988, it's difficult to think of a blockbuster action film that doesn't follow the basic structure and format of "Die Hard" . . . or, for that matter, is better than "Die Hard". "Die Hard" is a terrific example of what happens when all the pieces of a film fall together perfectly. There simply are no weak spots or dull moments in the film. Is "Die Hard" one of the best overall movies ever made? Probably not. But it's undeniably one of the best action movies ever made, and it just might well be the perfect modern action film. Grade: A Summary: The Perfect Modern Action Film. IMDb Rating (07/24/14): 8.3/10 from 451,034 users Top 250: #114 IMDb Rating (05/01/11): 8.3/10 from 203,495 users Top 250: #110
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