Rating: 9/10
Review date: May 16, 2002
It was Christmas Eve and NYPD cop John McClane had just arrived in L.A. to celebrate with his wife, Holly Gennero, in the Nakatomi high-rise where she worked. When a group of terrorists took over the building, it is up to McClane to use his brain and skills to take them down and save the day�
This movie is simply one of the best action movies that I�ve ever seen. The tension was high and the characters also play their parts convincingly. Bruce Willis performed his role as John McClane dazzlingly as a bad-mouthed cop with plenty of guts. Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, the terrorist leader, managed to give me a chilling sensation throughout the movie because of his ruthlessness. The rest of the cast were perfect as well with Bonnie Bedelia as McClane�s wife and Reginald VelJohnson as Sergeant Al Powell, the only cop who trusts McClane outside.
The plot itself is very typical of action movies with a group of terrorists taking over someplace and as always, we have a lone cop who must try to save everyone. One thing I like about the story is that the movie provides enough background for us to care about the characters instead of just putting them into mindless action.
I totally dug into Willis�s character as the cop who is jetlagged and alone in a building taken over by terrorists. Kudos to director John McTiernan for actually making me feel sympathetic to what the characters were going through in such a situation.
Die Hard is an old movie but it remains a classic nevertheless. Undoubtedly, it still top the chart as one of the best movies ever made with strong characters played by talented actors with a lot of tensions, actions and explosions to go along with.
Watch this movie if you�re a fan of Bruce Willis or if you planned to be one. Don�t forget to grab some popcorn and a friend or someone to sit next to you before you watch Die Hard and I can guarantee that you will have a great two hours where you can just relax and forget about everything. Now I�ll be off to watch more of John McClane and his bad ass attitude in Die Hard 2: Die Harder. Yippie-ki-yay!!!
Memorable quote: �No fucking shit, lady, do I sound like I�m ordering a pizza?�
-Bruce Willis as John McClane-
(c) 2002 Martin Taidy