Review of Krepkiy Oreshek (1968) by Ben B — 25 Dec 2016
Die Hard was directed by John McTierman (Predator) and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York cop visiting LA to see his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and kids. Shortly after John arrives at his wife's big corporate Christmas party, the building is taken under control by terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his 12 henchmen who are using a hostage situation as a cover while they rob the company of its riches.
Is there anything to say about Die Hard that hasn't already been said? Not only did this movie effectively provide Bruce Willis with consistent employment for the rest of his life, but it also set the standard of action movies to follow. John McClane is an easy character to cheer for thanks to his charisma and sarcasm. If John McClane is the foundation for action protagonists to be build upon, then Rickman's Hans Gruber does the same for antagonists. In my humble opinion, Hans Gruber might only be second to Darth Vader himself for the best movie villain of all-time. His deception, ruthlessness, and composure make for a chilling enemy. Watching his ultimate demise is probably one of the more satisfying moments in action cinema.
Another thing I love about Die Hard is how fleshed-out the other characters are. The cop in communication with McClane (played by Reginald VelJohnson) is given some backstory that really helps develop his ever-trusting relationship with John. Holly McClane shows that she is having troubles with her marriage to John through the use of her maiden name when conducting business. Even one of Hans' henchmen is given a personal reason to bring down McClane early on. These simple traits do nothing but aid the impact of every scene.
There are even some subtle lines that end up having major impacts on the plot later on. In my most recent viewing, I caught a line from the sleazy executive trying to woo Holly about a watch he gave her. Next time you watch the movie, REMEMBER THAT WATCH. That's just one example of the layers of complexity given to this masterpiece.
Folks, obviously I love Die Hard and have nothing negative to say about it. It may very well be not only one of the best action movies of all-time, but one of the best MOVIE movies of all-time. Full of brilliant writing, rich characters, and amazing one-liners, Die Hard is clearly THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE EVER!
Final grade: A+.
YIPPIE KI-YAY, MOFO!
-Ben.
This review of Krepkiy Oreshek (1968) was written by Ben B on 25 Dec 2016.
Krepkiy Oreshek has generally received positive reviews.
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