Review of Krepkiy Oreshek (1968) by Dillinger P — 02 Jan 2015

Now classed as being up there, as one of the best christmas movies of all time, Die Hard originally gained its massive following, for being one of the most intense, action packed thriller for its time.

The work John McTiernan done one this film, turned what could have been a potentially gung ho and cliched idea, into a mile stone of action orientated proportions. Bruce Willis stars as Detective John Mclaine, a New York cop, visiting his wife in LA.

He's visiting for christmas, back to see the kids and rekindle a dying relationship. All he needs to do it pick her up from her christmas work party, held at the now iconic Nakatomi plaza and lifes all biscuits and gravy for the Mclaine family.

Except their is just a slight hitch, a gang of German thieves have also decided to join the party, only with much more ruthless intentions. Looking back Die Hard was a huge film in my life as a child growing up, it introduced me to the action hero, the one liners, the blood and adrenaline fueled scenes that littered this lone gunmans journey.

First of all the work done by Jan De Bont, who would later go on to direct Speed, as DP is fantastic, he manages to really get a sense of dread and terror while providing enough claustraphobia for Mclaine to seriously defy some outstanding odds.

Mctiernan also paces the film perfectly, characters are weighty and important, he keeps a strong sense of comedy throughout and the action scenes themselves are a marvel to watch. Its because they are simple, yet effective.

Mclaines not parkouring off walls in slow motion, taking on 50 guards at a time with a machine gun, hes battling it out, gorilla style, bare footed, bloodied and desperate. Thats what makes this film great, you always feel for John Mclaine's safety at every turn.

Bruce Willis is just fantastic as our protagonist, he has everything needed, whit, charm, rustic and killer look, yet he still has the power to murder men in horrific ways, if it means the safety of his wife.

The other knight in shining armor is Alan Rickman, he chews his way through scenes like hes pac man. Relishing and enjoying every minute of his screen time, and who could blame him, Hans Gruber is such a fantastical and litterate terrorist, that hating him would be a crime, hes smart, funny and is a worthy adversery to Bruce Willis.

The score is tremendous, constantly keeping us on the edge of our seat, the effects are all practical and top notch. There really isnt a bad thing to say here, a few plot holes here and there, suspension of disbelief at certain moments and the occasional dated moment, but apart from these barely notable quips, Die Hard is not only the perfect christmas movie but quite possibly the best Action film of all time.