Review of Krepkiy Oreshek (1968) by John M — 18 Mar 2014

An irrefutable action classic. The only thing between a large group of hostages and a band of heavily armed terrorists seizing a Los Angeles skyscraper is NYPD cop John McClane (Bruce Willis), and he doesn't even have a pair of shoes on.

Now everybody, of course, knows Die Hard, as it is firmly cemented as one of the most iconic action movies of all time; even when you bring up the genre in conversation, there is an excellent chance that Die Hard is going to pop up involuntarily in your mind.

Every three to seven years, there's always a blockbuster that revolutionizes the action movie, and after Raiders, there was Die Hard. This was before John McClane became a superhero, and there's something about this everyday cop in an impossible scenario that is accessible and easy to get behind.

This is Bruce Willis in all of his smartass glory, and because of that, it ends up being infinitely quotable. Sure, there are lots of positive feelings for Moonlighting, but this was really what defined Bruce Willis' entire acting career.

And speaking of breakthrough roles, this is not a bad movie to have on your résumé as being your big screen debut, which brings us to Alan Rickman. Hans Gruber is one of the most memorable movie villains of all time, and he brings a sophistication that was mostly absent from the action movie antagonist until this point.

A quarter of a century after its release, the original Die Hard still holds up.