David Pierdomenico
It’s hard to believe that this action gem is now 30 years old! Not only did it launch both Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman into stardom, but it’s been an inspiration for an entire generation of filmmakers. While many spend this time of year debating whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas film, instead let’s take a look at why it was a classic to begin with.
Showcasing the Everyman
Back in 1988, the 007 series was arguably the most popular action franchise. And why not? Bond was always suave, well-dressed, dashing, and sophisticated. He was the archetype of the elite gentleman spy who knew how to escape deadly situations and save the world. Detective John McClane on the other hand, was the exact opposite. Director John McTiernan set out to give us a hero that was the anti-Bond. McClane is scruffy, rough around the edges, short tempered, wise cracking, and at times he’s even kind of a jerk.
The whole reason he’s going to LA to visit his family for Christmas is because he refused to move with his wife out of spite. Her career success emasculated him and he didn’t exactly handle it well. But by having a character like this as the hero, it gives him room to grow and have an emotional arc, as well as making him more relatable to the audience. Very few people could ever be a James Bond, but we all know someone like John McClane.
Using the Urgency of One Day
In terms of pacing, Die Hard was very unique in that all of the action takes place in just one night. Essentially McClane is always just in the wrong place at the wrong time as something terrible unfolds, which is a formula its sequels would follow (except for the forgettable fifth installment). Having the entire film take place in just one day enhances the stakes and urgency of what’s going on. It reinforces the uncertainty as even the characters had no idea when they woke up that this is how their day was going to play out. Couple that with the action being confined to one building, and it makes for a very claustrophobic action/thriller.
Creating a Likeable Villain
Heroes are only as good as their villains, and in the case of Die Hard, both are equally entertaining to watch. In every way, Hans Gruber is the sophisticated gentleman that McClane isn’t. The only issue is that he’s also a calculating sociopath who won’t hesitate to kill anyone that stands in his way. But even he is a somewhat relatable in that we see how frustrated he gets at McClane disrupting his plan. In a strange narrative twist, it’s Gruber who is the protagonist of the story and McClane is the antagonist.
Gruber is the one who shows up to Nakatomi Plaza with the intent of robbing it of the bearer bonds. It’s Gruber who put an enormous deal of time and money into this operation. To his credit, he has a brilliant plan, which only fails because of the McClane’s presence; something which no one could have predicted. With Gruber came a fun likeable villain that some fans even root for. The adoration this villain received wouldn’t be matched again until the Joker in The Dark Knight or Loki in the MCU.
Inspiring a Slew of Imitators
Honestly, the largest impact Die Hard has had is in all the other films that try to replicate it. Between Olympus Has Fallen, Air Force One, Speed, The Rock, Skyscraper, and even Paul Blart: Mall Cop, so many other filmmakers have tried to imitate what made that original classic so compelling. None of them have ever come close, but that fact that so many have tried really says something.
There are plenty of other action films set around Christmas (mostly from Shane Black), but only Die Hard is defended so vehemently when people try to deny its yuletide status. The simple fact is Die Hard isn’t a Christmas classic simply for the fact that it takes place on December 24th. Instead, it became a Christmas classic because it’s a brilliant film, beloved by so many who make it a tradition to watch it at Christmastime. And it’s for these reasons that even 30 years later, it still remains one of the greatest action films ever made!
