At first glance, Die Hard seems like just another mindless action movie. There’s all the signs of it; the strong hero with a troubled past, the estranged wife, the villain that is ultimately bested, in addition to the ubiquitous explosions and car crashes and the action plots that would never really happen in real life. It’s not the sort of movie I would watch on my own, to be honest, but here we go.
John McClane is one of the more famous action heroes in American cinema, and it’s clear to see why. He’s young, strong, resourceful, and full of witty one-liners. By the end of the film (and the final explosion) you’re cheering him along with the rest of the audience, and you really feel as relieved as he must feel by the end of it.
The film makes marvelous use of chiaroscuro, and some of the shots of the villain, Hans Gruber (played by the fantastic Alan Rickman who you kids might know as Professor Snape), almost bring to mind the idea of a kid holding a flashlight to his face on halloween to be scary. It sounds silly, but it’s actually pretty effective in painting him as the villain, even when he’s pretending to be a hostage. There are also a lot of low shots especially of McClane, no doubt making him appear to be the Big Damn Action Hero that he is.
The director of this movie actually DID direct a movie titled "Last Action Hero". And just in time for Valentine's day 2013... Die Hard 5!!!
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