Die Hard is one of the most well-regarded action films in history. It captured the hearts of fans, critics, and many people who weren’t even alive when it was released. It has proved year after year to have an enduring appeal, like very few films achieve.
But why is it that Die Hard of all action films has retained this kind of popularity almost 35 years after it was released? There are several aspects of the film that have helped it stay so impressive to new viewers as well as long-time fans who have re-watched the classic film multiple times.
6 John McLane
The hero of Die Hard is John McLane, a tough New York City cop coming to LA to visit his estranged wife Holly and his two kids for Christmas. When he comes to Holly’s work on Christmas Eve and gets mixed up in the office Christmas party, he finds himself the only potential foil to a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber.
Bruce Willis was still considered a comedic TV actor when cast in Die Hard. His journey, similar to the more modern journey of Chris Pratt, quickly ramped up to megastar after the release of Die Hard. But the quip-filled style of John’s lines during and between action scenes feel like they’ve never lost their punch. The writing style of that and the entire film feels like something that could easily be released today, almost completely unchanged. The leading character was relatable, despite being an incredible hero, and Willis played him to perfection as a teasing foil to the dashing and dastardly Gruber.
5 Hans Gruber
And what of the film’s nemesis for McLane? Despite some later Die Hard films recapturing some magic of the original, none of them managed to attain the level of villain that the first film did. Hans Gruber, suavely and sophisticatedly played by Alan Rickman, was the ultimate petty mastermind.
While he played it off like he was invading Nakatomi Plaza as a terrorist looking to get other “freedom fighters” from around the world out of prison, he was actually just trying to get rich quickly. When John McLane started to go after him and his men, he quickly became frustrated but tried to retain his calm demeanor. The character of Gruber was stunningly written and played to perfection, and his growing rivalry with John, despite them barely ever meeting, was the centerpiece of what made the film great.
4 Holly
If the hero and the villain were well-written and continue to feel great modern-day, Holly does it even more so. The other side characters may be memorable, particularly Al and Argyle, but Holly was already a great modern female character, far ahead of her time. Many female characters in the 80s don’t feel as forward-thinking today looking back on them, but Holly was a strong, fierce character who never felt like a hostage.
From debating and coming to agreements with Hans to keep her co-workers comfortable, to her defiant attitude even after being discovered. Holly was a woman independent enough to move her and her children out to LA without John’s support, and she continued to show this strength throughout the runtime, and it is a shame she never appeared in the Die Hard sequels.
3 The Action
The action scenes in Die Hard are supreme and didn’t rely heavily on the effects of the time, which means they also continue to look as strong as ever today. Action scenes are always moving on try and become bigger and better, but often what they do is rely too heavily on special effects and don’t look as impressive as they could.
The practical effects of Die Hard, the realistic feel of the scenes, and the pain that McLane is shown to go through trying to deal with an endless supply of Gruber’s men are some of the things that help make this great.
2 The Setting
The Nakatomi Plaza building was an average office building. Sure, there were some technologies of the time that confused John at first, but generally, it was a simple, plain building. The idea of trapping one man in a building like this against an undefeatable number of terrorists wasn’t an overly complicated one.
But the simple idea made the story and film easy to follow, it was a great book when originally conceived, and it translated to the screen flawlessly. The film wasn’t even revolutionary for its time in terms of setting or style, it just used an intriguing premise and a slightly unlikely hero to produce something far superior to almost any action film ever.
1 The Christmas Feel
Whether anybody wants to admit it or not,Die Hard uses the fact that it is set at Christmas to its advantage. Between Christmassy songs, a festive murder victim in an elevator, or the happy ending where John and Holly return to their kids for Christmas.
Whether it is a film that any viewer personally prefers for Christmas, any classic film having a particular time of year in the hearts of many fans leads to it becoming much better remembered as a result. Die Hard may or may not be a “Christmas movie” but it does use the Christmas setting. Both in the runtime to achieve comedic moments and a happy ending, and in the long-term merchandising to truly make fans reminiscent for a re-watch at that certain time of year.