Die Hard

[Ace]

"Die Hard" was a groundbreaking film in much the same way the "Rambo" series was because it humanized the hero, and Willis gave the hero a sense of humor that we haven't seen before. "Now I have a machine gun." "Yippy-ki-yay mother****er," etc. You got to see his emotions, too. Before that, the action hero was a virtual automaton. Arnold started to plow this ground a little bit in the late 80s with his one-liners.

Also, Alan Rickman is a great villain. He's not some perfect genius. He's a smart guy but you see him make mistakes and have some emotions.

The slimy, coke-snorting co-worker is a good touch, too.

Worst part is the ending when the Teutonic thug who seemed to have been dead comes out shooting and gets shot by donut-eating cop.

Come on FB, the first action hero with a sense of humor?
How 'bout Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop or 48 Hours? Or Gibson in Lethal Weapon?
Die Hard was good. Very good. But I would hard-pressed to call it the best action movie of the 1980s, muchless ever.
My top 5:
1. The Highlander (I know I'm in the minority here.. I'm not even sure you would call this an action movie)
1a. Lethal Weapon
2. Predator
3. Die Hard
4. Robocop
5. Aliens

And Ace,
Don't knock Sgt. Al Powell for saving Bruce Willis' life.
Al Powell, played by Reginald VelJohnson(sp?) would later help give the world television icon Steve Urkel. Urkel, man.
Urkel.

Aliens? So you liked the sequel better?

Highlander -- eh.

I don't think Lethal Weapon holds up too well. Too much schtick.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

No I didn't like the sequel better, but Alien was released in 1979. Aliens was (almost) every bit as good.

I didn't think Lethal Weapon's schtick really got started until they started cranking out sequel's.
I loved the first two Die Hards. Hated the third, and haven't seen any since.

No love for The Highlander!? Christopher Lambert's greatest role.

 

[Ace]

No I didn't like the sequel better, but Alien was released in 1979. Aliens was (almost) every bit as good.

I didn't think Lethal Weapon's schtick really got started until they started cranking out sequel's.
I loved the first two Die Hards. Hated the third, and haven't seen any since.

No love for The Highlander!? Christopher Lambert's greatest role.

I'll give you that it was Christopher Lambert's greatest role. Movie might have been a tad better if they had an actor in that role, however.

 

[BigSleeper]

Despite all its flaws (really bad supporting players Gleason and Atherton almost ruined it for me) and the fact that it looks incredibly dated now, Die Hard still remains my No. 1 choice. For a while, I liked Die Hard 2 better, but that's just nuts.

For a while, I actually considered "Speed" a better action flick because it just does not stop. I came to my senses -- seeing how the supporting players on the bus are even worse than the folks on the ground in "Die Hard" and the subway scene was just a waste -- but it's still in my Top 10.

The director's cut of the "Lethal Weapon" actually heightens my opinion of the movie because it paints a deeper picture of Riggs and Murtaugh. However, the entire franchise died as soon as they knocked on Joe Pesci's hotel-room door in LW2. I can't even remember a thing about LW3.

"Alien" will always be better than "Aliens" in my book, but they are really two different kinds of movies. I never thought "Alien" was an action movie.

"Predator" was fun. I always like amuse myself by picturing the cast asking the director how they can add more emotional nuance to their character.

 

[Omar_dont_scare]

Die Hard started its own sub-genre, as the first of those big-dollar, big-explosion action movies.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I don't know if it's the best action film ever, but it's up there...

 

[Armchair_QB]

Die Hard started its own sub-genre, as the first of those big-dollar, big-explosion action movies.

Uhhh...

 

[Kar33mSkyhook]

Die Hard started its own sub-genre, as the first of those big-dollar, big-explosion action movies.

Best One Ever. Nothing Comes Close Since.

 

[kokane_muthashed]

I'll take any of the Bourne movies over Die Hard.

Looking at the EW list, I may take The Matrix over Die Hard as well, even though I would put that in the Sci-Fi category (along with Aliens).

 

[Ace]

I'll take any of the Bourne movies over Die Hard.

Looking at the EW list, I may take The Matrix over Die Hard as well, even though I would put that in the Sci-Fi category (along with Aliens).

Alien is the original movie. Aliens is the first sequel.

Thank you.

 

[kokane_muthashed]

I'll take any of the Bourne movies over Die Hard.

Looking at the EW list, I may take The Matrix over Die Hard as well, even though I would put that in the Sci-Fi category (along with Aliens).

Alien is the original movie. Aliens is the first sequel.
Thank you.

Uh, you're welcome? I know Aliens is the first sequel. It was also No. 2 on EW's list of action movies. Like some on here, I happen to like it better than the first one.

 

[Tom Petty]

I'll take any of the Bourne movies over Die Hard.

Looking at the EW list, I may take The Matrix over Die Hard as well, even though I would put that in the Sci-Fi category (along with Aliens).

Alien is the original movie. Aliens is the first sequel.

Thank you.

ace: SportsJournalists.com's resident checker of facts.

 

[Ace]

I'll take any of the Bourne movies over Die Hard.

Looking at the EW list, I may take The Matrix over Die Hard as well, even though I would put that in the Sci-Fi category (along with Aliens).

Alien is the original movie. Aliens is the first sequel.
Thank you.

Uh, you're welcome? I know Aliens is the first sequel. It was also No. 2 on EW's list of action movies. Like some on here, I happen to like it better than the first one.

Cool. Orville Redenpopper seemed to have an issue with it. I agree that Aliens is much more of an action movie than the original. Not sure it's a better movie, though.

 

[billikens]

Yeah, it's clearly an inspiration, but why don't they have the balls to make this kind of film? Complete with the adult language and violence? I hate how they toned down the latest installment -- which was a damn good film -- to get the PG-13 rating. Why can't they make great action pics for grown-ups?

"Yippie kayay .... buddy." (Not the actual dialogue)

I'd suggest the unedited DVD version. For some reason, the R-rated language made it more enjoyable for me.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

I'll take any of the Bourne movies over Die Hard.

Looking at the EW list, I may take The Matrix over Die Hard as well, even though I would put that in the Sci-Fi category (along with Aliens).

Alien is the original movie. Aliens is the first sequel.
Thank you.

Uh, you're welcome? I know Aliens is the first sequel. It was also No. 2 on EW's list of action movies. Like some on here, I happen to like it better than the first one.

Cool. Orville Redenpopper seemed to have an issue with it. I agree that Aliens is much more of an action movie than the original. Not sure it's a better movie, though.

I didn't have an issue with it. I was just listing my top 5 1980s action flicks. With Alien being released in '79 it didn't qualify.

Do not make me put you on Blast.

 

[You're With Me Leather]

Yes. Die Hard is great. And the last one was awesome. (Same for the Bourne series).

 

[Omar_dont_scare]

Die Hard started its own sub-genre, as the first of those big-dollar, big-explosion action movies.

Uhhh...

Those are disaster movies with huge casts. Apples and oranges.

 

[Ace]

I'll take any of the Bourne movies over Die Hard.

Looking at the EW list, I may take The Matrix over Die Hard as well, even though I would put that in the Sci-Fi category (along with Aliens).

Alien is the original movie. Aliens is the first sequel.
Thank you.

Uh, you're welcome? I know Aliens is the first sequel. It was also No. 2 on EW's list of action movies. Like some on here, I happen to like it better than the first one.

Cool. Orville Redenpopper seemed to have an issue with it. I agree that Aliens is much more of an action movie than the original. Not sure it's a better movie, though.

I didn't have an issue with it. I was just listing my top 5 1980s action flicks. With Alien being released in '79 it didn't qualify.

Do not make me put you on Blast.

You gonna go by Entertainment Weekly rules or SportsJournalists.com rules?

 

[expendable]

I'll take Die Hard over any of the Bournes, but the Bourne series over the Die Hard series.

 

[Football_Bat]

Irwin Allen was greatness. I was Bourne too late.