Die Hard - One of the - if not the - Best action movie ever made?

[leftistangel]

With the mediocre fourth sequel out in cinema's I decided to revisit the original on DVD - the granddaddy of a whole genre of action films still remains sharp, tough, and exciting as it was when I first saw it back in the late 1980's. The scenario it presents has been repeated countless times since its inception--the lone hero versus the gang of baddies, all together in a confined space, but not with the flare or charm shown here.

It's a little slower in pace the first 20 minutes than what I remember and compared to a lot of modern movies of its type. But its far more layered than your average action movie today. The bickering newscasters, the friendly patrol cop whose career is slipping by, the chauffeur driver who remains oblivious to the calamity around him. These are all nicely crafted characters that lend a little depth and warmth to a violent film.

 

[DrRingDing]

Bruce Willis?

Cunt.

 

[leftistangel]

Not here.

 

[agricola]

Its definately not the best action movie ever made, though it is good.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I still quite like the original, the new one really lacked the hunour of the first ones...

 

[Detroit City]

yea i just saw it for the 1st time on DVD a few months ago. it was pretty good and I'm not even a fan of action movies and definitely not of Mr. Willis.

 

[futha]

die hard is amazing. my favourite action trilogy if not my favourite action film of all time

 

[jodal]

Die Hard - best action film ever. Fact.

 

[May Kasahara]

I think it's gotta be in the running for best pure action film ever. Fucking love it - I watched it for the first time in ages a few months ago, on my dad's mega-inch flatscreen with surround sound - it rocked!

 

[Tankus]

Aliens (2) is my fav (SciFi action ? ) does that count ...? its got guns in it .....
Predator IMO too ! ... even more guns ...

The Bourne Identity was good too , the second was a bit iffy , but the new one appears to be getting some good write ups

 

[Kid_Eternity]

The Bourne Identity was good too , the second was a bit iffy , but the new one appears to be getting some good write ups

The third is directed by the guy that did the second afaik but I did read somewhere he's apparently done a good job of getting it back to the first film goodness. Tbh I didn't think the second film was that bad but hope the new one is decent, will make a pretty good trilogy assuming they decide to leave it at that and not go on and on (The Bourne Conspiracy anyone?)

 

[CharlieAddict]

Aliens can be counted as a sci - fi.
Hard Boiled is up there also.

Die Hard was great in it's day.
can remember watching that over and over as a tubby kid.

 

[beeboo]

I *heart* Die Hard.

I got the special edition DVD for my birthday a few years ago and I was dead chuffed with it.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

Tis a great film, I can never get bored of watching it when it comes on. Dunno if it's the best action film ever made but it's definately up there, you can see it's influence on other films.

 

[Gromit]

Ah the genre of "Why don't the ones in charge listen to the guy inside and so he has to do it all himself".

Its aged pretty well. Still a good film.

 

[kained&able]

Die hard danm good however it doesnt have arnie in it and therefore can't possibly be the best action films ever.


dave

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

Aliens is better than Die hard, but thats not to say Die Hard isn't awesome in every way!

 

[souljacker]

It's not a patch on First Blood, Predator, Terminator 2 or Highlander.

 

[Reno]

It's not a patch on ... Highlander.

LOL

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Highlander? Er...yeah Predator was cool! Second one was a little shit though...

 

[kained&able]

The lethal weapons were all class as well.


dave

 

[Gromit]

Oi! Highlander is class. There can be only one (as I pretend the sequels never happened).

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Die Hard is in the top 10 best action flicks of all time easily, and Predator is a great movie, but Face Off is surely the daddy of them all. Its the King Lear of action filums.

 

[Reno]

I always thought Predator was watchable, but rubbish. Dreads just isn't a good look for aliens and the characters were bland and hard to care about. Mind you, I never cared for Schwarzenegger and the only part that suited him was as the Terminator (and I prefer the original to the bloated sequel). Highlander is an ponderous bit of 80's pop-promo style cheese. I can't take anybody seriously who rates it.

Die Hard is a great film and for better or worse was hugely influential on action films afterwards, none of which measured up to the original. Like Aliens it is structured in a way where one thrilling sequence chases another one and when you think it can't outdo itself anymore it does it again.

 

[Gromit]

Die Hard is in the top 10 best action flicks of all time easily, and Predator is a great movie, but Face Off is surely the daddy of them all. Its the King Lear of action filums.

Face off. The film that begun John Woo selling his soul to Hollywood.

Its got a good speedboat scene. Thats about it.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

I always thought Predator was watchable, but rubbish. Dreads just isn't a good look for aliens and the characters were bland and hard to care about. Mind you, I never cared for Schwarzenegger and the only part that suited him was as the Terminator (and I prefer the original to the bloated sequel)

The great thing about Predator is it sums up our unease with nature - the Predator merges with nature and theres nothing that all that techno weaponry can do about him. Arnie has to go back to nature to beat him and only then after all the disparate human factions - left versus right, redneck, middle class geek, native American, afro American, Hispanic revolutionary and eurokiller have set their differences aside to deal with the external threat.

As action flicks from the 80s goes I always thought is showed more intelligence than most.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Face off. The film that begun John Woo selling his soul to Hollywood.

No that was Hard Target - which is actually pretty good btw. MI2 and everything since Woo has done has been shit I'll grant you.

 

[souljacker]

Oi! Highlander is class. There can be only one (as I pretend the sequels never happened).

Marius, you rock!

 

[Reno]

The great thing about Predator is it sums up our unease with nature - the Predator merges with nature and theres nothing that all that techno weaponry can do about him. Arnie has to go back to nature to beat him and only then after all the disparate human factions - left versus right, redneck, middle class geek, native American, afro American, Hispanic revolutionary and eurokiller have set their differences aside to deal with the external threat.

As action flicks from the 80s goes I always thought is showed more intelligence than most.

It's ok, but the first two Alien films and Carpenters The Thing were so much better as hostile alien films go and as for sci-fi actioners, it isn't a patch on The Terminator or Robocop.

 

[Gromit]

The great thing about Predator is it sums up our unease with nature - the Predator merges with nature and theres nothing that all that techno weaponry can do about him. Arnie has to go back to nature to beat him and only then after all the disparate human factions - left versus right, redneck, middle class geek, native American, afro American, Hispanic revolutionary and eurokiller have set their differences aside to deal with the external threat.

As action flicks from the 80s goes I always thought is showed more intelligence than most.

Eh? The Predator is loaded up with technology and its that which saves him from our low tech weapons. Its more about us being technological infants being stalked by a creature that treats us as mere animals.