Matt O’Connor
It’s Day 10 of the Beacon’s Christmas Movie Countdown! Just like with The Nightmare Before Christmas, the question of whether or not Die Hard actually qualifies as a Christmas movie has been floating around ever since the film’s release in 1988. Although it doesn’t hit many of the qualities that we’ve seen in other films on the Countdown, Die Hard is still a premiere Christmas viewing experience regardless.
Directed by John McTierman, Die Hard follows off duty Police Officer John McClane visiting his estranged wife who works for the Nakatomi Corporation. During the company’s Christmas party, everyone but McClane is taken hostage by evil mastermind Hans Gruber and his goons. Gruber’s plan is to seize the bearer bonds within Nakatomi’s vaults. With the lives of everyone in Nakatomi Plaza on the line, it’s up to John McClane to stop Hans Gruber’s plan and get everyone out alive.
Admittedly, Die Hard doesn’t check off many of the boxes that a good christmas film should, but it makes up for that by delivering an intense and high octane action movie that still holds up today. John McClane is one of Bruce Willis’s most iconic characters, and for good reason. But Hans Gruber really steals the show for me. Despite being a criminal mastermind, he’s got a sense of goofy almost comic book levels of maliciousness to him. The end of the film is also super memorable and a great example of the appeal of practical effects.
Die Hard is still a staple of the action genre and remains a classic for both the holidays and cinema in general. For those who don’t enjoy this one, don’t worry. We’ll be returning to some classic Christmas programming starting tomorrow.
