DIE HARD (1988) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | I'm usually a hater!
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- This holiday season ~join me~ in my first time watching DIE HARD. I truly cannot believe I am typing these words, I was a never Die Harder -- I am a huge loser and hate action sequences (I'd delete them from humanity if I could!) but here we are...
TIME STAMPPPSSSSS
00:00 - Intros
2:42 - Start Watching
34:08 - Wrap up
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Another reason why it feels tense is because Bruce Willis' performance is very human. Unlike bad-ass heroes of the time, he feels pain, he gets tired, gets out of breath, his injuries hurt, has a spectrum of emotions.
which is something they seemed to forget in the later Die Hards, where he never gets hurt...
@@MrSmokinDragon Good point. I think Die Hard with a Vengeance is the last of the series where he gets beat up quite a bit. The others though, I agree, a lot more superhuman action than realistic scenarios. That's always the tough part about making action sequels though, you can't do it like the original because people have already seen that; its a catch-22. I agree though that the amount of punishment he takes in the original just adds to the tension of how he'll overcome all his injuries to win in the end. Its just an excellent flick from beginning to end
@@RDSports5 aye. If the protagonist never gets hurt (or only occasionally or superficially), there are no emotional stakes and the action movie will never transcend beyond a spectacle. You need that all too human element of hardship for the protagonist to empathize with him and make the movie and performance more than just bog standard. There is a reason Superman is such a boring character, especially compared to Batman...
@@MrSmokinDragon Exactly, well said.
@@MrSmokinDragon Bruce Lee disagreed. Many times, the excitement comes from the audience knowing that the villains are completely outmatched.
it's not Christmas until hans gruber falls from nakatomi plaza. watch it every year! such a great blend of action and comedy with great characters
Yes sir! Been watching it every Christmas since it's release.
I so need a t-shirt with that on it.
I agree, though i usually say (as i read once): "It's not christmas until Hans Gruber leaves the Nakatomi Plaza tower via a 30th floor window."
But thats just saying it with more words tbh ;)
Someone is selling an "Advent" calendar based on the Nakatomi building with Hans falling one more floor as each door is opened...
Same here; every year. Last year, I managed to time the fall to a few seconds after midnight. I was WAY more pleased with myself than I should have been :-) kerk
Another good one is James Cameron’s “True Lies” with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. The repartee between Arnold and his sidekick, Tom Arnold is priceless.
It's weird how this movie almost feels like a cult classic, considering how much it played on cable tv, how much it's talked about, and how amazing it is.
Yeesssss please do this one
The dialogue in the movie, like a lot of their type, is artificial. But for the characters it seems like a perfectly natural thing to say.
It's Christmas Eve in L.A. Terrorists have seized the Nakatomi Tower, turning Christmas office partyers into expendable hostages.
12 terrorists.
74 hostages.
1 hope - an off duty New York cop. Alone, barefoot, & feeling under appreciated, he is the only chance anyone has.
Hell has come to Christmas...
I remember seeing this at a matinee weekday showing at the Maine Mall theatre in mid-July 1988. It was showing in the biggest theatre they had w/ air conditioning & the all important Dolby Surround Stereo. The best part was that I had the theatre all to myself. It kicked ass!
DIE HARD is based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by author Roderick Thorp. The book was printed in 1979, & the film sticks pretty close to the blueprint structure of the book. John McClane is Joe Leland in the book. He's in L.A. visiting his daughter Stephanie Gennaro at the 40 story monstrosity skyscraper office building that is the main HQ of the Klaxon Oil Corporation. While Joe waits for the party to wrap up, terrorists seize the building & well, ya know it's pretty much Die Hard at that point. Nothing Lasts Forever is a sequel to Thorp's earlier work, titled The Detective which was turned into the 1968 film starring Frank Sinatra in the lead as detective Joe Leland. One of the stipulations in Sinatra's contract for the film was if there was a sequel, he had first dibs on it. If he passed on it, he still got paid his usual film salary. Jump to 1981- Sinatra in his last film of his career, entitled, The First Deadly Sin has a blink & you will miss him cameo of Bruce Willis entering a bar, passing Sinatra as he exits. Jump to 1987 = 20th Century Fox greenlights DIE HARD, but, there is one thing. Fox has to offer the role to Sinatra. Sinatra obviously passes on the film, also stating to Fox they can't use the Joe Leland name (another contractual right from The Detective). Joe Leland changes to John McClane & Bruce Willis gets the role. How's that for reciprocal history?
I loved the scene where she is asking him questions under truth serum. "Are we gonna die?" "Yep"
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"Yes, but they were all bad."
I especially loved that his daughter was smart enough to take the key. She was his daughter 100%
One often-overlooked aspect of the film is that each Hans Gruber's henchmen is an individual, with their own quirks and personality. This in contrast to the typical action film where, apart from the main bad guy and his second-in-command, the other bad guys are nameless redshirts. It emphasizes how well though out Hans' villainous plan is, in that you can ascertain what role each member of his team is intended to play in the heist
The "villainous brothers" caring for each other / wanting to avenge the death of the brother makes them human too.
"Damn Argyle, you've got a lot to say."
Argyle has got a small part. Argyle is going to make the most of it.
Alan Rickman spent his twenties in an office job (graphic designer), gave it up to pursue acting around my age (30), then spent a whole decade grinding in theatre and (relatively) small television parts before finally getting his big break as Hans Gruber, at the age of 42. It gives me hope that it's not over for me yet either!
Or anyone, really, in any field! Same thing as with Lewis Black, who didn't really succeed as a comedian (after trying to be a traditional actor and a playwright for years-and-years) until his 50s. It's never too late for anything, as trite as that can sound, sometimes.
Same here brother. I started at 43. I’ve had quite a few small roles so far. I’ve got a few lines in a scene with Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen in the Oscar-winning movie Green Book. I’ve guest-starred in a couple of episodes of NCIS: New Orleans…..about 20 credits so far. Still haven’t booked a lead role yet. My stage name is James W. Evermore. My older brother has over 100 credits and he’s been at it for over 20 years. His name is J.D. Evermore. Keep at it brother.
@@Enkijamenk Rodney Dangerfield sold lawn furniture and didn't become famous until he was almost 50.
I feel the same for me! I’ve been acting since I was 10- hoping to book my first roles soon! It’s not over for anyone 🥰
@@ShanelleRiccio RAMBO - NOTHING IS OVER!!!
I'm a 53 year old woman. I saw this movie when it originally came out in theaters. I was 20. I still remember how I felt watching it. We were all mesmerized when Alan Rickman came on the screen. He commanded our attention and we knew he was something special. (This was his first movie). We had no idea who he was, but he is all anyone talked about after this movie! I've seen this movie countless times since then too. Still love it! Best action Christmas movie ever! Now I have a machine gun, Ho Ho Ho!
When John first meets Argyle it's not that he's being judgemental. He's just a very meat-and-potatoes, blue collar type of guy, so he's a little thrown by the idea that someone would send a limo driver to pick him up. There are some other moments in the movie where he is being judgemental, of course, like his reaction to the drunk guy kissing him on the cheek at the Christmas party, or when he saw the young couple embracing each other in the airport right before he met Argyle.
What's so great about Die Hard to me is that John is far from the 'perfect' action hero stereotype that was very prevalent in the 80's. Not only does he get hurt, bleeds and run out of bullets, but we quickly learn at the start of the movie that while John's not inherently a bad person, he would be difficult to get along/live with. He's flawed, which makes him more relatable an believable as a character.
The reason Karl's pistol sounded different than usual when he shot the security guard at the front desk was because he was using a suppressor. They're not nearly as effective at muffling the sounds of gunshots in real life as they are in movies and TV shows, but are still used by armed forces under certain circumstances.
The young couple embracing to me read more like, he wishes Holly was there to pick him up, instead he's alone. :)
@@AnnekeOosterink Ah, good point. Wishing Holly was there to pick him up also plays into his bemusement at being greeted by some unknown limo driver.
John is expecting Argyle to tell him what to do. It turns he is in a brand new situation himself.
Shanelle: I need exposition after action scenes.
Sweatshirt: Now I have a machine gun, Ho Ho Ho!
This movie was part of a hostage negotiation class I took in the late 80's. Writing the terrorist's names on his arm was cited as a brilliant move.
that is crazy! I watched it for my childhood birthday party
@@TexasFury I was there as well, though I wasn't very high up on the food chain. Little known fact, that after the police finished interviewing us as witnesses, a bunch of us got together later to celebrate, not because we survived or because we never finished the Christmas party, but to celebrate that fact that Ellis wouldn't be joining us "for the rest of his life".
(We never liked him)
What makes you think they were terrorists?
@@galaxytraveler5779 Their foreign accents obviously, you must be new to American movies ;)
@@Henrik_Holst LOL!
My favourite line in this movie is "Oh God. Please don't let me die." from the rooftop scene. This gives the character so much humanity and pathos. You don't get that vulnerability in most action films.
"Jesus Christ John what the fuck are you doing?!" Is what gets me. This whole movie he cant believe what the hell is happening
I've only seen the 4th one once (and never the 5th), but I recall thinking they lost the idea of McClane being this sort of Everyman who's in way over his head, but prevails through sheer force of will.
This movie was a milestone in action movies that set a new standard for ratcheting up the tension. The closest thing is the final act of Aliens.
Your comment about not having a chance to breathe was exactly my thought as I left the theater.
One thing I realized from your reaction was that this movie would be ruined if he had ever found shoes that fit. The action rises and falls, but the feeling of vulnerability persists because HE'S NOT WEARING ANY SHOES! It keeps the tension up from the moment John hears the first gunshots until Hans hits the pavement.
Rickman's performance is the icing on the cake because it's clear that he is so smart and in charge that McClane can't afford any mistakes. Perfection.
Predator was intense as well.
"Best fall in movie history"
The stunt men told rickman they would drop him on 3 then started counting down but dropped him after 1
The "oh shit!" look was 100% genuine 😂
P.s. for an early comedic bruce willis role you have to check out Death Becomes Her 👍
It was also the last scene they had Rickman shoot which added to his nervousness - he felt that they knew they still had their movie even if something went wrong...
40 ft freefall drop onto a greenscreen airbag. (They didn't actually drop him off the building. The long shot is the stunt double on a wire descender-rig)
"It's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off Nakatomi Plaza" is a popular meme.
I read he was super pissed that they did that to him!
Love Death Becomes Her.
I KNOW this has probably been said but damn this was Alan's big break in his FORTIES. It's so inspiring to me.
Tbf, he was a successful theatre actor and even Tony award nominee before this
@@dustywaynemusic6297 Had no idea who he was when I saw the stage production of Christopher Hampton's translation and adaptation of the novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, in London's West End (a transfer from the National Theatre). The stage charisma and magnetism of Vicomte de Valmont, the male lead, was remarkable! That was in January 1987, and the actor was Alan Rickman. I became an instant fan. (And Lindsay Duncan as la Marquise de Merteuil was no slouch, either.)
@@dustywaynemusic6297 Tbf, there are many great theater/award winning actor's that don't translate on the big screen. Alan still deserves all the props.
@@parissimons6385 wow, i am so jealous you got to see him play that role. i love what john malkovich did in the movie, but to see alan rickman play him on stage would have been amazing!
@@parissimons6385 I think if I had a time machine the first place I'd go is back to 1987 to see that show, lol. I heard he was in it years ago and I would have loved to see him as Valmont. He sounds perfect for that role, that voice of his could charm anyone into anything.
Cool that Shanelle and "Popcorn in Bed" both posted a reaction to Die Hard today. I'm going to check that one out too because the two are completely unique.
All the reaction channels react to the same movies within days of each other. I dunno if they're waiting for someone to go first, so they can get an idea of how aggressively the Content ID system flags it, or if they're all passing around the same copy. Seems rude to ask. Cus if they said it's a coincidence, they'd absolutely be lying. But at the moment, with Christmas approaching, it's even more noticeable.
@@ashscott6068 - Because a LOT of people recommend this as a "Christmas movie" over an "Action movie".
@@ashscott6068 I've noticed that too. I assumed it was at least partly due to people on their patreon pages. One person sees a poll with a movie they'd love to see the reaction to on the page of a reactor they support, and they then submit the same film to other reactors they also support. Another person sees it on one of those pages and they do the same and it ripples across a lot of reactors.
@@ashscott6068 It's basically because all the fans head to the comments and ask for the same stuff, this time of year its Die Hard -- I got the same ask last Christmas when I was much smaller. The second thing at play is it's HEAVILY searched on CZcams, I can run an SEO search and see how well something like this might perform... sometime I ignore the number but it hurts the pockets. *see my Across the Universe video for what happens when not a soul is searching for a particular title. It all comes down to CZcams is a search engine first :)
@@ashscott6068
It just means it's a lot of the same viewers asking for the same movies.
That's all.
The scene near the beginning where John and Holly are arguing in Holly's office included a segment where both actors are speaking at the same time. This is something that was done often in Bruce's TV show "Moonlighting". He and costar Cybill Shepherd were very good at speaking their lines simultaneously to simulate how real people argue.
It was also ad-libbed by Willis and Bedelia. In the script, it just called for them to argue.
"That's Mr. Thief to you". Shanelle's sense of humor is sterling silver, always polished, totally on display. Love it!
This movie without question changed the way action movies are made. A true classic. Also the last scene where Han's falls off the building won an Academy Award for special effects. As always love your reactions. Thanks
Who Framed Roger Rabbit won Best Visual Effects.
In any case it would be for the massive epic explosions.
@@shainewhite2781 I thought it won. I was mistaken it was just nominated. Still for an action film 4 nominations is not too shabby especially for that time.
In a way it changed how action movies are made, in another way no one has been able to recreate this formula. It's a timeless masterpiece. There is no action movie made today that people will still be watching in 30 years
It's brilliant how they take the time to lay out all the players and make sure to always let us know where everyone of importance is at any given time. It's something more modern movies don't do. They just jump around from place to place which is covered up by the quick edits. Die Hard makes sure the geography is always crystal clear so they can ramp up the tension when they need to and give us a breather so it doesn't become too much and it never gets so confusing we lose track of anyone.
With "Predator" (1987), "Die Hard" (1988), and "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), director John McTiernan was giant among the action filmmakers of the era.
IMHO this is the most important action movie ever made, because it broke the trend of well... Arnold / Stallone / Whoever superhuman giant and instead put in a normal, not particularly fit but skilled, brave and lucky hero instead. It was something many reviewers mentioned at the time; "Willis doesn't look like an action hero".
Edit: Also, the "Radioing for help" sequence: DEFINITELY pins this movie as pre 9 / 11...
Agreed. However, with the last few "Die Hard" movies, the character BECAME a superhuman.
@@milescoburn1845
Yeah, "Live Free or Die Hard" is awesome. But of course an insane action movie, it took the character to the top and unfortunately over the "Hedge"
...sorry had to.
@@milescoburn1845 There is only 3 real Die Hard movies IMO. Live Free or Die Hard if it was called something else wouldn't be considered a bad movie but its definitely not a Die Hard movie. John McClane doesn't launch cop cars at helicopters. Don't get me started on A Good Day to Die Hard since that's an absolute abomination against movies everywhere.
@@richardrobbins8067 Reptile !!!!
Indiana Jones & Ellen Ripley also need to be credited w/ that change. In Hong Kong, most action stars weren't superhuman giants as well (ex: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Chow Yun-fat, etc...)
7:44 - "Alan Rickman looks so young!"...This was basically Rickman's first big screen role and he was 42 years old. Before this, he did lots of stage work and British tv. He was a graphic designer before becoming an actor and didn't go to drama school until he was 26.
Theres a lot at play in this movie that makes it come together into such a great film. You definitely touched on a lot of those aspects. One that always stands out to me is how John McClane could be considered the quintessential modern American hero. Hes nobody special, has no super powers or special skills, hes not even exceptionally athletic or attractive. Hes just a gritty NYC cop who works too much, has seen too much, and has a marriage thats on the skids, probably due to his own failures. Hes extremely relatable as an everyman. But hes resourceful, clever, and doesn't give up no matter how much the odds are stacked against him ("put me down for 20"). Just like the cowboys hed watched in the theater and on tv when he would have been a kid and for which Hans mocked him, hes the modern lone ranger.
"Welcome to the party pal!" That instantly became a popular expression to use when you encounter someone who just got hip to the fact that the situation is really bad.
I love using that line
@@blinkybill2198 The nice thing is you can always tell by the reaction you get if the person has or hasn't seen _"Die Hard'_
The US bonds falling at the end is like snow. Also, John's wife is actually called "Holly"
Plus there was that Christmas tree in the background in one of the shots. If you squint and tilt your head, I think you can see it... 😂😂
@@gamesetmatt23 no there is a Christmas Tree in the lobby
It’s definitely a Christmas movie, I never understood the debate.
@@AutoPilate at the end, us watching it on Christmas is what really makes it a Christmas movie.
I don't think they are the bonds, I think it's just office paper. Good old foolscap. Bonds would be bigger and heavier.
When this movie came out, Bruce Willis was popular for his t.v. show Moonlighting, and a comedy called Blind Date. I had grown weary of hearing about Bruce Willis, and when I saw the trailer for Die Hard I thought Willis played a villain. This was the only reason I went to see it that week it released, to watch Bruce Willis get beat up. When I left the theater I was amazed at what I saw and went back to see it with my friend later that day. He liked it so much, we went to a midnight showing of it with his girlfriend. I saw this movie 3 times in one day. :D
I´m actually friends with Steven De Souza, who wrote the film, anf he 100% says it´s a Christmas movie. In my opinion, it is simply one of the best constructed action thrillers of all time, from a script perspective: the film takes its time in really getting going, although the beauty is actually that it seems to happen immediately. This is because the buildup lets us get as good a grasp as necessary on who all the main players are, in an exceptionally entertaining way, so that, once the fan gets hit, you are really invested in what happens. Every element that seems to be introduced randomly will have a part to play later on in the film. And, of course, we have in McClane a vulnerable, relatable leading man, the complete antidote to the superhuman Stallones and Arnies of the 80s (McClane would sadly follow suit in Parts 4 (which I actually like) and 5 (which I don´t), and his flowering friendship with Al, in a moving buddy movie where the buddies don´t meet til the end. Throw in the most charismatic bad guy ever, and it´s just a perfect cocktail.
Shanelle, you've made my day. You read out a piece of IMDb trivia that I submitted over a decade ago. 😎
The beginning, where he checks out the girl, is imo to illustrate that he's East coast. Nobody in NY is wearing tight yoga pants at Christmas. He's a fish out of his element.
I always read it as him observing the excited loving reunion greeting of a couple in comparison to his lone arrival at the gate, perhaps with a tinge of remorse.
@@gnpj1909 I agree with both observations! It could be a combination of everything.
@@gnpj1909 Ooh, that's true too! Boy did the script have some depth to it.
Plus, he's being a guy.
As married women who have wisdom have said of their husbands for centuries: "The day he isn't checking out a woman is when it will be a problem. Because that means he is dead."
I always thought it was a reaction to the crazy PDA, tbh. "F'ing California" is just weird.
Bruce Willis was already a TV-star when “Die Hard” was made. As Shanelle saw in the trivia section, his breakout was in the romantic-comedy-mystery series “Moonlighting” (1985-89), which I always enjoyed very much. With that as a launching pad, Willis spent years in the mid- to late-1980s trying to parlay his television success into a career in feature films. He languished for years in forgettable rom-coms in which he was repeatedly called upon to reprise his “Moonlighting” TV-persona. But then, “Die Hard” came along. That film re-launched Willis’s career and catapulted him to true superstar status. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Not to many people know Bruce was a singer as well before a actor.
I was sitting in that theatre because of moonlighting. I wasn’t into action movies until I saw this one, so I thought I was about to see David Addison with a gun. It was so much better than I imagined and I love action to this day because of this film.
@@Ivy94F Well, this movie did change what it meant to be an action movie in America.
I really hope she comes across Hudson Hawk
And Willis had a great movie career until about 2008 or so until he just stopped caring and now just makes schlocky bad direct to VOD movies where he puts in little to no effort anymore.
I love your “fun facts” portion of the videos. Its something no one else does & I always find out things I didn’t know.
Glad you liked this one.
I remember watching this movie as a kid and it immediately left an impression on me because it felt way more real than most of the other action movies from that era and Bruce Willis didn’t look like the typical action heroes, which was endearing in a way.
Die Hard helped change the idea of the “hero”. This was one of the first movies to portray the hero as an “every man” and not someone who was muscles out, or had some specialty training. This movie largely helped the idea of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances become the hero.
I'm surprised the trivia didn't mention that to get the shot of Alan Rickman falling from the building, to get Alan's genuine reaction, the director didn't warn him when he was being dropped.
Told him they'd drop him on 3,dropped on 1,which is why he shows genuine shock when starting to drop
@@LThompson59 That's right! Couldn't remember exactly
Did you know that… 😂
Pretty sure it is in the trivia, she just didnt get to it/cover it.
I thought it would be the very first one
Best line in the movie “This is Agent Johnson... no, the other one.”
"Come out to the coast, have a few laughs..."
"OH, we`re gonna need some more FBI guys I guess....."
*The first time my friend saw Die Hard, he said his chest hurt from holding his breath so many times throughout the movie.*
I was definitely holding my breath!!!
@@ShanelleRiccio *Tooooootally! lol Hey, where do we suggest movies for you to react to? I have a couple of great 80s movies. AND, no one has reactions to them on CZcams. You'd totally be a pioneer!* 😁
@@Raixor i think I’ll go live soon and we can take requests plus I have polls on my Patreon :)
According to Willis, most of his dialogue was improvised and the director thought it was great and would bring the audience in to his situation. I loved it!
I was 15 years old when the movie was released. Back then, there was a strict rule enforced by theaters that absolutely no one under 17 could see a rated R film. So my friends and I had one of their older brother who took us since he was over 18. To see this on the big screen back then was awesome! I am so fortunate to have seen so many films in the theater. Sometimes I take this for granted, as you can only watch them in your room.
I was 15 and had to trick my dad into taking me and some friends to see it. We didn't tell any of the parents what the rating was. I regret nothing!
This movie is 100% one that has to be watched, it can be so easy to put it into a box and make assumptions about it, but it really does exceed expectations
"Be of good cheer" - That is a saying that my Father adopted, and has used throughout my life (I was 9 when Die Hard came out). Rickman's line delivery coupled with his voice are just so memorable.
I always loved how everything in this movie comes back full circle, no matter how minor. The fact that John has his shoes off, set up in the first interaction with the plane passenger. Holly's watch that Ellis kept touting, its what Hans Gruber hung onto before his fall. Even down to the cop Al's knowledge of packaged baked goods, he knew what was in a Twinkie so it was used as banter with John.
Hey Shanelle, glad you finally watched Die Hard. I saw this in the theater because my sisters kicked all the guys out of the house to throw a baby shower and so my dad and all my brothers went to see a double feature of Die Hard and Big starring Tom Hanks. It was kinda weird to see Bruce Willis in an action comedy because he was on Moonlighting, but he nailed it and became a movie star.
That's a pretty great double feature.
"Shoot the glass" is one of my favorite Hollywood moments.
HANS: ** Speaks in Karl's native language **
KARL: Huh?
HANS: ** Translates for us, the audience. **
KARL: Ohhh. Got it.
Hahaha, I never picked up on that! That's brilliant!
"Beard needs to take _several_ seats..." LMAO. I think one of the reasons that this doesn't feel like your run-of-the-mill action flick is because it's not one of those run-and-gun movies where the protagonist kills like 150 people. There are only ever 12 terrorists plus Hans Gruber, and it ends up being a little bit more cat-and-mouse.
Shanelle now don't ever forget that after the release of Die Hard the Blueprint filming style of Die Hard became Hollywood's new Blueprint for filming action movies for the next 10-15 years
It's not Christmas until I see Hans fall from Nakatomi tower!
Merry Christmas Shanelle 🎄😎
The script for this movie is so tight, well written, and highly regarded, that it's actually studied in film classes. Top notch stuff.
And yet they still can't make a film that comes close. Lol
38:58 Um... didn't she say that they had trouble with the script/screenplay? I think you've got to give a lot of the credit to the actors/director and whoever edited it all together, no?
Tight scripting is tight! Wait wrong channel.
@@gamesetmatt23 all scripts go through rewrites and have some issues during production. What's studied in film school, besides the process itself, is the end result.
@@James_Smith862 Yes, but I think in this instance, it's incorrect to say that the script is 'tight' and 'well written', when actually it was half improvised (I'm exaggerating there) and made up as they went along. That's not the script (which is the writer's work) that's the actors, the director and the editing team putting in the hard yards.
I've heard Tom Cruise talk about some of the M:I films and how they didn't have a full story when they started shooting, they had locations and set pieces etc. in mind, and they built the story around that. That's not a 'tight', 'well written' script... that's excellent direction and production and editing.
And I don't have to be a film school student to tell you that.
One thing to say about Bruce Willis, is that prior to this, his breakout action film, he had been cast, opposite Cybil Shepard, in a very good and beloved TV series called "Moonlighting", where he played a sexy but down on his luck investigator working with Cybil Shepard to solve crimes. The TV show was very good: they even did "meta" episodes that were full-on parodies of Shakespeare plays. So when Die Hard came out, we all flocked to the theaters to see if this romantic comedy TV detective could do real action, and the result is history. When we first went to see Die Hard, audiences were laughing that this young comedic actor could do an action movie: to audiences of 1988, that was definitely part of the fun. We all loved him as David Addison from TV: now we would get to see him do something on his own. No one considered him an action hero until we left the theater after watching him dispatch Hans Gruber.
I love this channel. I'm a writer and it really refreshing to see someone that's in the industry think logically where the plot SHOULD go and sees the changes and how it affects the characters motivations throughout. Also to make a "Bridemaids" reference just made me smile. Good work!!
I laughed out loud when you said "The Media made things worse!" YES!!! If there is one thing the media does spectacularly, it is to make a bad situation even worse!
When DOESN'T MSM make things worse?
Lol you can always count on them for that, among other things.
It was especially bad in the 1980s and I think that's why it got the parody here. In the 1970s (and before) the "old breed" of the Cronkites and Jennings etc. kept the tabloid reporters like Geraldo and his ilk pretty much in check, but by the 80s the flood gates were well open.
I used to watch Moonlighting back in the 80's. Sybil Sheperd was in it and she was really cute! He probably ab-libbed in that show, as he was always smart and sarcastic. It was a really good show!
"That was a hoot and a half".
Honestly that is a wonderful way to sum up this glorious movie. Merry Christmas.
Shanelle, when I still had my Mom and Dad, our Christmas Eve tradition was to open our presents to each other, and then we'd watch this. Yes, "Die Hard" IS a Christmas movie, because it keeps my holiday memories of my folks alive with me to this day. Merry Christmas, Shanelle....
A favorite of mine! Probably saw it waaaay too young but have loved it from the first time I watched it.
A fun fact: Alan Rickman had to fall twenty feet onto an airbag for the final scene. Alan Rickman's terrified reaction as he began to fall was genuine as the stunt man who was holding him said he would drop him on the count of three but actually dropped him on the count of two.
The look of horror on Rickman’s face as he fell was real. He had to fall backwards, a drop of about thirty feet. They said they’d count to three and then release him. They counted to one :) Happy Christmas.
And he expressed that he wasn't very happy about that after the fact. :)
@@neil2444 Apparently he was a 100% nice guy though. He’s missed.
Best fun fact of the movie.
beat me to it...
Absolutely love Die hard. Probably watched this film 15 times in the 80s, a few times since and it is a Christmas movie, it’s set at Christmas and his wife is called Holly.
It's Christmas Eve in L.A. Terrorists have seized the Nakatomi Tower, turning Christmas office partyers into expendable hostages.
12 terrorists.
74 hostages.
1 hope - an off duty New York cop. Alone, barefoot, & feeling under appreciated, he is the only chance anyone has.
Hell has come to Christmas...
I remember seeing this at a matinee weekday showing at the Maine Mall theatre in mid-July 1988. It was showing in the biggest theatre they had w/ air conditioning & the all important Dolby Surround Stereo. The best part was that I had the theatre all to myself. It kicked ass!
DIE HARD is based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by author Roderick Thorp. The book was printed in 1979, & the film sticks pretty close to the blueprint structure of the book. John McClane is Joe Leland in the book. He's in L.A. visiting his daughter Stephanie Gennaro at the 40 story monstrosity skyscraper office building that is the main HQ of the Klaxon Oil Corporation. While Joe waits for the party to wrap up, terrorists seize the building & well, ya know it's pretty much Die Hard at that point. Nothing Lasts Forever is a sequel to Thorp's earlier work, titled The Detective which was turned into the 1968 film starring Frank Sinatra in the lead as detective Joe Leland. One of the stipulations in Sinatra's contract for the film was if there was a sequel, he had first dibs on it. If he passed on it, he still got paid his usual film salary. Jump to 1981- Sinatra in his last film of his career, entitled, The First Deadly Sin has a blink & you will miss him cameo of Bruce Willis entering a bar, passing Sinatra as he exits. Jump to 1987 = 20th Century Fox greenlights DIE HARD, but, there is one thing. Fox has to offer the role to Sinatra. Sinatra obviously passes on the film, also stating to Fox they can't use the Joe Leland name (another contractual right from The Detective). Joe Leland changes to John McClane & Bruce Willis gets the role. How's that for reciprocal history?
The best part about this being a Christmas movie was that it was released in July
So.... kinda like Iron Man 3? 😂 (I think it was actually April/May)
To clarify the deal with the news guy, William Atherton's character was trying to catch the "big story" so he could be promoted from local news to network (or national) news, and was willing to do anything to get there.
This was a great review and it would be worth checking out the additional sequels. Die Hard 2 also happens at Christmas time, but not really considered a Christmas movie like the first one.
I've seen this movie dozens of times over the years, and it's still a good watch. To me, that really says it all.
Every Christmas Eve for me. I don’t remember exactly when I started, but it’s been a *long* time.
I really love your take and the professional knowledge you share.
Everyone reacts more viscerally to cut feet than a million gun shots because we have more experience getting cut than getting shot.
I heard what you did there, the “Ode to Joy” playing in the background. 😉
I only just saw this last year after another reactor had loved the movie too. I enjoyed it also, Alan Rickman was a bonus.
Pretty much 80% of the score for this movie is from Beethoven's 9th symphony, of which _Ode to Joy_ is just a small part.
I thought about when she said "Dark foreboding music". It's all from the Ninth!
I saw this the weekend after it opened with my dad and brothers. It is a Christmas tradition in my house now going on 25 years. Even if I'm on duty on Christmas Eve or Day, it gets watched.
And Moonlighting was one of my favorite shows when it was on. My dad and I never missed an episode. So we loved Bruno. This movie pushed that love further.
Stumbled on your channel due to the Tombstone reaction. You have a new subscriber now. Happy to be aboard.
Not just the dialogue, the script is the star. From the issue of Holly's surname and how the issue progresses the plot, and the first words of the film about bare feet on the rug and how this causes problems for John all the way to the end, to the symbol of the couple's marriage difficulties - the Rolex - being the one thing that almost stops John from being able to finish Hans off at the end of the movie... it's all so _tight._
38:18 Checking your video list, can I recommend you watch THE FUGITIVE, with Harrison Ford? Much as happened in DIE HARD, there was no finished script when they started shooting, and literally 80 percent of the spoken dialogue was improvised or worked out on the set. They had a string of set pieces, but little concrete dialogue to work from. It's directed by Andrew (UNDER SIEGE) Davis, who was John McTiernan's main competition as the best action director of the 1980s/early 1990s. Tommy Lee Jones leads a great ensemble of character actors as the Federal Marshal searching for escaped, wrongly-accused convicted murderer, Richard Kimball (Ford). It has the same great dialogue somehow whipped up on the spot that DIE HARD has, and it's a fun thriller without all the blood and guts. Shot on location, mostly in Chicago, including a chase sequence created in and around the actual St. Patrick's Day parade!
Also one of the few action films (and TV show adaptations) nominated for Best Picture.
The most famous line from the Fugitive was an ad lib "I don't care"
Oooh that's a good one too
Of, course it is, besides a Christmas party, Die Hard even has a Christmas Miracle in it, after all people say "It's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off the Nakatomi Plaza"
And it has a whole "family reconciliation" through-line like all good Christmas movies.
@16:30 I love Holly’s guts and Hans’ reaction. He definitely wasn’t expecting her to say that. 😁
Holly, AL, Argyle, and John are all heroes in this. There's a hero that everyone can identify with.
"I get LOST during action scenes"
That's just BAD FILM MAKING. Quick cuts are usually not a stylistic choice, but a cover-up technique to hide the flaws and mistakes. Good action is HARD and time-consuming and expensive. Unlike other time-consuming and expensive aspects of film-making, if you cut corners *people die*
Jackie Chan's sequences (in Hong Kong) are as amazing as they are because he spends MONTHS on a three-minute sequence. He says he's not super-humanly skilled, he just has the patience to do a million bad takes to get the one good one.
100% this. John Wick is another well put together action film. The action scenes are shown so you can see everything, and the camera is one of the performers. On the terrible spectrum is the Taken series, the Bourne series, or Iron Fist on Netflix.
But Jackie Chan and his crew out out the best action scenes not limited to fighting.
41:23 The expanded soundtrack liner notes add that Michael Kamen agreed to use the Beethoven music if he could use "Singing' in the Rain" as secondary motif for the villains. You can hear it throughout the scene when Hans' gang is shooting at the armored vehicle.
Stallone, Arnold and Willis co-owned Planet Hollywood. There are cross-promotional references throughout all three careers.
Collect them ALL!
Jan De Bont is the cinematographer here, who directed Speed, Twister, Tomb Raider 2, The Haunting. as well as being the director of photography on dozens of big movies.
1. Karl/Alexander Godunov(RIP) also played in "The Money Pit" with Tom Hanks and "Witness" with non Indiana/Solo Harrison Ford.
He had a very interesting story.
2. Robinson/Paul Gleason(RIP) seems to always play buttheads. I.e. "Trading Places" and "The Breakfast Club".
3. Another fun Willis movie that have similar events is "The Last Boy Scout". They drop more F-bombs than any movie besides
"Scarface'. Including a little girl.
On a day where my back was literally broken in a rear in collision, your reaction made me smile and forget about the pain I'm in for a little while. And your smile was the cherry on top. Thank you.
hope you feel better real soon.
@@wvman2374 Thanks. Doctor said it will be tough for about two months.
I haven't seen this bit of trivia mentioned in the comments yet: the role of John McClain was originally offered to 70+ year old Frank Sinatra! The film is based on a book, "Nothing Lasts Forever", which is a sequel to a 1960s book "The Detective". Since Sinatra stared in the movie adaptation of the original, he had a contractual right of first refusal to play the role in Die Hard. Fortunately, he turned down the role, judging himself too old for the part. The rest is movie history
I truly love that you are so in tune with all of the comedy moments in all of your film reactions. You are quickly becoming my favorite reactor.
❤️✌🏼😎
I'm ashamed to admit that even though I'm a huge movie buff and 51 years old, I saw this for the first time just a few years ago and was amazed at how good it really was. Not at all what I expected. I had seen number 3 first and enjoyed it a lot so I had similar expectations for this one. I was pleasantly disappointed.
The first Die Hard is the top best of the franchise. All sequels failed at the original template, a man very difficult to kill. This same concept was used to make a rival's franchise titled _Max Payne_ , this title is the name of the protagonist but with a play of words as it were “ Maximum Pain ”. Max Payne never got to beat Die Hard though.
@ The other sequels are nothing special but Die Hard with a Vengeance is a great movie, honestly think that it is even better than the original ever so slightly. The dynamic between Bruce and Sam Jackson is great.
I consider 3 to be the 2nd best of the franchise, with this being the best, of course
@@carlosrvra I comes down to either 1 or 3 being the besbased on personal opinions. 2 and 4 are on the level below those with 5 being about ten miles behind the other movies.
Probably one of the best action films when it comes to pace. It keeps you well engaged throughout. That is not easy to do. I actually saw this in a theater and the audience's reactions were definitely an added element.
Agreed. The dialogue, acting, etc. are excellent, but I think the pacing is what really makes it.
14:50 -- Welcome to the party Shanelle ! ---- The 80s and 90s were one hell of a ride. Then we hit the 2000s and everything slowed to the crawl.. After that, it's like nothing changed.
Not watched this for a while and forgot how cool it was. Thank you for this. :) Also, soo cool to hear younger generation speak on this movie and show me stuff i missed and different views on what we saw. Brilliant reaction. Subbed. Happy New Year.
great reaction to a classic Shanelle! another great action xmas movie is Long Kiss Goodnight with Geena Davis and Samuel L Jackson. its super underrated and i think you definitely would love it!
When I first saw the movie I thought Al was going to be simple comic relief, I was more than pleasantly surprised when they gave his character real heart and depth. In terms of the actors involved many went on to bigger and better things after this film.
He was about to quit acting because he was getting nothing parts. He was 33 at the time but looked so much older.
Carl Winslow
Quick data dump on the scene where Rickman falls out the window. He had awful fear of heights. They had established a countdown for when the guy holding his wrist was to let him go. Then they let go a few seconds early. Rickman's look of sheer panic and terror as he was falling was genuine. He was scared to death. Don't know if you've ever seen it, but I would love to watch you check out The Sting if you haven't seen it. Great cast and storyline. Working my way through your vids. Enjoying them very much.
Yes! I have been hoping/waiting for a good new review of the Xmas movie Die Hard and it was Shanelle who delivered. Great ftw, hits all points, loved it, thanks. Happy holidays!
Yaaay! 😄 We got Shanelle to like an action movie 🎬 🥰 I loved this reaction. Good stuff! 👍
Watched it in theater at the time while in college. Moonlighting on TV was also known for its funny and original dialog. Trivia fact not mentioned...they released Rickman earlier than expected in the top view of the fall scene. The shock and fear reaction is real as he started to fall before he expected to fall. This movie was one of my favorites from that time period of my life. It is still a fun rewatch.
In many ways I like the third one almost as much if not the same as this one. It has the same cerebral battle going on between the villain and McClane.
I saw this in the theater not long after I graduated from high school, it was one of the first movies at that time to be over 2 hours, which would become more common after this. Growing up for me, most movies were about 90 minutes long so this was really cool for me as a huge movie fan.
As a long time paramedic, I can attest to the fact that people in emergency services have a dark sense of humor and will joke around at what civilians would think is an inappropriate time. It's a very special treat when you can find a work partner who is on the exact same level of dark humor and morbidness (is that a word?!) as you!
Thanks for reacting to this one, it is one of my favorite Christmas movies and I watch it every year. I love your channel and always have fun, happy holidays!
I just found your channel after watching a similar one. I couldn't take anymore when the host was beside herself with confusion after watching "Back to the Future". I saw that film in first run when I was fourteen. I had no trouble whatsoever understanding the plot. You, on the other hand have such insights and a depth of understanding of film in general, it's a joy to watch you appreciate this movie for its nuances and attention to detail. Needless to say, I subscribed to this channel, and can't remember the name of the other one. Did you EVER think you would cry at the end of "Die Hard"?! I do. Every time.
A really well made movie that doesn't get a lot of love on line is The Spitfire Grill. It's scored so beautifully, a great story, mysteries, redemption. Many familiar faces.
I like that small little movie. You're so right.
I love the first 4 (of the 5) Die Hard movies... While most folks dislike the 4th as well. Good clean fun!! The Lethal Weapon series are of the same nature... Lot's of action, funny moments, and characters your really get attached to...
Like you I liked 4. I ran out of bullets
And Shanelle always remember "it's not Christmas until I see Hans Gruber fall off of Nakatomi Tower" 🤣😅😉❤
Definitely in my Top - 5 of all time - not just Christmas time
Great reaction! It's hard (no pun intended, I swear) not to love this movie. It's my second-favorite action movie (just behind Raiders Of The Lost Ark), and is also my second favorite Xmas movie (just behind It's A Wonderful Life). Moonlighting is one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and I definitely recommend checking it out. Thanks, take care, best of luck, be safe, and Happy Holidays!
Moonlighting was my introduction to Bruce. 12 years old and the only one in the house watching the show. Taming of the Shrew was one of my favorite episodes.
I love Alan Rickman so much I wish they did an alternative ending where Hans Gruber ends up sitting on a beach somewhere earning 20%
Get Corridor Crew to deepfake it.
It's my birthday today and I was feeling a little bummed but then I watched this reaction video (to my favorite Christmas movie!) and now I feel better. Thanks, Shan. Keep up the good work!
Framed by the broken window, "welcome to the party, pal." My favorite line of all time.
"enough explosives to orbit Arnold Schwartzenegger" is a line also used in "Chuck" season 2, episode 1.
The gun sounding like a "laser"
just means the gun had a silencer attached.
"Ode To Joy" was also used routinely
in "A Clockwork Orange",
which inspired it to be used here.
The "Moonlighting" pilot (1985)--
czcams.com/video/-9xVXSxneI0/video.html
Now you need to check out Willis
with Goldie Hawn & Meryl Streep
in 1992's "Death Becomes Her"--
a bizarre & hilarious horror comedy.
"Face/Off" is another great thriller.
yeah, it isn't a very realistic silencer sound though. see the hundred gun youtube videos talking about silencers
Just what I was thinking, though I've been corrected, it's a noise suppressor.
Watching your perspective on this was super enjoyable having got to know you through your channel and loving this film not only for its action but like you it’s amazing well crafted and scripted all very well laid out it’s exceptional
It ain’t Christmas until I see Hans Gruber falling off the Nakatomi Building!….. SanJoséBob