Die Hard (1988)

Bruce Willis is John McClane in the Die Hard series. In this first one he’s young, very fit, and still has lots of hair. Bruce Willis with hair? Who knew? Even though this was made in the late 80’s and is the first in the series, it is jammed full of action and gore. McClane also has a sense of humor which keeps you laughing throughout the movie. One plus for you Family Matters fans, I know you’re out there, is that the guy that played Carl Winslow is one of the cops. This is the first of at least three times that good ol’ Reginald VelJohnson plays a police officer. I think this guy lost a bet with someone that made him only able to play cop roles. Tough luck, Carl.

I was very surprised, yet awesomely grossed out at the amount of blood and guts shown in this flick. It is rated R for a reason. One of the first kills of the movie is someone getting shot in the head by a terrorist. Let’s just say there is a massive splat on the glass doors behind the guy, complete with some chunky goodness. Mmm. Brains.

Despite all the gruesome shots, the most shocking scene of the whole movie comes a little later. There’s a point where Carl Winslow is standing outside, deep in contemplation. The camera pans up to a sign that shows…. Cover your children’s eyes, lock the doors, and tell your Amish friends to go home. Are you ready for this? The gas price in Los Angeles in 1988 was….74 cents per gallon. Gaaasssppp!! I know, I was scared too, but I think it was for real. If it was 74 cents in LA, it was probably 10 cents everywhere else in the world. Oh the good old days.

Back to the movie, terrorists take over a sky scraper with John McClane in it, mistake number one. They stood a better chance at taking over Fort Knox than a building with McClane in it. McClane single-handedly killed all of the terrorists except two. He is one good kicker of assess. Anyway, the movie is set on Christmas Eve making this a warm fuzzy x-mas movie for all. There are explosions, blood, guts, and brain. Who could ask for more? It even plays “Let It Snow” during the end credits. Warm feelings paired with action, this equals a great classic movie.

Best Kill: McClane comes head to head with the main bad guy, Hans, in the end. Hans has McClane’s wife as a hostage and there is another terrorist to the side. McClane throws down his gun and puts his hands on his head as ordered. However, McClane has a gun taped to his back. He pulls it out, shoots Hans in the shoulder and nails the other one in the head, right between the eyes. Then Hans falls out the window and is holding on to the wife’s hand. Just as Hans is about to shoot McClane, McClane loosens his wife’s watch, breaking Hans’ grip and he falls ~ 30 floors to his death. I feel bad for the poor janitor who comes back from his Christmas break to that mess.

Best line: Hans is talking via radio with McClane for the first time. Hans says, “Do you really think you stand a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?” McClane answers,
“Yippeee-ki-yay motherf****er!!!!!”

Guys getting killed (Bad guys): Hans Gruber and his bundle of henchmen

Amount of time before McClane related action: ~ 23 mins

Best Explosion: McClane steals a whole block of C4 from the bad guys. He puts it in a chair with a computer monitor and pushes it down an elevator shaft. When it hits bottom, a massive explosion occurs blowing up all of the bottom floors.

Types of injuries: McClane gets shot in the back of the shoulder, broken glass all in the bottom of his feet, and beat to a bloody pulp leaving lacerations all over his body. How much can one guy take?

Action Rating: 5 Yippee-ki-yays, out of 5.