It’s necessary for me to preface this review of “”Die Hard”” by saying flat out that it’s my favorite movie of all time. Bold statement, no? That’s a question film critics get asked often. “”What’s your favorite movie?”” And it’s a tough one to answer, because different critics like so many different movies for so many different reasons. But for me, the answer to that question will always be “”Die Hard,”” and there are so many reasons why.
When “”Die Hard”” was released in 1988, something miraculous happened. For the first time that I could remember (and the last time it has happened since), a movie had captured my daydreams on film. Stories I, and countless other teenage boys, had mapped out in my head were flashing before my eyes as I watched the film’s trailer. It was like someone had tapped into my brain without me knowing, and it was more disturbing than pleasurable at first. It was just that real. Any kid who ever picked up a tree branch shaped like a gun and pretended to save your loved ones from an evil-doer knows exactly what I’m talking about.And here was Bruce Willis, the wise-cracking private eye from “”Moonlighting”” who spent more time trying to crack his partner’s resolve than crack the case, doing things I’d only dreamed of. He was fighting villains. He was armed. He was all alone. He was bloody. He was tired. And he was winning.Who doesn’t know the story by now? New York police officer John McClane (Willis) jets across the country at Christmas to visit his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). He arrives at her company’s holiday party, which is promptly crashed by terrorists – led by the suave, demure Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) – who plan on infiltrating the building’s basement vault. McClane manages to slip away before he’s detected, and his one-man assault on the high-tech thieves begins.Deftly directed by John McTiernan (“”Predator””), “”Die Hard”” set the mold for muscle films that’s been duplicated but never surpassed. Willis’ smirking anti-hero, a blue-collar cop who could be, and should be, your next door neighbor, is only topped by Rickman’s Gruber, the perfect foil. And the film’s supporting roles, especially Reginal VelJohnson as McClane’s LAPD confidant Al Powell and William Atherton as the acerbic television reporter Dick Thornberg, never waste a minute of the film’s time. Much has been said about the claustrophobic nature of the film. The entire thing unfurls in the confines of one storied office building, prompting films that followed to use “”Die Hard”” as an adjective to describe their premise. We’ve seen “”Die Hard on a plane”” (“”Executive Decision”” or “”Air Force One””), “”Die Hard on a boat”” (“”Under Seige), “”Die Hard on a bus”” (Speed””), and so on. But it was McTiernan’s methodical pacing and the film’s concise script that set the original apart from its clones. McClane’s relentless adventure propels ever forward, making his already brave actions appear all the more heroic with each catastrophic development. It pulls the viewer along by the nose hairs to an exhausting, though extremely believable, conclusion. The trick to “”Die Hard,”” though, is that it delivers the heart-stopping explosions, gun fights and thrills audiences demand from blockbuster action pics, but takes the time to flesh out the characters that run through the set pieces. It sounds so simple, but enough films fail to do it that it bears mentioning. This simple act forces us to care about the film’s outcome. Willis’ three-dimensional McClane feels so familiar to us, we practically project ourselves onto the screen alongside him. Or pretend to be him, even now, 13 years later.GRADE: ATHE EXTRAS:20th Century Fox has bestowed its highest honors on “”Die Hard,”” choosing to feature the title with “”Cleopatra,”” “”The Sound of Music”” and others as part of the studio’s “”Five Star Collection.”” The two-disc set guides viewers through some impressive computer-animated menus that mirror the film, where they’ll find two commentary tracks (one with McTiernan and production designer Jackson DeGovia; one with special effects supervisor Richard Edlund), extended scenes, a script-to-screen comparison, and a longer branch version of the film.On the second disc, Fox has added 2 extended scenes: an “”Airplane”” sequence and a “”Power Shutdown”” sequence. There is also a gag reel and a deleted lines and sequences reel, newscasts, interactive articles from various film magazines, the full-length screenplay, TV spots, a still gallery and other promotional effects. The finest point on the extras-laden second disc, though, is a cutting room game that allows you to play with some of your favorite scenes in the film (including McClane in the building’s air ducts) and edit the way they are mixed and shot. It’s an intriguing, if slow-moving, feature that could keep you busy for a while.””Die Hard,”” like the “”Five Star”” DVDs before it, lives up to its hype, solidifying Fox’s reputation in the format and allowing the studio to stake a claim in the collector’s market.GRADE: A-OVERALL EXPERIENCE:Considering how many films have copied the formula, it’s refreshing to report that “”Die Hard”” holds up after so many years. It will forever stand as the blueprint for successful, big-budget adrenaline flicks studios bet the farm on year after year, and Fox’s in-depth “”Five Star”” study allows you to see how, and why, it works so well. This one, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is a must for all colectors.FINAL GRADE: A