Die Hard is a phenomenal showcase of filmmaking talent

Blender Dumbass
August 05, 2025

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#diehard #brucewillis #film #review #action #movies #cinemastodon

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Somehow, for all these years I avoided the first ever Die Hard movie, even though I had watched the sequels. And even though the sequels are varying in quality, the first film is a fucking masterpiece.

John McTiernan is ( or at least was in the 80s and 90s ) a kick-ass action film director. He, is a kind of Spielberg knock off. He uses very similar techniques. And in Die Hard specifically you can feel that Spielbergian influence. A lot of the beginning of the movie uses long takes of conversations, to make them feel more visually interesting to watch. Something that Spielberg is phenomenal at. McTiernan is not Spielberg, but is still very fucking good.

Then, a lot of the film is shot with very interesting shots. Not all of it. Most of it is shot more or less how you would shoot an action film. But some shots are rather exiting, because of how creative they are. There is a shot towards the middle of the movie in a TV station where the camera pretty much stays put in the same location, but people in the shot exchange glances in such a way, that it naturally motivates rack-focus and slight composition changes, making the shot extremely dynamic.

A lot of the movie is shot in that kind of very smart, very inspired way. And if the shots themselves aren't that interesting on their own, the cuts McTiernan does, in sequence, make sometimes for very interesting cinematic moments.

The writing is also on point. Pretty much from the very beginning you are in the building where all of the story will happen. And pretty much from the beginning the tension starts building up. Even before you see the bad guys. And then the tension goes even higher.

This movie seems to be a great example of the Lars Von Trier technique of writing. He likes to set himself challenges that limit what he can do and then try his best to make it still work somehow. This forces creative juices to flow. Making for interesting decisions.

This movie is set in one building. With very little communication between the bad guys and the one good guy. And very little communication between the good guy and the world. Yet it finds ways, sometimes stupidly creative ways ( like the TV reporter coming to McClane's house ) to help further the plot.

I did wish the limo driver ( De'voreaux White ) would have been used more. I mean that was a perfect setup. To call for help McClane ( Bruce Willis ) would have needed to get all the way down to the bottom floor and there use the only working phone ( the phone in the limo ) to call for help. But the writers gave him a walkie-talkie.

Acting is surprisingly good, especially for an 80s action film. The bad guy ( Alan Rickman ) even does acting within acting. Which means he specifically needs to convincingly portray a bad actor. Willis is good. He shows a range of emotions in this movie. His in-movie wife ( Bonnie Bedelia ) has an interesting presence. There is a very cool, very subtle acting scene with Rickman's character which I liked.

There is a very cool moment with one of the bad guys ( Al Leong ) who takes position at a cafeteria. And then very subtly looks at the snacks for a few seconds. Trying not to lose his focus. Until eventually he gives up.

There is a surprisingly emotional presence of a first cop ( besides McClane ) at the place ( Reginald VelJohnson ) who delivers a punch in a guts monologue in the film.

For comedic relief we have Paul Gleason that plays the same exact fucking character he played in The Breakfast Club ( with the same suit and everything ). And then we have the FBI guys ( Robert Davi and Grand L. Bush ) who are somehow even dumber than Gleason's character.

The movie is awesome. From the script to the director, to the individual actors. It is awesome.

Happy Hacking!!!