Die Hard (1988) – Rewatch

Beginning a Die Hard marathon, I had to start with a rewatch of the original. During Christmastime, NYPD cop Bruce Willis has recently arrived in Los Angeles in an attempt to reconcile with his estranged wife Bonnie Bedelia. He shows up at his wife’s office holiday party only to have his plans waylaid by a group of hostage-taking German terrorists, led by Alan Rickman. It’s not a surprise that this inspires yearly arguments over whether it counts as a Christmas film or not; people are just looking for an excuse to watch this classic again. It’s filled with plenty of action and humor. Unlike his recent roles, Willis does more than just squint at the camera and seems to actually be enjoying himself. Though I find his German accent a bit suspect, Rickman otherwise completely kills it as an absolutely iconic bad guy.   

Oscar Nominations: Best Sound; Best Film Editing; Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing; Best Effects, Visual Effects