Cultural experience

[liv]

So my OSOs decided it was past time for me to watch Die Hard (1988). I came back from my first service leading of 2025, and headed straight to my partners' to warm up and recuperate. And we watched the film, my first time and everybody else rewatching a well-loved favourite.

There's no point writing a review of one of the most famous films of the 20^th century, but I can say that my life is improved by having seen it. I don't generally like action films, and I did definitely have nightmares about being chased through a labyrinthine building by armed pursuers, but I can also totally see why it's such a classic. I definitely appreciated the great acting by the leads and the minor characters, and the very clever scoring, and the way that all the little details were meaningful. I did not at all love the pro-gun message; it's not just a film where the entire plot is basically an extended shoot-out sequence, but specifically blazons the moral that you need a good guy with a gun to stop bad guys with guns.

I don't see how there's any debate over whether it's a Christmas movie. The only element missing is that it takes place in the HQ of a corporation in LA, and not in a small town. But apart from that it's the Christmasest movie ever to Christmas! It even includes a plot about how love is more important than career success (I liked the relationship arc, but I didn't love that rekindling love is symbolized by the protag's wife taking his name instead of using her own.) ghoti_mhic_uait argued that it could also be a Chanukah movie, on the grounds that it contains both doughnuts and a tiny band of heroes defeating a superior force in the name of freedom. I was only partially convinced, I still haven't seen anything as Chanukah suitable as Star Wars: Rogue One.

Comments

[mrissa]

This is extremely useful to me, because I have not seen Die Hard either, a fact that my family only learned this year, and I had generally thought there was no particular point to me seeing it now, but perhaps there is.

[liv]

IMO it's the best possible example of a very Hollywood action movie? It's quite self-aware, and if you're as ignorant as I was you might not realize that it has Alan Rickman as the antagonist and may be worth seeing for that alone. (There might be as many viewers there for half-naked Bruce Willis chewing the scenery as for sharply dressed, impeccably mannered Alan Rickman, but I'm very much in the latter camp.) Most of the violence is not very graphic, as these things go, I am just a terrible wimp.

[mrissa]

I did know Alan Rickman was the villain and could answer a lot of trivia questions about it just from marinating in the cultural stew that it's in, which is why I felt like I shouldn't bother, but if it's that well-constructed...we'll see.

[princessofgeeks]

\o/

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

I didn't make up the Chanukah thing! I was just adding the Twinkies to Colin's argument (he didn't make it up either, mind)

[purplecthulhu]

Do twinkies count as doughnuts? I'm far from convinced...

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

I don't think I was saying Twinkies are doughnuts?I don't think they're latkes either. I think I was pointing out that some people think they're fried food and if you're already of the mindset that Die Hard is a Chanukah movie, then I've heard it said that they count because they're fried.


Mostly, I wish to disassociate myself with the whole Die Hard = Chanukah argument, however, Colin wanted to wear his Die Hard jumper to shul so he was leaning on it this year.

[silveradept]

It is absolutely a Christmas movie, and a stellar example of a Hollywood action movie, in both cinematography and "good guy with a gun" narrative. Both Willis and Rickman understood the brief and acted to it.

[lovingboth]

Die Hard 2: Die Harder is a Christmas movie too :)

It's also worth seeing.

Neither can be said of the others.

[rysmiel]

Glad you enjoyed; it's been years since I have seen it but I did enjoy it myself on much the same levels.

I still think The Lion in Winter is the ultimate Christmas movie, though.