Die Hard, 1988

This might be the most exciting and compelling action motion picture ever caught on film. If there was a role that Bruce Willis was born to play, this is it. His believability is the difference between calling this a good action flick and THE perfect action movie. The special effects are dazzling. The comedic yet sincere one-liners carve a niche in your mind and remain forever. Alan Rickman is at his very best, and the chemistry between hero and villain is simply icing on the cake for this truly remarkable film.

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Stallone gave it a shot, Schwarzenegger tried his best (and then he gave it up for politics), but Willis did it best - in what can be considered his best big screen role. A perfect mixture of action and thrills, wit and cynicism, that quickly became a modern classic and a landmark film under the Action Thriller genre, it still exceeds many similar contemporary films. It's a classic tale of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, forced into action in order to save the day, and playing cat and mouse games with a vicious master criminal (superbly played by Alan Rickman). I can watch it over and over again and still enjoy it each time. I only wish the sequels were the same in quality, but only the second one comes close.

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Director John McTiernan, screenwriters Jeb Stuart and Steven deSouza, novelist Roderick Thorp, and actor Bruce Willis brought something entirely new to the screen in 1988: the flawed action hero. Sure, previous heroes had some flaw, like a girlfriend problem or being too vengeful (hello Charles Bronson) but Die Hard's John McClane was something else entirely: he's a bad husband, a bad father, a bad cop, probably has a drinking problem, smokes too much and wants to quit but can't. He swears too much. He makes bad decisions. Welcome to the action hero you can identify with! It's not too often a film can break formula and write a new one, but Die Hard did. Aside from McClane, Die Hard is filmed brilliantly. Utilizing multiple kinds of lenses, filters and focuses, the look of the film is wholly unique, often filmed in a fashion that heightens our sense of claustrophobia (increasing the relatability of McClane and the situation he is in). Some of the lenses squeeze the picture so much, in some shots Bruce Willis' head looks like it's 4 feet long. And it's influence continues today, all the way to television. Without Die Hard, there is no 24, no Prison Break, no Unit…

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The best action film ever. Not only that, but aso the best Christmas film ever. Yippee-ki-aye, motherfucker.

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Stallone gave it a shot, Schwarzenegger tried his best (and then he gave it up for politics), but Willis did it best - in what can be considered his best big screen role. A perfect mixture of action and thrills, wit and cynicism, that quickly became a modern classic and a landmark film under the Action Thriller genre, it still exceeds many similar contemporary films. It's a classic tale of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, forced into action in order to save the day, and playing cat and mouse games with a vicious master criminal (superbly played by Alan Rickman). I can watch it over and over again and still enjoy it each time. I only wish the sequels were the same in quality, but only the second one comes close.

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