Die Hard Revisited

We’ve been watching the Die Hard series the last few nights on AMC– Die Hard, Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance. I also read the script for the first movie which is considered the template for contemporary action flicks. Yes, the movies are dated and corny in spots, but they’re still great escapist entertainment films. What more can be asked of an action movie? Bruce Willis utters some preposterous things in the face of death, such as “Yippie ki ya, mother……,” but that’s half the fun, his lines are memorable, and we’re not talking about art.

The production quality of the three movies is interesting. The first movie was a blockbuster, the plot outlandish, the characters bordering on the cartoonish but plausible and the film contained a pervasive sense of humor. The second film was an over-the-top caricature of the first and appeared hastily produced to cash in on the success of the original. The third movie was better than the first in spite of Jeremy Iron’s hammy accent (the movie was pulled out of the fire by Samuel L. Jackson and his interaction with Willis).

Bill Martell analyzes the original Die Hard toward the end of The Secrets of Action Screenwriting. Writers: Die Hard, on first glance looks dated and cliched, warrants a second look with fresh eyes.