Die Hard

QUINTESSENTIAL

That budget wasting/cgi wasting/oxygen wasting Michael Bay has proven to us that anyone can do an action film. However, not just anyone can do it well. There is one action film that ALL other action films are judged to when it comes to greatest ever. And that is the QUINTESSENTIAL action film Die Hard. No, there wasn't some racial stereotype of a robot blowing up random things under the shadow of the American flag while some Victoria's Secret runway model struggles to put words together in an attempt to get the director's d*ck hard. (I hate Transformers if that wasn't clear)

No, there isn't a square jawed, Zzzzzzzz...boring, goody-goody, untouchable, unflappable, hero that relates to the audience as equally well as a f*cking block of wood. No, the villain wasn't some dumb faceless one note straw man for the hero to do battle with. Die Hard was about a regular guy who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time against a sophisticated and scarily realistic criminal. Yes, it has explosions. Yes, it has one liners.(Possibly The Greatest Of All Time) Yes, it has unbelievable stunts. But at its core is a normal guy doing amazing things NOT to just save the day, but to survive. In doing that, Die Hard put us in the shoes...or bare feet...of John McClane....And that's why it works so well. That's why its the best. 

As far as legacy is concerned, it was the benchmark example on how to pitch and/or promote an action movie for years. "Its Die Hard in a grocery store!" "Its Die Hard in a school!" "Its Die Hard in space!" Terminator 2 comes close but Die Hard was the first action film to have the perfect balance of action, story, performances, comedy, and pure spectacle. If you're one of the alarming number of people living under rocks and haven't seen it, watch it. If you have seen it, watch it again....then tell me I'm wrong.