I still remember the day that I walked out of the theater having just witnessed the greatest action film of its kind. Die Hard is what put Bruce Willis on the map. Now I knew who he was prior from Moonlighting, but I wasn't a fan of him or the show. It just wasn't something I was interested in. So, even with the trailer to whet my appetite, I still wasn't expecting much from this film. Boy, was I ever in for a surprise. This was a groundbreaking film as it introduced a new type of action hero in a new genre that would influence films over the next 25 years and it's still the benchmark of how to do an action film the right way.

For years, we have heard the tag line when describing it's imitators that followed.

Die Hard on a Bus = Speed
Die Hard on a Ship = Under Seige
Die Hard on Alcatraz = The Rock
Die Hard on a Plane = Con Air, Passenger 57, Air Force One and of course Die Hard 2: Die Harder

I think you get the point that the original Die Hard really did usher in a new type of movie and it all started with the character John McClane (Bruce Willis). So what makes this so great in a sea of shoot 'em ups? For starters, McClane isn't some super cyborg like the Terminator or a super soldier like Rambo. Nope, McClane is an ordinary NY Cop stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time, outgunned and outmanned. The odds are stacked against him from the start. But what really sets him a part is his vulnerability. He is scared and he is a human being that is dealing with an impossible task. Also, he isn't invincible. He bleeds....he hurts and it shows, which makes his triumph at the end all the more crowd pleasing. At least for me it does.

The script is one of the tightest and leasnest scripts ever. There isn't any fat to be found at all. If you sit and watch it in one sitting, you will see how fast the movie is without sacrificing the characters. Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) and Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) each get to shine here and they each have their own story to tell. The bond between Powell and McClane is what holds the entire movie together and it's pretty satisfying to see them finally meet and share the screen together at the end after all the  s h i t  they've been through. A real friendship is born. And as for Hans Gruber, I thought and still think he is one of the greatest Silver Screen Villains of all time.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend this as a Buy. The version I have is the Five Star Collection Box Set. I'm sure they have since released a better version, probably on Blu-ray. Whichever format you go with, you owe it to yourself to have this in your personal video library. One last thing, Die Hard to this day, STILL has the greatest catch-phrase ever created in film history.......