Die Hard

Die Hard (1988)
Director: John McTiernan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedalia
Memorable line: "Yippie-kay-yay."

Die Hard is the movie that set the bar for action films for years to come and it also catapulted Bruce Willis' career onto the big screen.

John McClane (Willis) is an off-duty cop who stumbles into a spectacular plot in which terrorists have taken the inhabitants of the top floors of a L.A. high rise captive. Because his wife is taken captive by the perpetrators, McClane makes it his sole mission to break up their scheme and rescue his wife. McClane is one step ahead of the terrorists and the authorities on the outside as he unveils the scheme behind the scheme.

McTiernan and scriptwriter's Jeb Stuart and Steve de Souza wring the most of every complication in this movie while pulling the rubber band of credibility to the breaking point. Along with being a fantastic roller coaster ride, the script is smart and twisting at the same time. The action is non-stop, the dialog is snappy, and the stunts are spectacular. (Yes, John McClane's face would be pulp and he'd pretty much toothless had he been beaten in real life like he was in the movie, but this is movie reality and not real life.)

Willis pulls off the street-wise, blue-collar cop who spits in the eye of danger with graceless style befitting of the character. Alan Rickman has a delicious role playing the urbane and ruthless terrorist leader. Bonnie Bedalia is plucky as McClane's wife and William Atherton again plays a character you love to hate (See Ghostbusters) -- the journalist without ethics or empathy as he tries to get the scoop on the story regardless of who get hurt.

You don't have to pull your thinking cap entirely off your head to enjoy this one, but it helps. Enjoy the ride, McTiernan, Willis and the rest of the cast make Die Hard a thrill ride worth watching.