Merry Christmas. This is 1980's LA. You could hear gunfire all over the city. This was a time of a gigantic gang war between the Bloods and the Crips. Crack cocaine brought in money to buy weapons and an even better reason to fight for sales area. Since then around 15,000 people have died in the 40 some years since the 80's. That's more people than the US lost in 20 years in Afghanistan. Police helicopters flying overhead, gunfire in the distance, sirens. It was very close to a mild war zone.
In moments throughout the film, and particularly at 26:35, the music that is playing that you identified as Christmas music is the "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's incredible 9th Symphony. It is absolutely used very widely as Christmas music, and is also one of the most used classical music themes in movie soundtracks...perhaps most notably in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. Sorry if somebody else already pointed this out. 🖖💯✌
Funnily enough, in an era where action stars looked like Stallone and Schwartzenegger, i.e. invincible roid monsters, Bruce Willis comparatively average build and physical limitations really made John McClane stand out. He did look like someone's dad, so all the peril and pain he goes through feels all that more gripping and real. He bleeds, he makes mistakes and his only chance to win is down through his own resourcefulness and a generous dose of luck.
@@andrewcharles459 , one big difference I think is that Bruce Willis was coming from a comedic background. I do agree though that Stallone killed it in First Blood.
The only reason willis got the job was because he can act and talk which says a lot for the talent of Americans that's why they ask the British if they can do an accent😂
The idea of terrorists/murderous armed robbers being so thoroughly European that they carried blocks of cheese into their heist absolutely fucking kills me
5:55 "Die hard" is a phrase meaning someone who stubbornly, even irrationally, refuses to give up. It's a common enough phase that there's actually a line of car batteries named "Diehard" because they're supposed to be so reliable that they'll never quit on you. According to legend, the phrase started at the Battle of Albuera in 1811 when Col. William Inglis of the British 57th Regiment of Foot was gravely wounded and his regiment was fighting desperately to stop the French from breaking through their lines. Refusing to be evacuated, Inglis stayed with his men encouraging them with words "Die hard, 57th! Die hard!" Despite taking heavy losses, the 57th resolved that they were going to hold or die trying, and they halted the the enemy's advance until the British were finally able to send reinforcements and drive the French back. Afterwards, the French commander, Marshal Soult, complained "There is no defeating such troops. I penetrated their center. I turned their flank. They were beaten. The day was mine! But they did not know how to run away!" The 57th have been nicknamed "The Die Hards" ever since.
Ordinarily in a duel between Allied line and French column, the greater volume of fire laid down by the line (where every single weapon could be brought to bear on the front and flanks of the narrower column) could be expected to be the decisive factor. In this case however, the French were well supported by artillery. More than compensating for the firepower disadvantage of his infantry formation, Girard brought guns up to just 275 metres (300 yd) from Hoghton's line-close enough to enfilade it with a crossfire of grape and canister.[88] Early in this engagement Colonel William Inglis of the 57th Foot was wounded by grapeshot from the French artillery. He refused to be carried to the rear and lay with the Colours; throughout the battle his voice could be heard calmly repeating "Die hard 57th, die hard!"[89] In following his exhortations, the 57th earned their nickname: the "Die-Hards".[86] Under this combined arms assault Hoghton's brigade lost two-thirds of its strength. The Brigadier himself was killed, and as casualties rose its shrinking line could no longer cover the frontage of the attacking column. However, the French were in no condition to press home their numerical advantage; British volley fire had taken its toll and Girard lost 2,000 men during the confrontation.[90] He had tried to form his unwieldy corps-sized column into line to bring his full firepower to bear and overwhelm Hoghton's brigade, but his deploying companies were constantly driven back into the column by the intense British musketry.[91] The role of the 57th in this part of the battle was crucial, standing their ground in complete order and giving not an inch before the French onslaught. Beresford noted in his dispatch, "our dead, particularly the 57th Regiment, were lying as they fought in the ranks, every wound in front". Wikipedia - Battle of Albuera
Funny you mention the Diehard battery. There was a Diehard commercial last year or the year before that saw the return of John McClane, Argyle, and even Theo! th-cam.com/video/zpUS1QSKTHA/w-d-xo.html
John McClain is really Santa Claus. 1. He knew who was good or bad 2. He came down the elevator shaft 3. He wrote Ho Ho Ho on bad guys shirt. 4. He gave the bad guys lead instead of coal. 5. In the end he kisses Mrs Claus.
@@marcw6875 from what I understand, they did really drop him from a skyscraper. He was on ropes and only fell a couple of floors, but this was his first film and probably first time doing rope work...I can see terror...and surprise.
@@Venjax420 He was dropped from 40 feet onto an airbag actually, and the stunt coordinator told his guys to drop him on one instead of zero. Rickman insisted on doing the stunt himself, much to the amazement of the producers who as he says himself "were very careful to make it [his] very last shot of the film" (see his recollection of that stunt here th-cam.com/video/jLt9-cvf2XI/w-d-xo.html )
"Oh my god, that is so much cheese..." has to be one of my new favourite sayings! I'll definitely be using it after Christmas dinner this year when my mum brings out the cheese board after deciding we haven't eaten enough yet...
So the phrase “die hard” sort of means someone or something that is opposed to change or fanatical about something specific. It could also mean something /one that refuses to quit or is persistent. There’s Die Hard brands for work boots and car batteries that basically try to apply long lasting use with the name alone. In this case, it applies to both the hero and the villains. The villains (mainly Hans) is die hard about getting away with robbery and murder and will stop at nothing, even the death of his fellow terrorists to make it happen. And Bruce Willis just refuses to give up and also is persistent about getting rid of these guys, even with minimal ammo and no shoes and basically a zero chance that he had to begin with. That machine gun strap was also pretty die hard about holding Bruce’s weight
In Germany the films are called "Stirb langsam" direct translation is "Die slowly". That is also fitting, because Bruce Willis gets injured alot, but refuses to die.
I always thought the title came from the phrase "Old habits die hard", which fits the themes of the movie. The old habit of being a cop even though he's on vacation in another city, the old habits of being a husband in an estranged marriage, the antagonist's habits of being a pretentious thief. etc. etc.
Simone: "Everyone's kind of an asshole." That's what happens when you are called in to work extra at Christmas eve, I guess. Happy holidays everyone! Especially if you re working.
Ha, nice. I like the idea that all these characters could normally be extremely nice but they are all just extra pissy about having to work on the holiday. This may be part of my head canon now. ;)
It's also a commentary on the corporation. What kind of company deliberately arranges a Christmas Party on Christmas Eve? A corporation who generally doesn't think of people with family to care for
@@BogeyTheBear Good point! But on the other hand if the party is optional and have a lot of employees; great company for providing a Christmas party for those who would sit home alone that night. Or those who would love an excuse to not attend a family gathering... "Oh, no! I actually have to do some hours at the office that afternoon so I probably won't make it. Big meeting. Yea, I know. I work for Scrooge. But I really want to keep the job, so I better do this. Maybe next year."
The first 3 are the ones worth watching, Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, and Die Hard with a Vengence. Those 3 kinda came out one after another and wrap up the whole story. The later ones have a few decent action scenes, but where done in that mid-2000's era of "what can we bring back to make a quick cashgrab?" and you can really feel it.
Agreed 100%. I never saw the 5th film and I don't actually remember if there are more than that, but I really did not like the 4th film. 1-3 are good though.
Part 4 almost gets it right. It's not great but at least it feels like a Die Hard movie. Part 5 is so generic and unremarkable that I honestly don't remember anything about it beyond that it happened in Russia and that John teams up with his son.
3 falls apart in the second half, but I agree about the supporting cast. They're all intelligent and cooperative with McClane. Especially Inspector Cobb. It's embarrassing how bad Dwayne Robinson is in comparison.
@@trayolphia5756 Yep. The villains aren't just cartoonishly evil, and all the side characters on McClane's side aren't cartoonishly incompetent; they're actually good at their jobs, but the villains are actually counting on it.
I love the Al / John friendship. It's so beautifully done, with Al acting as a great foil. They have the opposite problems. Al is in a happy marriage, with his wife pregnant and him obviously taking care of her, but he has lost his faith in being a policeman, essentially relegating himself to a soft, pointless job behind a desk. John's marriage is a disaster, and he's on the verge of losing his wife and kids, but he's a good cop and has a lot of faith both in his own abilities and in his profession, which he doesn't want to give up or change for his wife's move and career. By the end they've made peace with their problems through forgiveness and acceptance of responsibility. Just excellent.
12:42 Sound of gunfire does travel, but it's hundreds of feet in the air, the roof blocks sound going down and no one seems very near the tower. So if you heard gunfire in L.A. in the 80s at a distance, you wouldn't be to bothered or even certain where it was coming from.
They say somewhere in the movie that Nakatomi Plaza is in Century City, which is a business district in Los Angeles. Most city business districts start clearing out at 5 PM, by 8 PM they are nearly deserted. Now add that it is Christmas Eve. If anyone is left in approx 1/4 mile its because they are stuck at work, IE inside a building, so all of what you said is right but I am not sure anyone even heard it because inside a building (sealed for HVAC) you do not hear alot from outside.
In the sequence where McClane is climbing down the shaft and the gun strap breaks, his stunt double actually fell further than intended before grabbing a ledge, but they kept it in as it was really scary and looked great.
Little bit of trivia: The actor who played Argyle, De'voreaux White, also played the kid trying to steal the guitar from Ray's Music Exchange in The Blues Brothers!
And the guy breaking the bank vault codes is also known for being Geordi LaForge on Star Trek Next Gen. He just isnt wearing the hair band in front of his eyes.
In moments throughout the film, and particularly at 26:35, the music that is playing that you identified as Christmas music is the "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's incredible 9th Symphony. It is absolutely used very widely as Christmas music, and is also one of the most used classical music themes in movie soundtracks...perhaps most notably in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. Sorry if somebody else already pointed this out. 🖖💯✌
The next two Die Hard movies are definitely of the same high quality action movies that still stand the test of time. The 2nd movie is also a Christmas action movie, and the 3rd is on par with the first two as some of the best action movies of all time. After those movies, and a long time in between, the franchise returns with a couple of sub-par entries.
Die Hard means to not give up easy. Simples. Also, the Dalmatian line is referring to how firehouses used to employ Dalmatians. Obviously not a trend that continued into the modern era.
@@gawainethefirst Well that's kind of what I meant, meaning they don't actively use them anymore like the sometimes would back when this movie was released. In fact, I think even then the practice had already begun to curtail.
@@Fyrecide I think Dalmatians stopped having any practical use about when the US moved from horse carriages to cars in the cities. So from about the 1920's or so on they have been symbols/mascots where they have been maintained. IMHO.
@@FyrecideJohn would know all of this, being a cop. Most likely, he's referring to firehouse mascot roll, and the fact that the Dalmatian is so intrinsically linked to the public perception of firefighters, that they still sometimes have someone in a Dalmatian suit to help small children with fire safety stuff today.
This was Alan Rickman's first movie role, and the first time Bruce Willis took an action role. The simultaneous talking between the McLaines is a callback to Moonlighting, which was what Bruce Willis was known for. Also, most of the terrorists are played by models. 28:10 In reality, it's something like 10 percent acceptable casualties. Merry Christmas!
First action movie where he had top billing. He was in a Wyat Erp film before this, called Sunset. Willis' first role was under his birthname, Delaney Leaves, in the detective action film First Deadly Sin. But yeah, Moonlighting made him popular in America and Die Hard made him an action star worldwide. And Alan Rickman's first starring film role (and his first film role overall) was in the British thriller Busted, 5 years before Die Hard. He mostly did British TV shows before then and a LOT of Shakespearean theatre acting.
The guy that played Karl (Alexander Godunov) was a professional Russian ballet dancer turned actor. Although a phenomenal villain in this movie, he was absolutely fantastic in the romantic comedy The Money Pit.
Funny story about the falling scene at the end. The reason why Alan Rickman looks authentically surprised and scared is because the Director told him they would drop him on the count of three but did it on one. He did it so he would get a realistic reaction from Alan.
The drop in the ventilation shaft (done by a stunt man) did not go as planned. It was supposed to go with the stunt man getting to the first ledge. The stunt man managed to catch a lower ledge and the shot was kept in.
What was amazing is that it was their 1st action movie for Both of Bruce Willis AND Alan Rickman Willis prior to that was knowed for a romance/comedy show called Moonlight , so not really the action star type. And Rickman was a Theatre Actor, so it was his first movie. When the media and the public learned that Willis will be the star of an action movie directed by John McTiernan( the SAME guy who directed Predator and Hunt for Red Octobre), people thought it was a joke, and was not very suportive of it, saying that he will not be able to fill in the role and it would look ridiculous. Both Willis and Rickman NAILED their parts, and it is what kickstarted Willis's carreer as an Action actor in the 90's, he was elevated on the same rank as Action, has Stallone or Scwharzy.
Moonlighting was a really great show, at least in its first season. I think Willis had done some comedies on the big screen before this, but his film career had not taken off yet. As someone who saw this film in the theaters when it was released, it completely changed my view of the guy!!
@@ThreadBomb true i have seen this show and i have it on my hard drive, it was hillarious to watch, and Die Hard was even mentioned in season 3 or 4 off moonlighting in 1 of the episodes. and Die Hard was made while bruce Willis still was making that show.
@@ThreadBomb Should occur to you that i ain't American and so the show had a different title/translation and a "bit of action" ain't the same as a FULL on action... A bit of action could has well be how you describe a Columbo episode where he has to run to get a ligther for his cigar...
Another reason why this is a Christmas movie; it's also about family reconciliation between John and Holly. Estranged at the beginning of the movie and by the end they are riding off into the night kissing while snow (papers) is falling. I also busted out laughing when you said that's a lot of cheese. Great reaction.
I was not a Bruce Willis fan when this came out. When I went to see this opening week, I watched it 3 times in one day, and I was a huge Bruce Willis fan from then on. This movie redefined the way action movies were made, and judged, and it took Bruce Willis from a comedic actor to a top billed action star (and star in general).
I love this movie to death, but it was a movie that came out a year earlier that "redefined" action movies... Lethal Weapon. Though Die Hard is clearly the superior movie.
24:38 "How did he know?" There are some deleted scenes that explain how he knew. All of Gruber's crew wear matching watches, which John has by now seen now on several members. He saw Hans' matching watch when they shared a light.
He was around when Takagi was killed but it's difficult to say what he saw. It's not clear if the shot behind the glass was a POV but you could argue it was. Also he should have been able to see Hans from on top of the elevator inspecting...Tony? The other blond dude.
30:30 It's probably already been mentioned but the reason Rickman's reaction looks genuine is because it was. The stuntmen agreed to drop him on a count of 3 but after a wink from the director they released him early. Genius.
@@petermirtitsch1235 also with lower back that take also enough punishment by the landing same with the knees, believe me i am former stuntmen and can't do it anymore because of those issue's atleast i am retired well off and have never to get a job.
I've read a ton about this movie, the way John knew something was up about "Bill" was quick to smoke the German cigarettes and put the whole pack into his own pocket. Also, John's a cop first and foremost, he's going to extract as much as he can from Bill before just giving a stranger a loaded gun.
They cut a bit that made it clear that the dead giveaway was Hans watch. McClane notices the others he encountered are wearing the same watch, which they cut. There's a point where John sees Hans watch and has a slight reaction, and it would have been more clear had they left it in that this was the point he knew for sure he wasn't dealing with a hostage.
Die Hard 4 is my second favorite, Die Hard 3 is also good all well written with charismatic villans. Die Hard 2 meh, Die Hard 5 just pretend it was never made. Also if you want a funny action movie with great casting and actors try the Bruce Willis movie Red - highly entertaining.
I was 10 when this movie came out and I've loved it since. Before this, all I knew Bruce Willis from was the TV show "Moonlighting" he was in with Cybill Sheppard. This movie broke the action hero mold. It showed that an action hero can be a guy that looks like your dad. But, it also set the standard for a ton of other movies to rip off. Check out the Honest Trailer for "Die Hard". It's hilarious!
In addition to taking place at Christmas, having Christmas things, and Christmas music, as Simone mentioned, it also deals with themes that more traditional Christmas movies deal with: family (John/Holly), friendship (John/Al), and redemption (Al getting over his gun shyness). There's other things too such as the numerous Christmas references, the FBI being Hans' "Christmas miracle", etc. It's not a traditional Christmas movie, but it absolutely is one. As for which ones are worth watching, I'd say they all are. There is, of course, diminishing quality, and increasing ridiculousness (this movie has almost no ridiculousness), the fourth is probably the worst, but they are all definitely fun.
That's interesting. I looked at the Rotten Tomatoes rankings, and according to them, the fourth is the best of the sequels, while the fifth is essentially impossible to watch. Unless by "fourth" you meant the fourth sequel and not the fourth movie?
@@bigdream_dreambig That's very weird, because I seem to recall the consensus being that it was a waste of time. I don't remember hearing much of anything about the fifth. I found it to be ok, but less ridiculous than the fourth.
@@StarkRG From the Rotten Tomatoes' "Critics Consensus": _Live_ _Free_ _or_ _Die_ _Hard_ may be preposterous, but it's an efficient, action-packed summer popcorn flick with thrilling stunts and a commanding performance by Bruce Willis. ~vs.~ _A_ _Good_ _Day_ _to_ _Die_ _Hard_ is the weakest entry in a storied franchise, and not even Bruce Willis' smirking demeanor can enliven a cliched, uninspired script.
@@bigdream_dreambig As someone who has seen the first five movies, I agree completely with the critic consensus there. 1 is perfect. 2 is good. 3 is great. 4 is good as well. 5 is utter trash. I would certainly recommend the first 4 movies and *only* the first four movies.
This is still THE greatest Christmas movie ever made, but Gremlins and Lethal Weapon are pretty close; I recommend watching more 80's action movies, primarily Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone
@@vabeachkevin, they take place during Christmas, so it doesn't get any closer than that; you might want to watch those three and actually pay close attention
The falling looks really good because they told Alan Rickman they would drop him on the count of 3, and they dropped him on 2. His scared expression is genuine. He was reportedly very VERY pissed about it.
The film was nominated for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Film Editing, but lost all to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? It made $190-200 million dollars at the box office against a $50 million dollar budget, and it's considered to be the best action movie ever made.
Which to be fair, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was in fact a technical masterpiece. The 80s just happened to have a few years that were absolutely stacked with movies with all kinds of unique accomplishments and advancements on the technical side of things. Massive improvements in practical effects and models were made even from year to year.
They actually dropped Alan Rickman 20 feet onto an airbag made of green screen material. They said "we're gonna count to three" and then let go on one. The look of surprise on his face is genuine.
I was a courier for the tv movie industry several years back. I made deliveries to this building Fox Plaza at Fox Studios- several times a months. It wasn't till last year-I think, that I learned this was the same building.
Highly recommend watching the second soon! third is worth the watch too but unlike first two it isnt very christmassy. After that they become fairly generic action films with total nonsense plots. also like most christmas movies it involves family reconciliation!
Radom fact: Reginald Val Johnson (LAPD Officer Al Powell) has played a police officer in the 3 largest U.S. cities. He was LAPD in Die Hard, NYPD in Ghostbusters, and Chicago PD in the sitcom Family Matters.
28:10 In reality, it does sometimes come down to what losses are "acceptable" vs. letting all the hostages be killed when it becomes necessary to attempt a rescue by force.
@@jeffburnham6611 When it looks like international terrorism, the feds are going to want to be involved, to some degree. The mayor of LA can't negotiate the release of imprisoned members of 'Asian Dawn', etc.
This was Rickman's first movie role. The surprised look on his face when he drops is real. He was told they would do the drop on the count of three. They did it at one.
this movie is about a man trying to get to see his family for Christmas, and if you listen close there is Christmas music playing throughout the movie in low tones
If you decide to do the whole series, just make sure when you get to the 4th and 5th movies that you watch the unrated versions, especially for the 4th one. They're definitely better than the theatrical cuts. With the 4th one the theatrical cut is PG-13 and it's just bad, so the unrated R cut is the way to go.
12:06 - welcome to the 1980's, where 911 prank calls were a prevalent issue so something as "over-the-top" as a hostage crisis in a skyscraper would've been considered likely to be a joke. Especially after the fire-alarm being already cancelled.
So you know, Die Hard is based on the book the movie is loosely based off of "Nothing Last Forever." A depressing piece of work where it is McClane's daughter, not his wife, who dies in the end due to greed. Needless to say, what was originally going to be an adaptation was rewritten it an 80s action flick, so they needed a new title and went with the "coolest name" they could think of.
The scene where Hans dropped, they had Alan Rickman up 20 feet in the air to shoot and the stunt crew told Rickman they were going to drop him on the count of 3, but they released on 1 instead. The surprise on his face was genuine.
When you mentioned that the scene with Hans falling looked really good: I read somewhere that they had Rickman on a quick release harness and told them that they were going to countdown to zero or release him at a specific cue or something like that, and then instead they just released the harness when he wasn't expecting it in order to get a more genuine reaction.
A local theater runs the film every Christmas Eve. My friend and I go every year, except for Covid. But we went back to it last year. It's an amazing experience.
You guys did a great job. I love this movie & watch every Christmas my wife Christmas Story (recommended). I still catch new things. Ellis ask for coke but he gets Coca Cola instead and shows disappointment when he gets his can. 30 years later still catching little bits like that!
I always thought the reason the first explosion is so large is not because it came entirely from McClane's improvised explosive. Rather his charge sets off an entire floor already wired to blow. The plan was probably to have that initial lower-floor charge prepared to slow down police assault (similar to having the recoilless rifle ready to take on SWAT armor - "the quarterback is toast") and goose along the involvement of the FBI. It would also set up the expectation for the 2nd charge - the top of the building. McClane kind of ruined the surprise and almost derailed the plan (thus the need to hunt him down and get back the detonators). What he tossed down the elevator shaft was probably extra, left-over explosive and thus didn't expect the size of the explosion he would set off.
Maybe. I just assumed it was from the fresh box of rocket launcher ammo that is sitting right by the elevator door. They show the guy going to the box and getting a new rocket cannister, right when the bomb goes off.
The movie is Rambo in a skyscraper. And speaking of Rambo, a lot of action stars were considered for John McClane: Sylvester Stallone Paul Newman Clint Eastwood Charles Bronson Richard Gere Patrick Swayze Richard Dean Anderson Harrison Ford Mel Gibson Jeff Bridges Nick Nolte Kurt Russell Don Johnson Burt Reynolds And Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The look of fear on Alan Rickman's face when he fell was real. They had him suspended pretty high over an air bag that he could land into. The director told him they'd have him fall on a count of three. They let him fall on the count of one. They made sure to do that shot as the last scene of the day. Rickman wasn't happy.
"How far do we go?" Die Hard 1 through 3 are the good ones - I'd say 1 and 3 (3 is called "With a Vengeance") are the best, but people will debate it. 4 is crap (it's not even "so bad it's good" material) and I couldn't get myself to watch 5.
Found your channel while going down a rabbit hole of Princess Bride reactions. Love it!! Your dynamic is great. It's like watching movies with my friends. Love the CR shirt!! Also is that a WOT shirt?
Fun fact: When they filmed the fall of Hans Gruber, the stunt director told actor Alan Rickman they would count to three then release him. But he actually instructed the stunt people to drop him on the count of *_one._* That’s how they got such a genuine expression of shock on Alan Rickman’s face.
Since you're wondering if you should check out the rest... Die Hard 2 is underwhelming and kinda forgettable. Die Hard 3 is quite good. The rest suck...badly.
GREAT reaction!!!👍🤩💖👍🤩💖👍🤩💖👍🤩💖👍🤩💖 The next 3 Die Hard movies are great with Die Hard 2 taking place at Christmas one year later. In my opinion the 5th Die Hard movie is very disappointing.
Cinebinge: I think I’ve seen this image before.. but someone put a Christmas Hat on him.. Me: oh that’s a thumbnail from (You’ Me, & The Movies) Channel
beside Alan Rickman (Gruber,Harry Potter) Reginald Veljohnson (cop, Differnt strokes) William Atherton (news guy, Ghostbusters) and Robert Davi (FBI, Stargate Atlantis) were in this film, I love that you guys caught the tough SWAT guy getting caught on the rose thorns! Did Canada ever released the five impassioned leaders of "the Delta To Quebec" ? (I read it in Time Magazine) :-D
Die Hard came out in 1988 They're on a plane "Trust me Ive been doing it for 9 years" "Its OK I'm a cop Trust me Ive been doing this for 11 Years" Later on a sky scraper gets blown up !!!! Its not the Only Hollywood film to have a crystal ball with regards to 9/11 Back to the future and Terminator 2 to name but two !
In honor of the late Alexander Godunov (a wonderful and much beloved Bolshoi ballet dancer) who plays Karl, I suggest "Witness" and "The Money Pit". And Merry Christmas!
First, you can watch up to #4 (although John gets kinda superhero-ish by that one). Absolutely do not bother with 5. Second, I think it is funny how the Christmas debate rages about this movie, but not about Lethal Weapon ... In any case, if you haven't seen that one, I would recommend it. Happy winter festive time to the both of you 😁
Hey S & G, a diehard person is defined as "someone who is unwilling to change or give up their ideas or ways of behaving, even when there are good reasons to do so." Sound like someone in this movie? I also found this: at the Battle of Albuera in 1811 , during the Peninsular War, William Inglis , commander of the British 57th Regiment of Foot, exhorted his men to "die hard." They acted with such heroism that the regiment earned the nickname "Die-hards." That's where the term came from.
All sequels except the very last one are worth watching. 3 is actually great (also directing by McTiernan), 2 is fine, 4 is pretty good. Don't watch 5 though.
Enjoying the channel.👍 Loving the reactions. But you should stop the editing in single frame of film edited in your reactions like fight club. Would love you to react to the Guy Ritchie film, snatch.
The film's category was popularly changed from a romance between John and his wife to a "bromance" between McClane and Reggie Veljohnson , the cop ... so good eyes...
Bruce Willis: Goes through a 1-man war to rescue his wife (and her coworkers) from a highly organized and well armed crew of robbers, including shredding his bare feet on broken glass, falling down an elevator shaft, and base jumping off the roof with a fire hose tied around his waist. In the end, broken and battered, but not defeated, all he wants is to hold and kiss his wife. Simone: Ewwww, he's so dirty.
LOVE your commentary. The long hair .. very 80's. Alan Rickman .. this is his film debut if memory serves. That look on Hans's face when he fell was very real .. because they dropped him on 2 of a 3,2,1 count (so I've heard). Best Christmas movie evah!
HO-HO-HO Merry Christmas I would recommend the second and third die hards, Die hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance. After those two they are not as good, although not horrible.
So there are two types of people. Those that think Die Hard is a Christmas movie and those that think it is not. A fun fact. When they had Alan Rickman hooked up to the device that would drop him the director told him on 3 we will release you. The director releases him on one so the reaction we saw was real. After the scene Alan was extremely upset. Also Carl was also a police officer on the TV show Family Matters with Steve Urkel and the asshole cop was the principal in The Breakfast Club. Well Merry Christmas to you guys. Stay safe.
Watch until the 4th film. The best one is the 3rd by a mile, but the 4th is still great. In the 5th it feels like he's not the john McClane we've all known. His character gets completely butchered.
If you think this movie is a Christmas movie, you need to watch Lethal Weapon. It takes place around Christmas, has Christmas music and even has a Christmas tree.
Unfun fact: You’d actually be surprised how little gunshot noises travel. Especially between several floors of a building and outside among the general noise pollution of a city. If the shots were as far away as the top floor of a skyscraper, and especially if you were observing it from as far away as Al was at the time, it would be very difficult to actually hear. The exception would be if the shots were fired relatively towards a person, because the supersonic crack travels downrange with the bullet.
Merry Christmas! \m/
Merry Christmas.
This is 1980's LA. You could hear gunfire all over the city. This was a time of a gigantic gang war between the Bloods and the Crips.
Crack cocaine brought in money to buy weapons and an even better reason to fight for sales area.
Since then around 15,000 people have died in the 40 some years since the 80's. That's more people than the US lost in 20 years in Afghanistan.
Police helicopters flying overhead, gunfire in the distance, sirens. It was very close to a mild war zone.
Merry Chrostmas, y'all!
Great reaction, sooo NOT a Xmas movie😂
How about....
Forbidden Planet
A really old SciFi but SFX & a Robot waay ahead of its time😉
Merry Christmas!!
In moments throughout the film, and particularly at 26:35, the music that is playing that you identified as Christmas music is the "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's incredible 9th Symphony. It is absolutely used very widely as Christmas music, and is also one of the most used classical music themes in movie soundtracks...perhaps most notably in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. Sorry if somebody else already pointed this out. 🖖💯✌
Funnily enough, in an era where action stars looked like Stallone and Schwartzenegger, i.e. invincible roid monsters, Bruce Willis comparatively average build and physical limitations really made John McClane stand out. He did look like someone's dad, so all the peril and pain he goes through feels all that more gripping and real. He bleeds, he makes mistakes and his only chance to win is down through his own resourcefulness and a generous dose of luck.
F.D. Signifier did an intriguing video essay on this idea as a trope in media. The video is called the "Action & The Impossible White GuyMan Trope"
@@andrewcharles459 , one big difference I think is that Bruce Willis was coming from a comedic background.
I do agree though that Stallone killed it in First Blood.
The only reason willis got the job was because he can act and talk which says a lot for the talent of Americans that's why they ask the British if they can do an accent😂
Both Stallone and Schwarzenegger turned down the role.
Frank Sinatra, too (!)
And this is the downfall of later movies in the series where they make him more and more into a superman.
The idea of terrorists/murderous armed robbers being so thoroughly European that they carried blocks of cheese into their heist absolutely fucking kills me
"These guys are mostly Europeans, judging by their cigarettes.... and cheese!"
I will forever call C4 cheese from this day forth until I die hard myself.
To be fair... This entire movie was about robbing the Cheddar...
@pinky's palace and 555675^fY6976yd09
5:55 "Die hard" is a phrase meaning someone who stubbornly, even irrationally, refuses to give up. It's a common enough phase that there's actually a line of car batteries named "Diehard" because they're supposed to be so reliable that they'll never quit on you. According to legend, the phrase started at the Battle of Albuera in 1811 when Col. William Inglis of the British 57th Regiment of Foot was gravely wounded and his regiment was fighting desperately to stop the French from breaking through their lines. Refusing to be evacuated, Inglis stayed with his men encouraging them with words "Die hard, 57th! Die hard!" Despite taking heavy losses, the 57th resolved that they were going to hold or die trying, and they halted the the enemy's advance until the British were finally able to send reinforcements and drive the French back. Afterwards, the French commander, Marshal Soult, complained "There is no defeating such troops. I penetrated their center. I turned their flank. They were beaten. The day was mine! But they did not know how to run away!" The 57th have been nicknamed "The Die Hards" ever since.
WOW! What a great historical reference. That is awesome. I must find the source for this and read more! Thank you.
That's seriously cool.
Ordinarily in a duel between Allied line and French column, the greater volume of fire laid down by the line (where every single weapon could be brought to bear on the front and flanks of the narrower column) could be expected to be the decisive factor. In this case however, the French were well supported by artillery. More than compensating for the firepower disadvantage of his infantry formation, Girard brought guns up to just 275 metres (300 yd) from Hoghton's line-close enough to enfilade it with a crossfire of grape and canister.[88] Early in this engagement Colonel William Inglis of the 57th Foot was wounded by grapeshot from the French artillery. He refused to be carried to the rear and lay with the Colours; throughout the battle his voice could be heard calmly repeating "Die hard 57th, die hard!"[89] In following his exhortations, the 57th earned their nickname: the "Die-Hards".[86]
Under this combined arms assault Hoghton's brigade lost two-thirds of its strength. The Brigadier himself was killed, and as casualties rose its shrinking line could no longer cover the frontage of the attacking column. However, the French were in no condition to press home their numerical advantage; British volley fire had taken its toll and Girard lost 2,000 men during the confrontation.[90] He had tried to form his unwieldy corps-sized column into line to bring his full firepower to bear and overwhelm Hoghton's brigade, but his deploying companies were constantly driven back into the column by the intense British musketry.[91]
The role of the 57th in this part of the battle was crucial, standing their ground in complete order and giving not an inch before the French onslaught. Beresford noted in his dispatch, "our dead, particularly the 57th Regiment, were lying as they fought in the ranks, every wound in front".
Wikipedia - Battle of Albuera
Funny you mention the Diehard battery. There was a Diehard commercial last year or the year before that saw the return of John McClane, Argyle, and even Theo! th-cam.com/video/zpUS1QSKTHA/w-d-xo.html
Great story. So cool.
John McClain is really Santa Claus.
1. He knew who was good or bad
2. He came down the elevator shaft
3. He wrote Ho Ho Ho on bad guys shirt.
4. He gave the bad guys lead instead of coal.
5. In the end he kisses Mrs Claus.
Lol. So true though
And Mrs Claus's first name is Holly.
And he gave his kids the best Christmas present they could ask for that year. Their dad coming home for Christmas.
He makes a list of who's naughty. At the end, he wraps himself like a present for Hans.
For Gruber's death scene, they dropped Alan Rickman before the 3-count was done. That looked terror on his face is his genuine reaction to falling!
Yep. The stunt coordinator dropped him on 2.
Ironic, given Hans' counting system.
I would call it more a look of surprise than terror. What's to be terrified of unless they truly were dropping him from a skyscraper. :p
@@marcw6875 from what I understand, they did really drop him from a skyscraper. He was on ropes and only fell a couple of floors, but this was his first film and probably first time doing rope work...I can see terror...and surprise.
@@Venjax420 He was dropped from 40 feet onto an airbag actually, and the stunt coordinator told his guys to drop him on one instead of zero. Rickman insisted on doing the stunt himself, much to the amazement of the producers who as he says himself "were very careful to make it [his] very last shot of the film" (see his recollection of that stunt here th-cam.com/video/jLt9-cvf2XI/w-d-xo.html )
"Oh my god, that is so much cheese..." has to be one of my new favourite sayings! I'll definitely be using it after Christmas dinner this year when my mum brings out the cheese board after deciding we haven't eaten enough yet...
I spit out my drink when she said that!’ Lol!!😂😂😂
@@Ivy94F I laughed quite hard at that . . . and then again when she said, "he's so dirty".
You should instead exclaim "Oh my god! That is so much C4!" 😮
My thoughts exactly!
So the phrase “die hard” sort of means someone or something that is opposed to change or fanatical about something specific. It could also mean something
/one that refuses to quit or is persistent.
There’s Die Hard brands for work boots and car batteries that basically try to apply long lasting use with the name alone.
In this case, it applies to both the hero and the villains. The villains (mainly Hans) is die hard about getting away with robbery and murder and will stop at nothing, even the death of his fellow terrorists to make it happen.
And Bruce Willis just refuses to give up and also is persistent about getting rid of these guys, even with minimal ammo and no shoes and basically a zero chance that he had to begin with.
That machine gun strap was also pretty die hard about holding Bruce’s weight
Die Hard also means difficuld to kill or hard to get killed.
In Germany the films are called "Stirb langsam" direct translation is "Die slowly". That is also fitting, because Bruce Willis gets injured alot, but refuses to die.
I gotta say, this is an excellent explanation of Die Hard; what it means. You did an awesome job. :)
I always thought the title came from the phrase "Old habits die hard", which fits the themes of the movie. The old habit of being a cop even though he's on vacation in another city, the old habits of being a husband in an estranged marriage, the antagonist's habits of being a pretentious thief. etc. etc.
@@iAmEbolaWoT Except that it misses one obvious definition, which is the literal one that the movie uses.
"Oh, this guy can die in a fire." and "Ooh, that's a lot of cheese." are two of my favourite reaction lines. Ever.
Well done.
Fire would be too fast and too easy.
Simone: "Everyone's kind of an asshole."
That's what happens when you are called in to work extra at Christmas eve, I guess.
Happy holidays everyone! Especially if you re working.
Ha, nice. I like the idea that all these characters could normally be extremely nice but they are all just extra pissy about having to work on the holiday. This may be part of my head canon now. ;)
It's also a commentary on the corporation. What kind of company deliberately arranges a Christmas Party on Christmas Eve? A corporation who generally doesn't think of people with family to care for
@@BogeyTheBear Good point!
But on the other hand if the party is optional and have a lot of employees; great company for providing a Christmas party for those who would sit home alone that night.
Or those who would love an excuse to not attend a family gathering...
"Oh, no! I actually have to do some hours at the office that afternoon so I probably won't make it. Big meeting. Yea, I know. I work for Scrooge. But I really want to keep the job, so I better do this. Maybe next year."
The first 3 are the ones worth watching, Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, and Die Hard with a Vengence. Those 3 kinda came out one after another and wrap up the whole story. The later ones have a few decent action scenes, but where done in that mid-2000's era of "what can we bring back to make a quick cashgrab?" and you can really feel it.
Yep I do not rate them after the 3rd.
The 4th was okay, I liked it more than 2. Haven't seen any after.
Agreed 100%. I never saw the 5th film and I don't actually remember if there are more than that, but I really did not like the 4th film. 1-3 are good though.
Part 4 almost gets it right. It's not great but at least it feels like a Die Hard movie. Part 5 is so generic and unremarkable that I honestly don't remember anything about it beyond that it happened in Russia and that John teams up with his son.
Agreed. 1-3, skip the rest. The 3rd one is almost as good as the first.
Honestly, the 3rd movie is my favorite, partly because none of the side characters are outright useless or inept.
After this one, the 3rd is the best. IMHO
3 falls apart in the second half, but I agree about the supporting cast. They're all intelligent and cooperative with McClane. Especially Inspector Cobb.
It's embarrassing how bad Dwayne Robinson is in comparison.
I get you. But parts 1, 2, 3 are basically my equivalent to Star Wars 1, 2, 3.
@@trayolphia5756 Yep. The villains aren't just cartoonishly evil, and all the side characters on McClane's side aren't cartoonishly incompetent; they're actually good at their jobs, but the villains are actually counting on it.
I love the Al / John friendship. It's so beautifully done, with Al acting as a great foil. They have the opposite problems. Al is in a happy marriage, with his wife pregnant and him obviously taking care of her, but he has lost his faith in being a policeman, essentially relegating himself to a soft, pointless job behind a desk. John's marriage is a disaster, and he's on the verge of losing his wife and kids, but he's a good cop and has a lot of faith both in his own abilities and in his profession, which he doesn't want to give up or change for his wife's move and career. By the end they've made peace with their problems through forgiveness and acceptance of responsibility. Just excellent.
12:42 Sound of gunfire does travel, but it's hundreds of feet in the air, the roof blocks sound going down and no one seems very near the tower. So if you heard gunfire in L.A. in the 80s at a distance, you wouldn't be to bothered or even certain where it was coming from.
They say somewhere in the movie that Nakatomi Plaza is in Century City, which is a business district in Los Angeles. Most city business districts start clearing out at 5 PM, by 8 PM they are nearly deserted. Now add that it is Christmas Eve. If anyone is left in approx 1/4 mile its because they are stuck at work, IE inside a building, so all of what you said is right but I am not sure anyone even heard it because inside a building (sealed for HVAC) you do not hear alot from outside.
In the 80s in LA depending on the neighborhood gunfire next door wouldn't alarm you that much.
In the sequence where McClane is climbing down the shaft and the gun strap breaks, his stunt double actually fell further than intended before grabbing a ledge, but they kept it in as it was really scary and looked great.
Little bit of trivia: The actor who played Argyle, De'voreaux White, also played the kid trying to steal the guitar from Ray's Music Exchange in The Blues Brothers!
That is cool, very cool.
And the guy breaking the bank vault codes is also known for being Geordi LaForge on Star Trek Next Gen. He just isnt wearing the hair band in front of his eyes.
@@chrispeel3123 The guy in Die Hard and The Blues Brothers is Devoureaux White. In Star Trek TNG, LaForge is played by LeVar Burton.
@@Justin.Franks I never said they were the same. I was just adding that some people might recognise LeVar as well.
@@chrispeel3123 Vault codes guy Theo is played by Clarence Gilyard, not LeVar Burton
In moments throughout the film, and particularly at 26:35, the music that is playing that you identified as Christmas music is the "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's incredible 9th Symphony. It is absolutely used very widely as Christmas music, and is also one of the most used classical music themes in movie soundtracks...perhaps most notably in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. Sorry if somebody else already pointed this out. 🖖💯✌
And it's the European anthem (If played without the German lyrics, that is.)
Right...right...right...and this has a bit of the Ole...Ultra Violence....Oh my brother.
@@jdm1066 Welly, welly, well...a bit of the old Ludwig Van, eh?
The Best Xmas Movie.
It ain't Xmas until you see Hans Gruber falling from Nakatomi Plaza tower.
The next two Die Hard movies are definitely of the same high quality action movies that still stand the test of time. The 2nd movie is also a Christmas action movie, and the 3rd is on par with the first two as some of the best action movies of all time. After those movies, and a long time in between, the franchise returns with a couple of sub-par entries.
Die Hard means to not give up easy. Simples.
Also, the Dalmatian line is referring to how firehouses used to employ Dalmatians. Obviously not a trend that continued into the modern era.
Some fire houses in the US still keep dalmatians, but more for ceremonial/mascot purposes.
@@gawainethefirst Well that's kind of what I meant, meaning they don't actively use them anymore like the sometimes would back when this movie was released. In fact, I think even then the practice had already begun to curtail.
@@Fyrecide I think Dalmatians stopped having any practical use about when the US moved from horse carriages to cars in the cities. So from about the 1920's or so on they have been symbols/mascots where they have been maintained. IMHO.
@@FyrecideJohn would know all of this, being a cop. Most likely, he's referring to firehouse mascot roll, and the fact that the Dalmatian is so intrinsically linked to the public perception of firefighters, that they still sometimes have someone in a Dalmatian suit to help small children with fire safety stuff today.
This was Alan Rickman's first movie role, and the first time Bruce Willis took an action role. The simultaneous talking between the McLaines is a callback to Moonlighting, which was what Bruce Willis was known for.
Also, most of the terrorists are played by models.
28:10 In reality, it's something like 10 percent acceptable casualties.
Merry Christmas!
His first American movie roll. He was British actor before he came to Hollywood.
First action movie where he had top billing. He was in a Wyat Erp film before this, called Sunset.
Willis' first role was under his birthname, Delaney Leaves, in the detective action film First Deadly Sin.
But yeah, Moonlighting made him popular in America and Die Hard made him an action star worldwide.
And Alan Rickman's first starring film role (and his first film role overall) was in the British thriller Busted, 5 years before Die Hard. He mostly did British TV shows before then and a LOT of Shakespearean theatre acting.
Not just models, ballet dancers. And stunt men.
Albert Leong has acted as henchman/bad dude in lots of movies
The guy that played Karl (Alexander Godunov) was a professional Russian ballet dancer turned actor. Although a phenomenal villain in this movie, he was absolutely fantastic in the romantic comedy The Money Pit.
He also played a member of the Amish community in Witness, sadly he passed away in 1995.
@@texasdustfart oh yeah! I remember that movie. Had Kelly McGillis if I remember correctly
@@flip97gt Yes along with Harrison Ford
Funny story about the falling scene at the end. The reason why Alan Rickman looks authentically surprised and scared is because the Director told him they would drop him on the count of three but did it on one. He did it so he would get a realistic reaction from Alan.
The drop in the ventilation shaft (done by a stunt man) did not go as planned. It was supposed to go with the stunt man getting to the first ledge. The stunt man managed to catch a lower ledge and the shot was kept in.
What was amazing is that it was their 1st action movie for Both of Bruce Willis AND Alan Rickman
Willis prior to that was knowed for a romance/comedy show called Moonlight , so not really the action star type.
And Rickman was a Theatre Actor, so it was his first movie.
When the media and the public learned that Willis will be the star of an action movie directed by John McTiernan( the SAME guy who directed Predator and Hunt for Red Octobre), people thought it was a joke, and was not very suportive of it, saying that he will not be able to fill in the role and it would look ridiculous.
Both Willis and Rickman NAILED their parts, and it is what kickstarted Willis's carreer as an Action actor in the 90's, he was elevated on the same rank as Action, has Stallone or Scwharzy.
Moonlighting was a really great show, at least in its first season. I think Willis had done some comedies on the big screen before this, but his film career had not taken off yet. As someone who saw this film in the theaters when it was released, it completely changed my view of the guy!!
Stallone and Schwarzenegger both turned down this role.
(even Frank Sinatra turned it down!)
@@ThreadBomb true i have seen this show and i have it on my hard drive, it was hillarious to watch, and Die Hard was even mentioned in season 3 or 4 off moonlighting in 1 of the episodes.
and Die Hard was made while bruce Willis still was making that show.
@@ThreadBomb
Should occur to you that i ain't American and so the show had a different title/translation and a "bit of action" ain't the same as a FULL on action...
A bit of action could has well be how you describe a Columbo episode where he has to run to get a ligther for his cigar...
Um, Actually, Bruce Willis' first feature film was called "Blind Date" also starring Kim Bassinger.
Another reason why this is a Christmas movie; it's also about family reconciliation between John and Holly. Estranged at the beginning of the movie and by the end they are riding off into the night kissing while snow (papers) is falling.
I also busted out laughing when you said that's a lot of cheese. Great reaction.
Plus her name is Holly. What's more Christmas than holly?
I was not a Bruce Willis fan when this came out. When I went to see this opening week, I watched it 3 times in one day, and I was a huge Bruce Willis fan from then on.
This movie redefined the way action movies were made, and judged, and it took Bruce Willis from a comedic actor to a top billed action star (and star in general).
I love this movie to death, but it was a movie that came out a year earlier that "redefined" action movies... Lethal Weapon. Though Die Hard is clearly the superior movie.
@@robertcorbett9455 What do you think Lethal Weapon did that other movies before hadn't done?
@@TequilaToothpick Action movies were low budget, bad acting and just didn't get much effort. Lethal weapon upped the quality and effort put in.
24:38 "How did he know?" There are some deleted scenes that explain how he knew. All of Gruber's crew wear matching watches, which John has by now seen now on several members. He saw Hans' matching watch when they shared a light.
See, I always assumed it was due to him not flinching at the European cigarette. Smokers can immediately tell the difference and would say something.
I always thought John was just extra cautious around a guy he didn't really know. Well, that doesn't actually change all that much.
also, the cigarettes
He was around when Takagi was killed but it's difficult to say what he saw. It's not clear if the shot behind the glass was a POV but you could argue it was.
Also he should have been able to see Hans from on top of the elevator inspecting...Tony? The other blond dude.
@@konstantinosmichos5749 what I got was how Hans was holding the cigarette
30:30 It's probably already been mentioned but the reason Rickman's reaction looks genuine is because it was. The stuntmen agreed to drop him on a count of 3 but after a wink from the director they released him early. Genius.
Spot on and legendary 👊🏻
@Guy Smith no wonder. They used the real building for the drop. A superhero landing from 30 floors up plays hell with the knees.
@@petermirtitsch1235 also with lower back that take also enough punishment by the landing same with the knees, believe me i am former stuntmen and can't do it anymore because of those issue's atleast i am retired well off and have never to get a job.
This is the "Viggo broke his toe" comment of *Die Hard.*
@@petermirtitsch1235 - They didn't drop Alan Rickman from 30 stories.
32:10 - The real villains I would say are the police captain, the FBI guys and the stupid news guy.
So, just like real life.
I've read a ton about this movie, the way John knew something was up about "Bill" was quick to smoke the German cigarettes and put the whole pack into his own pocket.
Also, John's a cop first and foremost, he's going to extract as much as he can from Bill before just giving a stranger a loaded gun.
They cut a bit that made it clear that the dead giveaway was Hans watch. McClane notices the others he encountered are wearing the same watch, which they cut. There's a point where John sees Hans watch and has a slight reaction, and it would have been more clear had they left it in that this was the point he knew for sure he wasn't dealing with a hostage.
@@inarar5334 🤌 perfect, excellent catch!
@@inarar5334 I hate when they cut important stuff like that.
Die Hard 4 is my second favorite, Die Hard 3 is also good all well written with charismatic villans. Die Hard 2 meh, Die Hard 5 just pretend it was never made. Also if you want a funny action movie with great casting and actors try the Bruce Willis movie Red - highly entertaining.
I was 10 when this movie came out and I've loved it since. Before this, all I knew Bruce Willis from was the TV show "Moonlighting" he was in with Cybill Sheppard. This movie broke the action hero mold. It showed that an action hero can be a guy that looks like your dad. But, it also set the standard for a ton of other movies to rip off. Check out the Honest Trailer for "Die Hard". It's hilarious!
In addition to taking place at Christmas, having Christmas things, and Christmas music, as Simone mentioned, it also deals with themes that more traditional Christmas movies deal with: family (John/Holly), friendship (John/Al), and redemption (Al getting over his gun shyness). There's other things too such as the numerous Christmas references, the FBI being Hans' "Christmas miracle", etc. It's not a traditional Christmas movie, but it absolutely is one.
As for which ones are worth watching, I'd say they all are. There is, of course, diminishing quality, and increasing ridiculousness (this movie has almost no ridiculousness), the fourth is probably the worst, but they are all definitely fun.
It was also released in July like all good Christmas movies.
That's interesting. I looked at the Rotten Tomatoes rankings, and according to them, the fourth is the best of the sequels, while the fifth is essentially impossible to watch. Unless by "fourth" you meant the fourth sequel and not the fourth movie?
@@bigdream_dreambig That's very weird, because I seem to recall the consensus being that it was a waste of time. I don't remember hearing much of anything about the fifth. I found it to be ok, but less ridiculous than the fourth.
@@StarkRG From the Rotten Tomatoes' "Critics Consensus": _Live_ _Free_ _or_ _Die_ _Hard_ may be preposterous, but it's an efficient, action-packed summer popcorn flick with thrilling stunts and a commanding performance by Bruce Willis. ~vs.~ _A_ _Good_ _Day_ _to_ _Die_ _Hard_ is the weakest entry in a storied franchise, and not even Bruce Willis' smirking demeanor can enliven a cliched, uninspired script.
@@bigdream_dreambig As someone who has seen the first five movies, I agree completely with the critic consensus there. 1 is perfect. 2 is good. 3 is great. 4 is good as well. 5 is utter trash. I would certainly recommend the first 4 movies and *only* the first four movies.
This is still THE greatest Christmas movie ever made, but Gremlins and Lethal Weapon are pretty close; I recommend watching more 80's action movies, primarily Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone
Schwarzenegger, and Stallone. They could watch those two for 3 months straight and still wouldn't cover all their classics.
@@vabeachkevin, they take place during Christmas, so it doesn't get any closer than that; you might want to watch those three and actually pay close attention
Gremlins is my favourite Christmas movie!
@@ThreadBomb, I suggest watching those three movies
@@vabeachkevin, watch the movies I mentioned, and if you pay attention, you might actually learn something
Hope you'll react to next Die Hard movies.
Die Hard 2 - pretty good
Die Hard 3 - the best
Die Hard 4 - pretty good
Die Hard 5 - bad
A beautiful movie about family and forgiveness overcoming greed - a more Christmasy Christmas movie has never been made.
@@ThreadBomb John and Holly forgive each other. Sgt. Al Powell forgives himself. It's all about forgiveness, man!
The sentence "that is so much cheese" was killing me! :-)
The falling looks really good because they told Alan Rickman they would drop him on the count of 3, and they dropped him on 2. His scared expression is genuine.
He was reportedly very VERY pissed about it.
That tracks, I mean he was a pretty accomplished actor - he didn't need that kind of crap.
Which is why that was the last scene they filmed with Rickman.
There’s a saying. “It’s not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Plaza.”
Best Christmas movie ever. 🤩
The film was nominated for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Film Editing, but lost all to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? It made $190-200 million dollars at the box office against a $50 million dollar budget, and it's considered to be the best action movie ever made.
Which to be fair, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was in fact a technical masterpiece. The 80s just happened to have a few years that were absolutely stacked with movies with all kinds of unique accomplishments and advancements on the technical side of things. Massive improvements in practical effects and models were made even from year to year.
27:03 George saying "Go just die in a fire" is GREAT!! He's so nice I wasn't sure he could find this kind of hate. I LOVE IT!!
27:17 ......."that is so much cheese..." My new favorite line!
They actually dropped Alan Rickman 20 feet onto an airbag made of green screen material. They said "we're gonna count to three" and then let go on one. The look of surprise on his face is genuine.
Hey, I just said that. Now, I look like a dickhead! No change there, I suppose.
@@Richard_Jones Well I can't be the only one who knows that. I'm sure there must be others!
@@LeePresson You are right, of course, I just wanted to be the cool kid for a change. Merry Xmas from Notts, Uk by the way.
I was a courier for the tv movie industry several years back. I made deliveries to this building Fox Plaza at Fox Studios- several times a months. It wasn't till last year-I think, that I learned this was the same building.
Highly recommend watching the second soon! third is worth the watch too but unlike first two it isnt very christmassy. After that they become fairly generic action films with total nonsense plots.
also like most christmas movies it involves family reconciliation!
Alan Rickman's first movie at 42 years old. It's never too late to do what you dream of doing, kids!
george: "when i grow up, i want to be a fire truck"
Wow, that's great. I never knew that.
@@CineBingeReact George, you go be the best damn firetruck
Radom fact: Reginald Val Johnson (LAPD Officer Al Powell) has played a police officer in the 3 largest U.S. cities. He was LAPD in Die Hard, NYPD in Ghostbusters, and Chicago PD in the sitcom Family Matters.
There's two sides, people who know it's a Christmas movie, and then there's the people who are wrong.
So cringe people versus normal people 😂
28:10 In reality, it does sometimes come down to what losses are "acceptable" vs. letting all the hostages be killed when it becomes necessary to attempt a rescue by force.
@@jeffburnham6611 When it looks like international terrorism, the feds are going to want to be involved, to some degree. The mayor of LA can't negotiate the release of imprisoned members of 'Asian Dawn', etc.
This was Rickman's first movie role. The surprised look on his face when he drops is real. He was told they would do the drop on the count of three. They did it at one.
And he knocked it out of the park, Hans Gruber is one of the best villains of all time.
this movie is about a man trying to get to see his family for Christmas, and if you listen close there is Christmas music playing throughout the movie in low tones
If you decide to do the whole series, just make sure when you get to the 4th and 5th movies that you watch the unrated versions, especially for the 4th one. They're definitely better than the theatrical cuts. With the 4th one the theatrical cut is PG-13 and it's just bad, so the unrated R cut is the way to go.
12:06 - welcome to the 1980's, where 911 prank calls were a prevalent issue so something as "over-the-top" as a hostage crisis in a skyscraper would've been considered likely to be a joke. Especially after the fire-alarm being already cancelled.
In regards to how far you should go with the series, AT LEAST the first 3 movies. But I would say go all the way to 4.
The count down to Christmas is each floor Hans Grubber falls. :P
Fun Fact: Bonnie Bedelia ( Holly) is also Macaulay Culkin's aunt.
So you know, Die Hard is based on the book the movie is loosely based off of "Nothing Last Forever." A depressing piece of work where it is McClane's daughter, not his wife, who dies in the end due to greed. Needless to say, what was originally going to be an adaptation was rewritten it an 80s action flick, so they needed a new title and went with the "coolest name" they could think of.
The scene where Hans dropped, they had Alan Rickman up 20 feet in the air to shoot and the stunt crew told Rickman they were going to drop him on the count of 3, but they released on 1 instead. The surprise on his face was genuine.
It’s called "Die Hard" because it’s hard to get the protagonist to die.
When you mentioned that the scene with Hans falling looked really good: I read somewhere that they had Rickman on a quick release harness and told them that they were going to countdown to zero or release him at a specific cue or something like that, and then instead they just released the harness when he wasn't expecting it in order to get a more genuine reaction.
A local theater runs the film every Christmas Eve. My friend and I go every year, except for Covid. But we went back to it last year. It's an amazing experience.
You guys did a great job. I love this movie & watch every Christmas my wife Christmas Story (recommended). I still catch new things. Ellis ask for coke but he gets Coca Cola instead and shows disappointment when he gets his can. 30 years later still catching little bits like that!
"Die Hard" is a way of describing something, or someone that does not quit under pressure.
I always thought the reason the first explosion is so large is not because it came entirely from McClane's improvised explosive. Rather his charge sets off an entire floor already wired to blow. The plan was probably to have that initial lower-floor charge prepared to slow down police assault (similar to having the recoilless rifle ready to take on SWAT armor - "the quarterback is toast") and goose along the involvement of the FBI. It would also set up the expectation for the 2nd charge - the top of the building. McClane kind of ruined the surprise and almost derailed the plan (thus the need to hunt him down and get back the detonators). What he tossed down the elevator shaft was probably extra, left-over explosive and thus didn't expect the size of the explosion he would set off.
Maybe. I just assumed it was from the fresh box of rocket launcher ammo that is sitting right by the elevator door. They show the guy going to the box and getting a new rocket cannister, right when the bomb goes off.
Simone: "Oh my God that is so much cheese."
🤣 🤣
The movie is Rambo in a skyscraper. And speaking of Rambo, a lot of action stars were considered for John McClane:
Sylvester Stallone
Paul Newman
Clint Eastwood
Charles Bronson
Richard Gere
Patrick Swayze
Richard Dean Anderson
Harrison Ford
Mel Gibson
Jeff Bridges
Nick Nolte
Kurt Russell
Don Johnson
Burt Reynolds
And
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
you forget Eddie murphy he was considered as well, he made beverly hills cop year earlyer.
It's pretty cool watching movies with you two. You guys should REALLY watch "The Thing" by John Capenter, and also "The Green Mile"! Thanks!
The look of fear on Alan Rickman's face when he fell was real. They had him suspended pretty high over an air bag that he could land into. The director told him they'd have him fall on a count of three. They let him fall on the count of one. They made sure to do that shot as the last scene of the day.
Rickman wasn't happy.
PUMAT SOL!! ok you just earned a subscriber!! HE and Henry crabgrass are by far the best NPCs ever to grace us with their presence!
BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE EVER MADE!!
For me it's a close second behind Gremlins.
Oh, you have been in Helsinki! Happy New Year from Finland!
"How far do we go?"
Die Hard 1 through 3 are the good ones - I'd say 1 and 3 (3 is called "With a Vengeance") are the best, but people will debate it. 4 is crap (it's not even "so bad it's good" material) and I couldn't get myself to watch 5.
Found your channel while going down a rabbit hole of Princess Bride reactions. Love it!! Your dynamic is great. It's like watching movies with my friends. Love the CR shirt!! Also is that a WOT shirt?
Fun fact: When they filmed the fall of Hans Gruber, the stunt director told actor Alan Rickman they would count to three then release him. But he actually instructed the stunt people to drop him on the count of *_one._* That’s how they got such a genuine expression of shock on Alan Rickman’s face.
Since you're wondering if you should check out the rest...
Die Hard 2 is underwhelming and kinda forgettable.
Die Hard 3 is quite good.
The rest suck...badly.
One Of The Greatest Christmas-Action Ever Made
One Of The Greatest Re-Action Channels Ever Made
GREAT reaction!!!👍🤩💖👍🤩💖👍🤩💖👍🤩💖👍🤩💖 The next 3 Die Hard movies are great with Die Hard 2 taking place at Christmas one year later. In my opinion the 5th Die Hard movie is very disappointing.
Cinebinge: I think I’ve seen this image before.. but someone put a Christmas Hat on him..
Me: oh that’s a thumbnail from (You’ Me, & The Movies) Channel
Nice shirt! You should do CR reactions.
beside Alan Rickman (Gruber,Harry Potter) Reginald Veljohnson (cop, Differnt strokes) William Atherton (news guy, Ghostbusters) and Robert Davi (FBI, Stargate Atlantis) were in this film, I love that you guys caught the tough SWAT guy getting caught on the rose thorns! Did Canada ever released the five impassioned leaders of "the Delta To Quebec" ? (I read it in Time Magazine) :-D
Die Hard came out in 1988 They're on a plane "Trust me Ive been doing it for 9 years" "Its OK I'm a cop Trust me Ive been doing this for 11 Years" Later on a sky scraper gets blown up !!!! Its not the Only Hollywood film to have a crystal ball with regards to 9/11 Back to the future and Terminator 2 to name but two !
In honor of the late Alexander Godunov (a wonderful and much beloved Bolshoi ballet dancer) who plays Karl, I suggest "Witness" and "The Money Pit". And Merry Christmas!
First, you can watch up to #4 (although John gets kinda superhero-ish by that one). Absolutely do not bother with 5.
Second, I think it is funny how the Christmas debate rages about this movie, but not about Lethal Weapon ... In any case, if you haven't seen that one, I would recommend it.
Happy winter festive time to the both of you 😁
Hey S & G, a diehard person is defined as "someone who is unwilling to change or give up their ideas or ways of behaving, even when there are good reasons to do so." Sound like someone in this movie? I also found this: at the Battle of Albuera in 1811 , during the Peninsular War, William Inglis , commander of the British 57th Regiment of Foot, exhorted his men to "die hard." They acted with such heroism that the regiment earned the nickname "Die-hards." That's where the term came from.
26:30
That there is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, specifically the "Ode to Joy" section. Not a Christmas tune per se.
All sequels except the very last one are worth watching. 3 is actually great (also directing by McTiernan), 2 is fine, 4 is pretty good. Don't watch 5 though.
Enjoying the channel.👍
Loving the reactions. But you should stop the editing in single frame of film edited in your reactions like fight club.
Would love you to react to the Guy Ritchie film, snatch.
The film's category was popularly changed from a romance between John and his wife to a "bromance" between McClane and Reggie Veljohnson , the cop ... so good eyes...
You guys need to see Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4). Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays an older college-aged Lucy McClane.
Bruce Willis: Goes through a 1-man war to rescue his wife (and her coworkers) from a highly organized and well armed crew of robbers, including shredding his bare feet on broken glass, falling down an elevator shaft, and base jumping off the roof with a fire hose tied around his waist. In the end, broken and battered, but not defeated, all he wants is to hold and kiss his wife.
Simone: Ewwww, he's so dirty.
LOVE your commentary. The long hair .. very 80's. Alan Rickman .. this is his film debut if memory serves. That look on Hans's face when he fell was very real .. because they dropped him on 2 of a 3,2,1 count (so I've heard). Best Christmas movie evah!
HO-HO-HO
Merry Christmas
I would recommend the second and third die hards, Die hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance. After those two they are not as good, although not horrible.
It's Stockholm Syndrome... Helsinki is the capital of Finland. :P
OMG! You have a Pumat Sol t-shirt? I've watched and enjoyed a lot of reactions, but that just earned my subscription.
So there are two types of people. Those that think Die Hard is a Christmas movie and those that think it is not. A fun fact. When they had Alan Rickman hooked up to the device that would drop him the director told him on 3 we will release you. The director releases him on one so the reaction we saw was real. After the scene Alan was extremely upset. Also Carl was also a police officer on the TV show Family Matters with Steve Urkel and the asshole cop was the principal in The Breakfast Club. Well Merry Christmas to you guys. Stay safe.
Watch until the 4th film. The best one is the 3rd by a mile, but the 4th is still great. In the 5th it feels like he's not the john McClane we've all known. His character gets completely butchered.
It's so refreshing to watch a hero who bleeds like a real human. Looking at all of you, Marvel plastic action figures :-)
If you think this movie is a Christmas movie, you need to watch Lethal Weapon. It takes place around Christmas, has Christmas music and even has a Christmas tree.
Unfun fact: You’d actually be surprised how little gunshot noises travel. Especially between several floors of a building and outside among the general noise pollution of a city. If the shots were as far away as the top floor of a skyscraper, and especially if you were observing it from as far away as Al was at the time, it would be very difficult to actually hear. The exception would be if the shots were fired relatively towards a person, because the supersonic crack travels downrange with the bullet.