Rating: 5 Stars
Totally found this gem by accident when I saw the author's book about President Obama advertised on Goodreads. I ended up getting both for free via Kindle Unlimited. It is only about 70 pages, but it was a lovely little slice of goodness about the greatest Christmas movie ever. It details, through various people involved in the process, what it took to get this movie made, and showed just how many times it was rejected until it was completely re-written into what we know the movie to be today. Thank goodness that it was re-written at all, because the original premise involved a retired police officer going to his daughter's office Christmas party, and she ends up dying, and it would have been a terrible movie. Instead, things were changed up quite a bit, and we get a great hero in John McClane, and the final result is fucking perfect. Die Hard is such a perfect action movie BECAUSE John McClane is not a typical hero. He's a regular guy who gets put into a situation totally out of his control and he is in way over his head. He survives time and time again not because of convenient happenstance, but because he is constantly trying to be one step ahead of the bad guys, and that is REALLY REALLY hard when the villain you are up against in Hans Grüber. (This is obviously different in the later movies when McClane goes from being the Everyguy Hero to an Action Hero, but I don't really pay attention to those. The original Die Hard is pretty much it for me. I am really good at ignoring sequels.)
I only wish this short could be expanded to a full length book. Perhaps material about actual filming of the movie, things that were easy or difficult, funny anecdotes, and the like. Maaaaybe even an interview with Bruce Willis, that would be kind of fantastic. Such a shame that Alan Rickman has passed away, one of the all-time greatest film villains - Hans Grüber. (Don't come at me with Harry Potter b.s. Hans > Snape. Goodbye.)
Die Hard fans will really like this, but definitely get it from Kindle Unlimited if you can.
I liked the first three Die Hard films but haven't got round to watching the others yet. The first film was great with Alan Rickman doing his bad guy thing!
ReplyDeleteI've also seen the first three. I will even watch 2, but the original really is my favorite and the very best one. Alan Rickman, one of my all-time favorite actors. Such a loss.
DeleteOh my gosh I haven't seen this movie in AGES. So good. And Rickman!
ReplyDeleteYAASSS! Glad to know I won't ever see it on your Movies That Suck feature, or we would have some serious words, haha. It's SUCH a great movie. So good. So, so good.
DeleteNo I could never torch that one. Now the sequels... that's something else again. But no... :)
DeleteHa, good! I don't even mind the second one to be honest. Jeremy Irons was a decent villain in the third, but I have not seen any of the others. But the original, man, that movie is The. Best.
DeleteYeah the first two actually are good, not just the first one (although it IS the best, clearly) and I don't think I ever saw 3? Were there MORE than 3? Hm.
DeleteDie Hard: With a Vengeance was the 3rd and I love Samuel L Jackson, but it wasn't anything near what 1 is. There have been a 4th and a 5th made but I have not seen them.
DeleteAh... One of my Top 20 all time movies. Quite brilliant.
ReplyDeleteIt is Top 5 for me, for sure. The Godfather, Jurassic Park, Newsies, Die Hard, and The Dark Knight.
Delete"the original premise involved a retired police officer going to his daughter's office Christmas party, and she ends up dying" - well, that is the premise of the book on which Die Hard is based. I haven't read it (yet), but Die Hard is one of my favourite movies of all time. Just watched it again on Christmas eve with my brother, and it never gets old. This book sounds like it's right up my alley :)
ReplyDeleteYes, this book details all of that surrounding that book and story. Die Hard is one of my faves too and I could never imagine it going any other way. I'm definitely going to pass on the book!
DeleteDie Hard is one of those rare action movies that give you a warm, fuzzy feeling (despite the kill count). Was never a fan of the sequels, though.
DeleteAgreed! I saw a couple of the sequels but the first is the best and the only one I really acknowledge.
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