45. It Has A Brilliant Main Villain
7 minutes. Thats how long it takes from us first seeing Alan Rickmans Hans Gruber unveiled in a truck, to his first line to the terrified workers at the Christmas party. Thats the problem with movie villains these days, far too showy and chatty (blame Tarantino), but not our Hans. Gruber is calm, collected and always waiting for his moment. In a bunch of terrifying-looking psychos, hes the most chilling because you really dont want to be around when a model of restraint like that loses it. Patient, well-spoken (I love the way he says ladies and gentlemen twice) and with the most murderous of smiles... and hes got the best looking evil facial hair since Ming the Merciless.
44. The Sex Scene Is Actually Quite Clever
Even the naughtiest bits of Die Hard are well thought out. Making full use of that 18 certificate, it wouldnt be an 80s action film without a bit of nudity. Thankfully, Die Hard manages to both include the stereotype and dispense of it almost immediately as two office workers are unceremoniously pulled out of an office. Its another moment, laden with symbolism with the excesses of the corporate lifestyle rudely interrupted by an even bigger set of mercenaries. Or it could just be a chance to flash some knockers of course. I guess you get from a film what you want to bring to it. Die Hard is very much aware of the time it was made, and what the upwardly mobile society had done to the American. Its a theme reflected in the character of Ellis all Rolex and cocaine. Hes the ultimate yuppie: arrogant, self-centred and, as we discover, totally disposable.
43. Going Down... Going Up
Two lovely moments as Gruber makes his way down to get the password from Mr Takagi. Firstly, humming his own lift music as he heads down in the lift is just great. Funny, and scary, its a gorgeous calm before the storm. Second, as he enters the meeting room, a lovely quick shot of Hans standing next to a model of the very building hes in. Lovely symbolism, hes like a big English/German Godzilla standing next to his prey. All he needs to be a perfect villain now is to show a bit of true nastiness...
42. Classic Dialogue #1
Frankly, I could probably have filled this list with just great lines from the film, but Im going to limit myself to just 10. While others came before, Die Hard feels like the first film to get the balance between serious action and one-liners right. Its not sledgehammer Arnold, or winking at the camera Roger Moore, this is just smart, sassy dialogue done at the right time. Plus the villains get some crackers too. So first up, one of my favourite exchanges as Gruber attempts to get the vault codes:
Hans: "Im going to count to three. There will not be a four. Give me the code. One. Two. Three..." Mr Takagi: "I don't know it, I'm telling you. Get on the jet to Tokyo and ask the chairman, I'm telling you. You're just going to have to kill me." Hans: "OK."
A gun shot, a head explodes and the glass is decorated in blood. Blimey, it really is an 18 certificate, huh?
41. A Ruddy Big Fight In Under 30 Seconds
OK, the villains have shown their credentials, its time for John McClane to finally show us what hes made of, with the first terrorist battle against Tony. And the lack of technique in the fight emphasises for us again that John is just a normal guy - albeit a tough one. Its not about big muscles, kung fu or handy props to smash people over the head with. Its all about smashing into walls, clattering into steel pipes, falling down the stairs and finishing with a broken neck all in the space of just a few seconds. Swift and brutal, its the sort of fight you imagine could take place in a pub car park on a Friday night. But in this case its the first of 12 terrorists down. As far as first impressions go, its a doozy.