35. Rooftop Rumble
A magnificent set piece as John is hunted on the roof in a blaze of automatic weapons. Cue frantic slides across metal work, cat and mouse gun battles, and a quite remarkable 180 degree pan that finishes on the magnificent Karl creeping across the helipad like the Grim Reaper. The little twang of Mariachi music is a lovely touch. It really emphasises the sheer odds that John is up against, pinned in a corner as highly trained specialists close in on him. And it only gets worse, escaping into the air conditioning he jams his gun into a giant fan to escape. The whole piece is shot with a real sense of danger, emphasising the huge heights that the action is taking place at. Plus theres a lovely little gag as John passes the nudie calendar he spotted on his way up to the roof - complete with comedy "twang" on the soundtrack.
34. Desperate Measures
I always wince at this bit. Cornered and desperate, John unthreads the strap of his gun and uses it to work his way down an almost impossibly smooth piece of air conditioning. Its a breathtaking sequence. OK, it looks extreme but hes got no choice but to do it, -hes gambling with his life as the camera serves to remind us by peering down on top of him. Blimey, thats a long way down. And when he falls, it ain't gonna be pretty. But we know John by now, and he just manages to grab on at a passing handhold. And now it's totally okay to breathe again.
33. Classic Dialogue #5
The beauty of Die Hard kicks in again straight away. Nerve-shredding one minute, and then wonderfully self-deprecating as John recalls the invitation to L.A. in an amusing dialogue cue.
John McClane: "Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs... Another iconic shot, lighter in hand, barely able to crawl through the duct - and confirmation (after less than 50 minutes, no less) that Bruce Willis is the perfect everyman action hero.
32. Al Powell
With the odds stacked so heavily against John, getting a bit of back up is vital. Step forward Sergeant Al Powell. For a while, the film leads us believe that hes just like the rest of the authority figures, not noticing anything awry when he arrives at Nakatomi Plaza. But when his squad car is totalled, first by a John McClane powered corpse and then several hundred rounds of terrorist ammunition, and he still crawls out alive (twinky still in hand, nice touch), you realise that hes just like John, a cop who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and hes going to do something about it. Sweetly played by Reginald VelJohnson, Als a nice guy who theyve made angry. And crucially, like us, he recognises Johns bravery and believes in him. And he cant half drive a car backwards as well.
31. A Real D*ck
Richard Thornburgh, the epitome of the ambulance chasing rolling news reporter. Its a clever and somewhat prophetic sideswipe at the world of rolling news. Like a tabloid news reporter hacking into a mobile phone, hes sitting by his police scanner waiting to cover the misfortune of others. In this case, its Nakatomi and John McClane. Its another great widening of the story, without distraction, the lets the action escalate a little further - this time into the media Like the plot, and the set-pieces, the characters are tightly drawn, believable and all add a little magic to the proceedings. Die Hard truly impresses by the way it introduces little elements, that will all build up to something grander. And you just know, from the minute you meet him, that you really want someone to punch him in the face by the end. Well, hang on a bit, youll be in luck...