Filmmaker reacts to Die Hard (1988) for the FIRST TIME!

[@stevenstritenberger1761]

Yes it's Snape! This was Alan Rickman's first huge role and made him a star. It also made Bruce Willis into an action star and they didn't originally want him for the role. I saw this 5 times at the theatre during it's first run, it was that good.

[@JamesVSCinema]

The OG!

[@SoulofGrimm]

The scene where he falls, that look of pure horror on his face is real. They didn't let him know they were going to let go.

[@redhippopotamus9144]

It was his first ever movie role

[@sntxrrr]

@@SoulofGrimm I believe they dropped him one count too early. Rickman was pretty pissed right after but couldn't deny it got a great reaction shot.

[@afriendlycadian9857]

@@SoulofGrimm no he knew they just released him early

[@Tonyblack261]

Alan Rickman's reading of the t-shirt: "Now I have a machine gun. Ho-Ho-Ho" is one of my favourite things ever.

[@StudioCoqui]

Hans is definitely one of the greatest villains of all time, up there with Darth Vader. The way he was written should be taught to all writers, whether film or novel, on how to write a villain. Hans delegates (like visiting the hacker to see what needs to be done), he calms down his subordinates and rewards their patience (Like Karl wanting revenge), he assesses his situations and pays attention to what the hero is doing (Like when alarm gets tripped) or what condition the hero is in (like wearing no shoes).

[@BkNy02]

Agreed. I loved how calm and cool he sounded but the second you press his buttons the facade wears off. 100% psychological in the writing.

[@kareningram6093]

Too often villains who are billed as the "mastermind" are just stupid. Hans was different. He really was smart and good and thinking on his feet. Definitely the perfect counterpoint to McClane.

[@Ati-MarcusS]

fun fact: Bruce was born in Germany ...

[@danacamino8894]

Was gonna comment something similar but thats why you always see him and Vader in top villain lists. Hes so well done.

[@VilleHalonen]

When Steven E. de Souza was brought in to rewrite the script, he approached the story as if Gruber were the protagonist (says Wikipedia). It really shows in the film.

[@ericmkendall1]

Bruce Willis was already a TV-star when “Die Hard” was made. His breakout was in the romantic-comedy-mystery series “Moonlighting” (1985-89), which I always enjoyed very much. With that as a launching pad, Willis spent years in the mid- to late-1980s trying to parlay his television success into a career in feature films. He languished for years in forgettable rom-coms in which he was repeatedly called upon to reprise his “Moonlighting” TV-persona. But then, “Die Hard” came along. That film re-launched Willis’s career and catapulted him to true superstar status. And the rest, as they say, is history.

[@attorneyrobert]

This is what took him from comedy TV sitcoms to action actor in a ton of roles.

[@sharkdentures3247]

Yeah, you can totally see Bruce Willis' COMEDIC acting background shine through in this movie. Which (in my opinion) helps MAKE the movie so good! The funny lines & snarky quips sprinkled throughout create a good counter-balance to the violence and seriousness. Too little funny? Movie becomes exceedingly dark & grim. Too MUCH funny? Movie feels silly & disjointed. Here it is the PERFECT amount. AND it helps convey things about John McClain. That he is INTELLIGENT (quick witted) with a "smart mouthed" personality. It ALSO serves as a reasonable "coping mechanism" for a regular guy who is in WAY "over his head". (to keep himself from panicking.)

[@cindyknudson2715]

Willis was committed to the successful series, Moonlighting and couldn't do the role of McClain because of the shooting schedule. But, then, co-star Cybill Shepherd got pregnant. This shut production on Moonlighting down for 11 weeks, allowing Willis to accept the part in Die Hard. It was shot and released while he was a co-star on Moonlighting.

[@Flagsitta]

Moonlighting was definitely my first experience with Bruce.

[@franl155]

I think I read that he was shooting Moonlighting while Die Hard was being made; he couldn't get out of the contract. So he shot Moonlighting during the day and Die Hard at night. - that's one hell of a schedule.

[@adamsgrad93]

There's a series on Netflix called "The Movies that Made Us", and in season 1 they give the back story of this movie and it's absolutely fascinating.

[@EdgyNumber1]

From what I understand, Die Hard (through Die Hard 2) shares the same universe as Schwartznegger's Commando. I'll find more info on it. Its only a brief reference to a particular fictitious location where Arnie goes to rescue his daughter. its mentioned in Die Hard 2.

[@HK-ny8pr]

I think he would love that series!

[@ThomasSoles]

I love how something so mundane as McClane taking his shoes off has galactic repercussions when the bad guys arrive. Also, as flawed as McClane is as a man, he is the ultimate warrior, disposing a crew of terrorist with bare feet.

[@ScientificallyStupid]

your comment with your sn is *chef's kiss* one of the best things about this character is he's totally human, not super fast, not super strong, he gets hurt, badly, he's in a lot of pain, and he keeps going, but you see on his face what it's doing to him.

[@theviciouschickenofbristol4779]

I think you nailed it. One of the things that makes John McLane such a great action hero is how much more real he seems than others from the era. He gets anxious, panicked, beat up, over and over throughout these movies.

[@theflickchick9850]

That's one reason my mom loves this film so much. Because in her words, he looks like absolute "shit" at the end rather than like James Bond who just fixes his suit.

[@Flashblackyc4]

It’s amazing you said, “He’s acting like a normal person” because Bruce Willis came out at a time where an ideal action hero had to be muscle bound like Arnold and Stallone (biggest action stars of the 80-90s) ... nek minnut Bruce comes in looking like a normal citizen who becomes the hero. I think this is why Bruce was highly received, because all us judgemental coach potatoes had a chance ‘aesthetically’ lol

[@krissiep1317]

Love that.

[@bellydansah]

yes he was the perfect everyman hero

[@dnish6673]

The downfall as the series went on is that they turned him into a superman.

[@Flashblackyc4]

@@dnish6673 interesting point! Never looked at it that way. Can we agree that Die Hard With a Vengeance is the last good movie?

[@jp3813]

I remember when Jackie Chan tried to break into Hollywood in the mid-80s and they had him try to act like Clint Eastwood & Charles Bronson instead of being a relatable (though very skilled) everyman.

[@Polymathically]

Everyone has already mentioned the major fun facts, but here are a few more from the director's commentary. He was very worried about the rooftop sequence, particularly about having that many people standing underneath a real hovering helicopter. He knew that one mistake could kill a lot of people, so he called it off after only two fly-bys. Hence why you don't get a good look at the roof from the helicopter until after it's evacuated. Also, the roof explosion wasn't done with a miniature; to get the scale, they set up a camera 5 miles across the city. The director's favorite moment is the elevator "ding" right before it explodes. Bruce Willis suffered permanent 2/3rds hearing loss in his left ear after shooting that one terrorist through the table. Also, Alan Rickman's "Alas, your Mr Takagi did not see it that way, so he won't be joining us _for the rest of his life"_ and chowing down at the buffet table was ad-libbed.

[@ZigorBilbao]

People of my age, we don't see Alan Rickman in a movie and say "Is that professor snape?" We see him and say "Is that Hans Grubber?". Now you know why.

[@Otokichi786]

And, to return the favor to "Snapers," I'll say that's "Dr. Lazarus/Alexander Dane" doing a "Sarris.";)

[@marklehuray1091]

Or Sheriff of Nottingham

[@ghostofyourmom]

Same with Gary Oldman. Millennials always say, "Is that Sirius??" Us Gen X'ers know Oldman from True Romance, Leon, Sid & Nancy, etc.

[@theflickchick9850]

I really don't think there's anything wrong with seeing Alan Rickman in a film and knowing him as Snape. You gotta start somewhere and Snape is a terrific performance.

[@ZigorBilbao]

@@ghostofyourmom And Dracula.

[@sntxrrr]

5:50 why is it so suspenseful? Short answer: Jan de Bont. He is most remembered for directing Speed with a young Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Also, John McTiernan directed this right after Predator. He just created two of the best 80s action flicks back to back.

[@meganparsons9106]

And then McTiernan followed it up with Hunt for Red October

[@gokaury]

Hence why people call Speed "Die Hard on a bus."

[@ghostofyourmom]

And TWISTER! A really flawed movie but totally worth watching, especially if one has any sort of fascination with tornadoes.

[@ReallyGoodandKind]

It’s a Christmas tradition in my house to watch Die Hard after lunch. I watched this movie for the first time at 10 years of age, and it’s remained one of my favorite movies to this day. When my son turns ten, we will watch it together.

[@Glaaki13]

Its funny as Die Hard 1 and 2 are more a January 1st movie here in Denmark (aka a good hangover movie )

[@margiewilliams537]

Our house also

[@ReallyGoodandKind]

@@margiewilliams537 based Margie.

[@TheGingerburger]

Don't have to wait till he's 10,I watched Showgirls when I was 5 years old 😂😂😂 That was an experience

[@MPB059]

Die Hard is my all time favorite action and Christmas movie! I finally watched this masterpiece in a theater for the first time and the sound watching it is amazing!

[@CaptainRetroStation]

Bruce Willis… my favourite performance of his is in the sadly underrated “Death Becomes Her”. It’s like a wacky Twilight Zone story, and you will never see Bruce acting this crazy again! 😃

[@Airaindust]

I saw Death Becomes Her in the theater at 9 for a birthday party (True Lies was sold out), I've loved it ever since.

[@krissiep1317]

😂

[@cometgirl217]

Death Becomes Her is SUCH a great movie - one of my all-time favorite “camp” classics! As far as I know, only two reactors have covered it: MovieBitches and Ashley Burton (I highly recommend both)

[@Vohaul86]

Not my favorite Willis performance, but I love how different he is in it compared to his other roles. =D

[@brendaleeirizarry1724]

My favorite performance from Mr. Willis is actually in "16 Blocks". Such an underrated movie. But I absolutely love "Death Becomes Her".

[@seank135]

The next to no special effects make this movie so much more involving than action movies today. Love it’s physicality 👊 And yes, it’s a damn Christmas movie 🎄 🎅 🤣🤣

[@JamesVSCinema]

Agreed! Physicality is a great theme throughout the filmmaking of Die Hard.

[@chucku1001]

i used to believe it was a christmas movie, but i came to a realization, all christmas movies get released in the holiday season (nov and dec). die hard was released in june. because if you made a christmas movie, why would you release it outside the holiday season. the fact it happens over christmas has no bearing.

[@dressmup1]

@@chucku1001 no you will not kill my Christmas joy. It remains one of my Christmas movies!

[@Officer1774]

@@chucku1001 The original Miracle on 34th Street, one of the most well-known Christmas films of all time, was released in June. Die Hard is a Christmas film.

[@chucku1001]

@@Officer1774 film distribution was a completely different animal back in the 40s. Comparing to the time when die hard came out would be a much more fair comparison. sorry but your point is moot. An even more fair comparison would be the miracle on 34th remake, which was, you guess it, released in the holiday window.

[@OneNoteRiff]

Nothing makes me feel older than watching a reaction where a movie enthusiast - A: hasn't seen an absolute classic, and B: doesn't instantly know a legend like Alan Rickman.😢 Now I know how my old man felt when I said I didn't know who the Beatles are. 😂

[@johanwilhelmsson1199]

My favorite fact which shows the level of craft that goes into even a "light" entertainment movie like this is from the commentary by John McTiernan, where he points out how whenever McClane and Al talks on the radio they are always facing each other, to make the conversation feel more real.

[@AJR-zg2py]

Just goes to show that McTiernan is a very competent filmmaker. A lot of modern directors struggle with framing and composition... which is a HUGE strength of McTiernan and its shows in his films.

[@ScientificallyStupid]

@@AJR-zg2py everything is intentional and I love it.

[@scottalynch]

Yes, Ellis asked for “coke”, and the bad guys brought him a Coca Cola. We know from the earlier scene that Ellis loved the nose candy

[@brandoncrow3741]

Yes. He was a fan of the booger sugar...😂

[@kevinpauley-dadbodstyle2935]

My son and I watch this together every year as our own Christmas tradition! So glad to see you finally get around to it and glad to see from the comments that yes, Virginia, this IS a Christmas movie! :)

[@JamesVSCinema]

Hahaha agree!

[@Tech2Rush]

It's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off the Nakatomi Plaza.

[@jrobwoo688]

People call him Snape, but he will always be the Metatron to me.

[@salvadorslim3234]

Me too Dogma

[@deathwitheponine]

Same

[@Otokichi786]

"Metatron"? Alan Rickman is "Hans Gruber." (Or, "Dr. Lazarus/Alexander Dane" of "Galaxy Quest.;)

[@jrobwoo688]

@@Otokichi786 Yes, for he is The Metatron! Herald of The Almighty and Voice of the One True God! lol

[@doctor-aesthetic]

So glad you watched this one. This is, in my opinion, the most perfect straight action movie that has ever been made, and that is due in no small part to be believability of Bruce Willis as some random cop who's in the wrong place at the wrong time. The logic applied to him as a character is really masterful. This movie is tense, sad, funny as hell, and still has all the gorgeous explosions and gunfire you could want in a good action flick. It's just perfect.

[@alexa.english174]

Did you know they actually dropped Alan Rickman early to capture that look of fear at the end ? Happy Christmas, btw.

[@JamesVSCinema]

HA! That’s incredible.

[@Valp85]

If the stories are to be believed Rickman was sooo pissed at first. All the rehearsing and prepwork were built on them dropping him on a count of 3 (and it's a 20ft drop) and then they release him on the count of 2 or something so naturally he thought something had gone wrong in the moment they're filming his surprise

[@angellopez3202]

So let me ask you James since this is a controversial question, is Die Hard a Christmas movie? 😎 I'm on the side that it is totally a Christmas movie 🎄

[@tra0459]

Greatest Christmas movie ever

[@EmoDragracer]

Team Christmas movie for sure.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Totally a Christmas Movie. ✨

[@sntxrrr]

Best. One. Ever.

[@logandarklighter]

Is it a Christmas Movie? Let me tell you - around these parts, it's not officially Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off of Nakatomi tower. 😎

[@jp3813]

Glad that you loved Bruce Willis' performance, but when watching this film again, definitely pay more attention to Alan Rickman's performance. Both have so much charisma & chemistry in this movie.

[@tannerwilliams4500]

Watched this one for the first time myself this past year, was honestly surprised at how well it holds up. Bruce Willis is great and delivered some amazing one-liners to quote. It’s action-packed with a fantastic villain, RIP Alan Rickman, it has the whole package. Excited to watch and get your thoughts on it. I’ve become a big fan of Bruce Willis, one of my favorite roles of his is in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, it’s a different vibe from what he usually does and I find his character really wholesome.

[@EzioHanitore]

Your point about how bruce willis seemed so human compared to other action stars was totally on point. Back in the 80s all the action movies had these hulking, near-invincible heroes like Rambo or John Matrix from Commando. This was one of the first action movies that had a hero who was just a regular guy. He got hurt, he was vulnerable. It totally made this movie stand out and set the tone for the 90s action movies to come

[@Divamarja_CA]

And the fact the for a major portion of the film, he’s barefoot, without a weapon, and he’s ina t-shirt!! So his “helpless” factor is through the roof. That’s what makes his eventual comeback so satisfying!

[@YouWillBeHappyOrElse]

Well, there was also Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford spent so much of Raiders of the Lost Ark looking exhausted and out of his depth...

[@kylelewis4685]

John McTiernan is seriously underrated as a director for these kinds of films. Predator, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and the 13th Warrior are some of my favorite fun flicks to hang out with. Glad you liked it James. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

[@brianhetzer8421]

The relationship that develops between Sgt Powell and John McClane is very realistic of the bond of random strangers and fellow cops/soldiers during a high stress event. One more beautiful aspect of movie making in this film.

[@randallshuck2976]

For another serving of Willis try his movie "RED" It's an action/adventure/comedy flick with Willis, Mary Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirrin, Richard Dreyfus, Carl Urban, Brian Cox, and a bunch of others. Its fast paced, witty and fun to watch.

[@theskyisteal8346]

Homestly, if I hadn't read the comic, I probably would have liked that movie.

[@fenner1986]

Definitely! Made the same comment, it's an absolute stud cast and a rather enjoyable film. I love Malkovich's character as well haha

[@ghostofyourmom]

@TheSkyIsTeal The comic is so much darker and grittier than the RED movie. No silly slapstick shit. The only thing the two really share is a bald retired Hitman protagonist, and the title itself. The RED comic is very well written, but unfortunately it is also a little too close in setting, character, and tone to the Hitman videogame franchise. Eh... all three can be enjoyed on their own merits, though.

[@randallshuck2976]

@@ghostofyourmom I've never seen the comic, so I had no expectations for the film. Are we into the 21st century version of adapting great literature into plays and movies?

[@nickyarbrough8392]

I know that this'll get buried, but I just want to say: I've been jaded, burned out and sort of cynical about film for a while but watching you watch these old films, have so much fun, and be so passionate about them reminds me why I love movies.

[@QuayNemSorr]

By Grabthar's Hammer, behold Alan "Haaans" Rickman. Potionmaster and sheriff of Nottingham. Brain the size of a planet and voice of the one true God.

[@TheArchangel911]

Alan Rickman is one of my favorite actors. You really need to see him in GalaxyQuest.

[@busfare5660]

I loved watching "the movies that made us" on Netflix, cause hearing alot of the behind the scenes stuff was dope

[@Madayar]

That was Alan Rickman's first film role. He came from theatre. What a banger to start with, right?

[@generic_sauce]

Now this one is surprising for a first view. It's the quintessential action movie of the 80s! For decades to comes it was the template of how to make an action movie.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Lmfaooo dude I was born in 97’ xD But action films from the 80’s-90’s were FIERCE!

[@absolutezero6423]

Ikr. This movie is a classic.

[@arisucheddar3097]

James--- right, but what they mean is a lot of other movies have been described as "Die Hard on a __________" (stadium, train, plane, boat, bus, etc)

[@dirus3142]

Die Hard redefined the action genre. It also opened the door for the every man action hero. It's a perfect film. Every little thing is set up, with a pay off. Reginald VelJohnson Plays Al Powell, the cop. He was the prison guard in Ghost Busters, and played the father in Family Matters. His character was also a cop. need I connect more dots? I dont' care of they have different names, my head cannon is perfect.

[@robwealer5416]

People at first thought it was a romance between the main character and his wife... it became the unanimous decision that it was ultimately a bromance between Bruce and the cop, Reginald Vejohnson..

[@michaelnolan6951]

This was the "first action movie of the '90s" (even though it was made in the '80s) as it made an action star of a non buff, non super soldier type like Swarzennegger or Stallone. Willis was not known as an action star, he was known for his more comedic roles. Willis' role had him play an ordinary guy, who gets hurt a lot throughout the movie. This was also Alan Rickman's first major role as a villain, before classic roles like the Sherriff of Nottingham.

[@jdogjohnson9038]

Think Stallone only acts macho watch first blood (1982) he's very human in it yeah he's trained to kill but all he wanted was something to eat and got put in a situation where he had to be tough he also broke down at the end like a human he'd been through a lot in Vietnam he wasn't really a tough guy character in first blood he was forced into action.

[@jdogjohnson9038]

This is still a great film though I love it. First blood is more realistic where this is a Hollywood spectacle it works for over the top Hollywood fun where as first blood really touched on what a soldier went through it had a story die hard is movie magic fun where first blood is more realistically put together.

[@webcrawler2007]

@@jdogjohnson9038 even in Rocky Stallone wasn't really a typical action hero

[@jdogjohnson9038]

@@webcrawler2007 exactly he was very human and had a heart went through personal loss and bounced back.

[@Tonyblack261]

Willis played a somewhat vulnerable hero - it wouldn't have worked with the likes of Stallone or Arnie.

[@TekaDon]

'Die Hard' is the closest thing we have to a 'Metal Gear Solid Movie'. One man sneaking around versus terrorists, hostages, out gunned, crawling through air ducts, radio conversations, etc.

[@MetallicOpeth]

a stone cold classic. and yes you will now watch it perpetually forever and will never get sick of it. such a well crafted film

[@kaleiohulee6693]

Something often forgotten about this classic is how different it was from other action films of the time. This came out at the height of Arnold, Sly, and Seagal when action heroes were larger than life and basically invulnerable. Its success altered the course of action films.

[@rogermorris9696]

The 1980's where almost ever bad guy was played by a Brit who was only doing the role so he could take a low paying role in a Shakespeare theatre production. Also if you want to see Alan Rickman haveing real fun as a bad guy, and some of the worst English accents outside Dick Van Dyke,I would suggest Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves,

[@mikesanders5433]

LOVE prince of thieves. Al Rickman’s over-acting in that film is perfection and puts him up their with some of the best comic over actors ever 🙂

[@SquigglyP]

I love that Kevin Costner doesn't even bother trying to do an english accent in that flick. He sounds like a cattle rancher. "I'm Robin of Locksley, y'all!"

[@will9357]

@@mikesanders5433 Rickman was in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Prince of Thieves is the Kevin Costner flick that Men in Tights was mocking.

[@mikesanders5433]

@@will9357 other way around mate. Prince of Thieves was the film where Rickman played the Sheriff of Nottingham. You are thinking of Roger Rees who played the Sheriff of Rottingham in Men in Tights which was the parody movie.

[@theflickchick9850]

The was the first R rated film I ever saw. Alan Rickman was (and is) my favourite actor and my mom decided to let me watch it after he died. It's my third favourite film ever now, and I watch it every Christmas Eve and whenever I'm feeling really sick and anxious. It always improves my mood. ☺️

[@Erik78Johansson]

The last boy scout (1991) - Another Willis movie that you should wach if you like action and one liners in the same genre :)

[@tomski120]

Hell yeah my fav Willis film 👍

[@HABO2210]

Pure master-piece. One of the best comedies of all times

[@erikstrohl286]

Finger scale

[@TearDownGenesis]

One of RIckman's first roles I believe. Fun fact is when he was dropped the director said he would drop him on 3 but actually did it on 2 so the surprise is real.

[@jp3813]

His first movie.

[@helloweener2007]

He was acting for British TV for 10 years when the film was made. His first role in a Hollywood movie.

[@voodoolilium]

Bruce Willis is like the greatest everyman turned action hero ever. He just makes it look so genuine and real.

[@evrynameistaken5]

Definitely my absolute favorite christmas film; it's practically R rated Home Alone A really interesting piece of trivia if i'm not mistaken is Heath Ledger mentioned he drew partially from both alan rickman and bruce willis from die hard, specifically the terse dark humor and nonchalant delivery of simultaneously funny dialogue with entirely morbid implications, best reflected in the scene where the joker holds the penthouse hostage and drops rachel from the roof, but its also because of the duality of bruce and alan's characters being the antithesis of each other but still having that chemistry of retorting to jokes with quips like a mirror of batman and the joker, very interesting stuff, obviously heath brought his entire process to the character with a myriad of other influences like Daniel Day Lewis' commitment to the method acting process, it's just so cool to spot little puzzle pieces of work from actors doing their research

[@chrismaverick9828]

According to several accounts, including the series "The Movies that Made Us", Rickman/Gruber's fall was a perfectly timed prank on Rickman for the sake of realism. He was already nervous about the height he had to fall (20+ ft if I remember right , but could be wrong) into the airbag to get the full-face shot, and everyone knew it. They were supposed to release him on a three-count, but the riggers released him early on purpose and the look of fear and disbelief on Gruber's face was genuine terror and surprise. Absolutely perfect.

[@marlonthemarvellous]

Hey James. This was Bruce Willis’ breakout role. The film that made him famous. Also the type of hero in this the blue collar hero was so much different from the super man action hero’s of the Swartzenegger/Stallone movies of the 80s. Also Alan Rickmans did a great job as the charismatic villain in one of his early roles. I cannot tell you how much I have seen this film especially around Christmas.

[@ItsDesm]

Up until the pandemic, we had a local art theater here that would screen Die Hard every December. Boy do I miss those days.

[@willhall796]

Die hard is my favorite Christmas movie

[@testikuskitestdrivr6012]

Die Hard has been with me all my childhood and now I can start showing it to my kids as they are old enough to enjoy it on all it's levels. Masterpiece cinema!

[@ShivasIrons22]

Die Hard: With a Vengeance - the third in the series - is also worth seeing. With Samuel L. Jackson.

[@SuperSayinSolidSnek]

absolutely, 2 is an ok film, but with a vengeance is a great film, maybe better than the original.

[@thebookgeek87]

So underrated. That movie is awesome

[@bcriswell]

"I could watch this movie like a billion times...." Some of us are already half way there.

[@MickeyValenz]

Yup. I was born in '84 and I remember so many Bruce Willis movies being "must sees" in the 90s

[@YolandaAnneBrown95726]

I worked at a theater showing it back in the day, and I immediately fell for Alan Rickman's Hans. His first film role, and he knocked it out the park! And you bet I'll be watching it this Christmas!!!

[@strawman5846]

Ahh yes, the best Christmas movie.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Straw Maaaaan! I agree.

[@franl155]

I was never into action-hero films - the hero was invincible, emotionless. nonchalantly shrugging off bullet wounds ... though he might occasionally get his hair slightly mussed. Until Die Hard. There's a real person on the screen, vulnerable, fallible, afraid, capable of being hurt. I read somewhere that Willis wasn't the first choice for McClane, or even the third. I'm so glad those others passed it up. This was Rickman's first film acting role - and boy doe she carry it off with flying colours. lol they must have had to chart how dirty his vest got throughout the film so they could keep it in continuity. When I heard that they were going to show this film on British TV, I thought, once they take all the swearing out, they'll have the first ten-minute feature film in the world.

[@Neat0_o]

Also, brother James… Without a doubt you’re the best of the best watch along/reviewers on KZbin. Sincerely, I hope you never stop this love journey. I’m happy to follow along this path as well my man.

[@stevenbatke4167]

I first saw this when I was 12. Probably my first R-rated movie, but it’s also the one that made me fall in love movies. It’s more than the sum of its parts, and I think somehow I knew that it was special at an early age. It was also the first movie I bought on VHS. Skip forward 30 years, I just watched this with my 12 year old son, two nights ago. We laughed, we winced, we cheered. I think he knows it’s special too, and I felt 12 years old again. Have a merry Christmas, and a yippee ki-yay-mother-fucking happy new year! Peace On Earth (irony intended)

[@EricPalmerBlog]

Always love seeing these reactions with your technical background. Saw this in the theater. It is an excellent action movie. A great Bruce movie is Blind Date. Remember, it isn't Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from the Nakatomi Plaza.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Cheers Eric!!

[@MrSporkster]

I love the way this got James so fired up, it was great to see! :D

[@christianc.2664]

Fun fact: the scene where Hans is falling, that is Alan Rickman's real look of dread because he was told his harness wasn't attached yet and they let him go and he freaked out. Great movie, never gets old.

[@joshuagross3151]

Didn't help that he was terrified of heights and they let him go early.

[@violetgibson9]

I watched this when it was in the theaters. One thing I noticed right away was how hot the bad guys were. It made it weird for a minute, wondering what side to be on. Then he shot Tagahachi like, ok, and suddenly the line was clear. Seeing Alan in this role long before Snape took a breath, was amazing. He was so evil, but so smooth, so fluid. I loved his style. Every one of the Die Hard movies are solid, but this one set the pace, not only for the franchise, but other movies across the business. I love my men badass but sweet. Have you seen Bruce in his series, Moonlighting? The show went down because Sybil was intended to be the star, the focus, but his natural charisma elevated him right away, and eventually she became pretty much a supporting role. I gotta say, the very first time I saw that signature shtick eating grin of his, I was hooked like Coke Man. My dear, you must see the sequels. You will not be disappointed. After the first two, you feel like, no, the covered everything. A third one will just be lame repetition. WRONG! They knew on each one when to toss the deck in the air, and completely rearrange the cards. I have them all on dvd, because I never know when I’m going to need a Die Hard marathon.

[@WastedPo]

It's really fun to see you so enthusiastic about Bruce Willis in this movie. He is good, but the weird thing is, a lot of us who grew up with this movie just kind of took it for granted that he was John McClane without giving a second thought about the talent involved. In a way, with you now being able to approach his films with 'fresh eyes," you're able to appreciate Willis' range and filmography more than people who've known these movies for years.

[@cikame]

This movie continues to blow me away with its genius, every time i watch a review or other video about the movie i keep finding out more and more of the brilliant decisions that went into making it, the people behind it really were absolute masters at the top of their game, even the soundtrack is deceptive in how well thought out and incredibly clever it is.

[@mikesanders5433]

Man I feel old when the younger generation are now watching Christmas classics like Die Hard for the first time. Nice reaction James glad you enjoyed it 🙂 The second and third in the series are a much watch too, after that they (the movies) went on the decline although I don’t mind the fourth.

[@robertt9825]

By the way, you mentioned argyle breaking him down as a person. He says he was a taxi driver who's now a limo driver. It's a trope of taxi drivers to be quasi-therapists for their clients. The fact even that is set up is so good

[@christophereggers5519]

“Last man Standing” is another absolutely fantastic Bruce Willis movie.

[@Valp85]

aka Prohibition Era-Yojimbo. Probably my favorite version of Kurosawa's movie

[@courtneyvaldez7903]

Rickman should've been an Oscar nom for this. One of the greatest screen villains ever.

[@007wars6]

Dude… a true masterpiece right here. Also, it’s a Christmas movie and nobody can convince me otherwise lol

[@JamesVSCinema]

I think many are on your side hahaha

[@MrWizeazz]

About the shot of Alan Rickman falling off of the building at the film’s ending- The Director told him they would drop him on the count of “3” but they actually dropped him on “2” instead to make the shot seem more realistic and shocking for the actor, hence why he looks so surprised in the shot. He was actually super pissed about it at first. And yes, this was Alan Rickman’s first credited film role.

[@jobinmcgooch]

Welcome to the party, pal. Bruce Willis did such a damn good job in this. John McClane is definitely up there as one of my favorite action heroes 🤘🏽I recommend the sequels as long as Lethal Weapon. Mel Gibson as Martin Riggs in that is tremendous.

[@CLAYnation.]

When the trailer for Die Hard came out in theaters, the crowds laughed. This was because this role for Willis was so different than what audiences were used to from him and they thought it was a joke.

[@Larooster87]

Dude coming in clutch again! Another day at the apple store and a great reaction to enjoy on my break. Stay up dude!

[@JamesVSCinema]

My man!! Enjoy the day brother!

[@garethstanden3732]

At a time when Stallone, Arnie and Van Damme were at the top of their action game, for John McTiernan (who had directed Arnie in Predator) to cast a faded sitcom actor in this role was ballsey! And it worked!!! The takeaway for me back then was seeing realistic punches and fighting for the 1st time in cinema. I'll always remember that

[@brianmurphy8811]

If you love his 'running commentary' throughout this film, seriously, just watch The Last Boyscout.

[@cuzidodgebullets6797]

One of my favorites.

[@CLAYnation.]

Surfs up, ahole.

[@cuzidodgebullets6797]

@@CLAYnation. you made me spill my warm glass of piss

[@jlero2568]

My dad showed me this movie on Friday for the first time and I absolutely loved it and now it’s #1 on my top 10 Christmas movies and my dad also told me that he went to see this in theaters when it first came out and everyone was laughing and cheering during the movie

[@transformersrevenge9]

Welcome to the party, pal!

[@JamesVSCinema]

xD

[@markabraham2367]

What makes it so good is how relatable all the characters are, including humanizing the villains. Besides Hans being Hans, the bet the two guys had about whether Takagi would give info, the guy grabbing the candy bar, etc

[@coryH420]

Die hard is a Christmas movie change my mind lol keep up all the great content James 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@JamesVSCinema]

Hahaha I agree!! 🙏🏽😂

[@rossmorton7002]

Fun fact: The role of John McClane was originally offered to Frank Sinatra. Die Hard is based on a novel, Nothing Lasts Forever, which was a sequel to another novel adapted to film back in the '70s, starring Frank Sinatra. Part of Sinatra's contract included first refusal on ant sequels made.

[@danielsmith5088]

There are multiple good movies in this franchise, mostly for the same reasons you talked about for this one. I'm not a big fan of 2 and 5 was by far the worst of the bunch, but 3 and 4 are both very good and definitely worth watching

[@butlercorp]

Have to agree with you. 3 is probably the best of the sequels. Bruce and Samuel Jackson were great in that

[@YouWillBeHappyOrElse]

@@butlercorp They played off of each other so incredibly well--and it has a moment in it that would never be in a movie these days: John calling Zeus racist.

[@MrTuubster]

It's great that Carl Winslow got his own series after this 😊

[@alwayzchillin0714]

Fun fact the look on Snapes face when Bruce drops him at the end was real as it gets, during filming they dropped him on 2 instead of 3 and got his genuine fear reaction! 😂

[@thomasperry1462]

Best Christmas movie!

[@JamesVSCinema]

Oh yeah!

[@nolanthewarrior8893]

saw this movie in the theatre when it came out and its still fun to watch today...timeless

[@Andrew_-nr7zt]

Die Hard is the best Christmas movie to ever exist 🎄🤘

[@JamesVSCinema]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@Andrew_-nr7zt]

@@JamesVSCinema James you gotta check out Don Broco and their song Bruce Willis on your time it’s something I think you would enjoy

[@ronaldkwiatkowski5067]

Her superpower is her love for Manni. Loved your reactions to one of my alltime faves. First movie to have a full dedicated drum and bass soundtrack.

[@Arrynek01]

This movie is amazing. And I absolutely love the two FBI agents. Such a shame everyone cuts them out for the youtube reaction.

[@LegoTux]

No, the other one.

[@frontprochproduction]

DH was one of the very best action movies of it's day, and an absolute BLAST to see on the big screen..! Even decades later it is still a wild, fun, crazy movie to watch. Glad you liked it... 😎

[@exquisitelemonade3039]

Surprised you've not seen this, you have to watch it about 150 times to catch up with me big man.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Im up for that challenge!

[@exquisitelemonade3039]

Not that hard really I have faith in ya 😂

[@kurtb8474]

I remember when this movie came out. Every TV host was so surprised to see Bruce Willis in an action movie. They just didn't see him as an action hero before this.

[@christophereggers5519]

If you really want to see another side of Bruce Willis watch “ Hudson Hawk.”

[@Loke6661666246]

This is one of those perfect scripts. Everything has meaning behind it.

[@blackraven85_1]

Well, Bruce was a comedian before he was in movies and funny enough everyone thought he couldn't do action movies because of it. Glad he proved critics wrong

[@miavega8888]

Before this movie Bruce was on a tv show with Cybil Shephard called "Moonlighting" he played a comedic role in this series and nailed that role too. Check it out there are epi's on YT.

[@mrbeckles1980]

Also, the cop that gets pricked by the thorn really did get pricked and that was his actual reaction. Lol

[@i_love_rescue_animals]

I'm an old lady and saw this film when it came out back in the day. I think quite a few lines from Bruce - especially the "come out to the coast... we'll have a few laughs" - were ad-libbed by him. Luckily, the director gave him a lot of license. I was obsessed with this film when it came out and saw it an embarrassing number of times in the theater. I really LOVED the late, great Alan Rickman's (Professor Snape) portrayal of the main baddy - an awesome antagonist. STILL love this movie. 🙌🏽 Love that you loved it! ❤️

[@johnmaynardable]

I always love to point out that the tall bad guy with the long blonde hair is Alexander Godunov who worked as a professional ballet dancer for years. He danced at the same time as Mikhail Baryshnikov. He was a very famous dancer. Then he started acting and I believe his first film was Witness with Harrison Ford. I love Die Hard and the sequels. The Nakatomi bldg. was being constructed in what was becoming Century City, a piece of West Los Angeles. It was called Century City because 20th Century Fox studios was right next to it, and was partly responsible for the city. The building is actually a Fox building and still stands today undamaged by those terrorists.

[@traceyreid4585]

Loved your reaction to this... and the reference to one of Al Pacino's best films, Dog Day Afternoon was perfect for the hostage helicopter request! You had fun watching on a small screen, can you imagine seeing this in the cinema to a packed house? It was amazing the amount of cheers that went up for Bruce 👏 👏 👏 👏