what makes "Die Hard" the GOAT action film

[Blaze500]

it seems whenever there is a vote or poll for the "greatest action movie of all time" its either Die Hard of Terminator 2


what makes Die Hard such a perfect action flick.....is it the characters, the action scenes, everything in general just works togeather

 

[Neuromancer]

I think the writing structure. Every arc was met from the main story to the side characters. Every other action film burrows from it as well.

 

[Deltron]

Because Yippy Ki Yay Motherfukker

 

[Dank Hill]

its not. T2 is the GOAT

but to answer your question, I think its because john is portrayed as always being an inch away from death. He's not just kicking down doors mowing all the bad dudes down. He has to be smart and if he slips up then its his ass.

 

[Blaze500]

I think the writing structure. Every arc was met from the main story to the side characters. Every other action film burrows from it as well.

also the setting plays a roll as well....its unique, the building is a character

 

[Neuromancer]

also the setting plays a roll as well....its unique, the building is a character

Agreed.

 

[Deltron]

but to answer your question, I think its because john is portrayed as always being an inch away from death. He's not just kicking down door mowing all the bad dudes down. He has to be smart and if he slips up then its his ass.

Pretty much this, before he became jumping offa planes and shyt.

He actually got hurt and felt pain, plus the scenes when he's talking to Powell bout his life showed he was just regular guy caught in some bullshyt

 

[Blaze500]

Pretty much this, before he became jumping offa planes and shyt.

He actually got hurt and felt pain, plus the scenes when he's talking to Powell bout his life showed he was just regular guy caught in some bullshyt

plus they didn't use that stupid cliche of making john incompetent just to create artificial hurdles like they always do

 

[JackRoss]

HEY ZEUS

 

[Real]

Not the GOAT in my book.


Hell, I even like Die Hard with a Vengeance just a tad more.

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

OH MY GOD the quarterback IS toast

 

[y que]

real stunts and explosions not dumb cgi

 

[MartyMcFly]

Because it broke the rules for the time. It's commonplace now to see a regular guy in an action movie but for that time, it wasn't. This was a guy who was just a regular cop and he wasn't musclebound like Stallone or Arnold. And it actually built character and managed to turn a hostage situation into a story about a husband trying to be a better man for his wife and its mirrored in the action. Neither he or Holly are perfect but they both deal with their crap through this situation in order to be better at the end of it. So it had a real heart and a brain behind it that a lot of action flicks at the time didn't have. John was vulnerable too, walking around in the wife beater that soon turned brown, walking with his shoes off and getting glass stuck in his feet, improvising what to do, etc.

Character matters a lot in any movie and John McClane was THAT dude

 

[kingdarius]

with a vengeance more GOAT tho

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

And also its filmed in such a way that you feel like u r in that building with him. Everything blended so well, the action, violence and music. Such a skilled job by John Mctieran, Jan Debont on dop duties, just masterful work. Mcclane being such a bad ass yet so exposed. The balance in this flick is impeccable. Excellent villain. So much to praise.