Die Hard at 30: how it remains the quintessential American action movie

Die Hard at 30

 

Better movie: first "Die Hard" or first "Lethal Weapon"?

Tough call for me. I love 'em both, and they never get old.

 

Die Hard has the one quintessential quote that everyone remembers.

 

I'd throw Air Force One in there. It's nonstop action.

However, no SJ.comer has done one of these for it yet, so Die Hard still leads:
What if you had to cover "Die Hard" on a deadline...

 

And Christmas movie. Don’t forget Christmas movie.

 

As good as Air Force One was, it still falls under the category of movies described as "Die Hard on a (blank)," so it's still in the next tier.
That's part of what makes Die Hard so good, is that you can see its influence in an entire generation of action movies. Every movie with the lone, out of place hero fighting the bad guys in a confined space owes its existence to Die Hard. There were probably some in that genre before Die Hard, but that every one that came after is compared to it shows the standard it set.

 

I remember when they announced Willis for that movie and his $5 million payday - people were outraged - he'd never opened a movie before. That said, there is so much we take for granted now that Die Hard pioneered. A hero who actually bleeds and feels pain, a suave and charismatic villain who was kind of funny, and the "everyman" plunged into an incredible scenario.

 

I can't believe I missed that one in 2016. That is excellent.

 

Somehow I missed this thread, but the OP was an all-timer. Holy shit, that's great work.

 

Agreed, as was the thread.

 

Agreed. Even when some keyboard critics dogpiled him on stupid stuff.

The opening post was a gem, and still is. Take another bow, @daytonadan1983.