Die Hard (1988)

November is a strange time for a movie viewer.  Halloween has passed, so it doesn't feel quite right to watch horror films.  On the other hand, it's a little to early to watch the traditional Christmas films.  What I like to do during this time is watch movies that are set during Christmas, but don't have a direct connection to the holiday season.  For me, no movie better exemplifies this idea than Die Hard.
In Die Hard, we are introduced to John McClane (Bruce Willis).  John is a hard working NYPD cop, and is visiting Los Angeles to see his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), who has signed on with the Nakatomi Corporation.  The night John arrives, Nakatomi is holding their Christmas party at Nakatomi Plaza, their new (and partially unfinished) office building.  Before John can have a proper discussion and reconcile with his wife, Nakatomi Plaza is taken over by a group of German terrorists led by the cold and calculating Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman).  Interestingly, this isn't a typical hostage situation.  Gruber and his team are really after the valuable contents of Nakatomi's vault.  When he's left separated from the hostages, John McClane does his best to stop the terrorists while the LAPD sits on their thumbs and media crews scramble to get the story.  McClane does have a little help from the outside in the form of beat cop Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), the only cop who believes John isn't a threat.  Unlike many other action films, Die Hard is smartly written, and has its share of insightful dramatic dialogue in between the explosive action (and there's certainly plenty of it!).  This is an important reason why it's such a memorable movie, and why John McClane is such a memorable character.
Die Hard was such a popular movie that it spawned multiple sequels, and is still very well liked today.  So, what is it that sets John McClane apart from so many other action heroes?  It's that he's an average person like you or me.  John McClane isn't a crack shot like Rambo, and doesn't have any superhuman abilities like the Terminator.  Even though he has an extraordinary amount of confidence, he's just as terrified of the situation as any of the hostages involved.  He can't fire a machine gun expertly, he gets injured often, and he has to do all of this without shoes!  Bruce Willis uses these elements to create a brilliantly memorable hero.  Every heroic feat John McClane achieves feels that much more dramatic and exciting for the simple fact that he is like one of us.
As good as Bruce Willis is, he would be nothing without a great villain to play against.  Thankfully, Alan Rickman brings exactly the menace required to portray Hans Gruber.  From the moment he is on screen, Hans Gruber has a commanding presence.  Even before we know his motives, we know Gruber means business, and will never take no for an answer.  Gruber is a man who wants control, and as John McClane begins to alter the situation, he begins to lose control over his own reactions.  Alan Rickman plays out these tightly wound emotions beautifully.  We get a real sense of Gruber's frustration and boiling anger underneath his cool exterior.
Is Die Hard a good movie?  Absolutely.
Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?  It's entirely up to you!