The action landscape was certainly missing something in 1988. Sure, the first Terminator and Lethal Weapon movies had already come out and set the ball rolling. But, the genre still needed that one extra push. Something to come out of nowhere and change cinema forever.
Enter Die Hard. Directed by John McTiernan and starring then relative unknown Bruce Willis, Die Hard rapidly ascended to the top of many peoples’ 1988 Best of lists, and movie quips were no longer owned solely by Ah-nold. Instead, this Bruce guy came in and gave the art of a one-liner a true make-over by giving them, and this film as a whole, something Schwarzenegger and those around him couldn’t. He gave them a naturality.
Join me, Ammon, and Batch as we start our look at the entire Die Hard series by dissecting this first history-making film. I don’t think it’s a secret that we all love it. But how much? What books did the film base itself on? And is this REALLY the first film of the series?
We answer all these questions and more, below. So welcome yourselves to the party by downloading!
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sad to inform you that we have lost another TITAN of our film-geek world. You’d be hard pressed to find one amongst us who didn’t like, if not love, Alan Rickman for one of a dozen different fantastic performances. In a week where we had to send off David Bowie, this just seems like it adds insult to injury. Rickman was an actor that I always had an affinity for. As such, rather than be sad for the loss, here are my five favorite Alan Rickman roles, in no particular order.
Hans Gruber – Let’s get it out of the way first; Hans Gruber was metal as fuck. Die Hard is the first word in action films, due in large part to Hans “Fucking” Gruber. The man has cool steel running through his veins and the wit and cynicism of a world-class comedian. Couple that with the initial bait and switch terrorist plot and you’ve got one of the best overall villains in cinema history. Hans Gruber will always be remembered for being the fantastic bastard that he was, and Rickman made him all that he is.
The Metatron – Dogma was my introduction to the View Askewniverse and Kevin Smith’s work. As a comedy, it works well, but as a contemplative take on religion and the modern man’s (or woman’s) relationship with it Dogma is a better rounded story than most of Smith’s oeuvre. Yet, there’s really only one performance that stands out in a film full of laughs, and that is Rickman’s turn as the Metatron. We have seen the expository mentor figure in countless films but Rickman brought something more to the role, infusing it with a surprising level of hubris and warmth. At times dryly funny, at others caring and wise, Metatron is a role played mostly for laughs but somehow becomes endearing.
Alexander Dane – Those of us who know our Star Trek (I’m looking at you Lance) understand just how lovingly Galaxy Quest was made. They nailed all of the important beats to us Trekkies while also defining their own identity as a sci-fi entity. Dane, the stand-in for Leonard Nimoy, was simply brilliant in what has become an iconic movie character. The gimmicky headpiece he is forced to wear, the famous line that he essentially vomits out on command and the “true actor” persona he wears and struggles with accounts for a lot of the comedy in this movie. The funnier performances tend to not get a lot of recognition but it’s unquestionable that Galaxy Quest wouldn’t be nearly as good without Rickman’s presence.
Judge Turpin – There are some out there with an inherent aversion to musicals. I’m not one of those people, and consider this to be the last great Tim Burton film before he went off the deep end with Disney. Rickman’s menace is on full display here, playing the menacing and controlling Judge Turpin with relative ease. This, more-so than some of the other performances in this list, feels most like a perfect fit for the thespian with his singing also being pretty decent. Todd is a good musical, and Rickman is a consummate professional in it.
Professor Snape – You don’t play a character for eight years and stick the emotional landing unless you are a world-class performer. Despite my personal qualms about the second half of the Potter franchise, Snape’s arc was magical to see. I grew up with the Potter books and, to a lesser degree, the movies, so Snape has been a presence in film for me predating so many other things. While it may not be my favorite performance of his, I think it may be his career’s magnum opus.
If this is any indication we are in for a tough year. Bowie was a huge blow to many of us, detailed in Garrett’s great write-up of the man, and Rickman was an equally large presence in my world. Here is to a man whose life was dedicated to connecting with all of us, in some small way. Well, sir, you did it.
