As much as I liked Die Hard on my first viewing, I think I really appreciated it on my second. For a premise that could have been suited a basic, beat-em-up, action feature, John McTiernan instead turns this into a great example of high stakes filmmaking. THe script is endlessly quotable, Alan Rickman plays such a memorable villain, and when it needs to be brutal, it really gets brutal. Plus, some of the best stunt choreography put to screen. Honestly, the only con to Die Hard is that Bruce Willis doesn't give a great performance in some scenes, but even then John McClane's characterisation and vulnerability in the situations that befall him is a perfect contrast to other films of the genre, raising the stakes in a perfectly tense thrill ride.

Easily one of the best action films of all time.

You can read my first review here

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