The Flickering Myth writing team count down to Christmas by discussing their favourite festive movies; next up is Helen Murdoch with Die Hard…
Over the Christmas periods our TVs are dominated by every type of film under the sun. From the epics such as The Great Escape, Titanic and The Sound of Music through to the Christmas favourites like Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and so on; but for me no Christmas is complete without watching Die Hard.
It may not be your typical Christmas movie but Die Hard has all the components of a great Christmas film. It is action packed, heartfelt, funny, violent and above all it’s entertaining. And that’s what we all want at Christmas once we’ve untangled the tree lights, spent hours wrapping presents and attempting to hoover up the glitter that will hang around until at least February.
Released in 1988, the first Die Hard film follows John McClane as he attempts to reunite with his wife over the festive period. Unfortunately his wife and all her work colleagues are held hostage in their skyscraper office by deranged “terrorist” Hans Gruber (a superbly cast Alan Rickman).
Many people forget that the first two Die Hard films take place at Christmas but it’s essential viewing in my house at least once over the Christmas period. Now what makes it stand out for me over any other Christmas film is that it doesn’t overdo the schmaltz of Christmas, it’s all about the action with the fact that it takes place at Christmas seemingly incidental. But Die Hard has everything I want in the build up to the big day. There’s the ludicrous storyline, romantic tensions, the best German accent ever displayed on film, and most importantly it’s got a happy ending that leaves us smiling rather than wiping the tears away (which happens to me at the end of Home Alone like clockwork).
Even though I have Die Hard on DVD, it’s one of those films that if I see it on TV no matter what time it’s started, or if I have stuff to do, I will settle down and watch it without fail. Christmas time has many wonderful aspects and great films are one of them. I must have seen Die Hard 20+ times over the years and I still look forward to watching it every Christmas and disappearing into John McClane’s world and waiting for all the one liners and improbable stunts to play out.
In my mind a classic Christmas film is made up of a few key components:
– A combination of drama, action, and humour.
– Some kind of Christmas related item must be featured i.e. a tree, Santa Claus etc.
– You must be left feeling heartwarmed at the end.
Die Hard has all these elements for me and I can’t help but enjoy watching it year upon year as I’m eating my body weight in chocolate and crisps. John McClane is your every man hero, and he embodies the Christmas spirit with a cheeky smile, a ripped tank top and an unfortunate lack of footwear.
Although the Die Hard franchise has gone on for far too long (I haven’t yet seen A Good Day to Die Hard but I don’t think I’m missing too much there); the first film is a classic for so many reasons. It changed the face of action films, and for me no Christmas is complete without hearing Alan Rickman say “Now I have a machine gun, ho…ho…ho”.
Helen Murdoch
Originally published December 1, 2013. Updated December 23, 2018.
