Stirb langsam

Ein Actionfilm für diejenigen, die keine klassischen Actionfilme mögen. Muskeln wurden durch Gehirn ersetzt, Mangel an Reden durch Geschwätzigkeit, und übertriebene Ernsthaftigkeit wurde durch Witz ersetzt. John McClane schaffte es einfach, das sterbende Genre zu beleben und eine neue Welle hochentwickelter Helden auszulösen, die das Talent hatten, aus eigener Schuld in verrückte Schwierigkeiten zu geraten. So verschönerte John seine Weihnachtsferien in der gläsernen Hölle eines Wolkenkratzers, wo er es mit einer Bande germanischer Terroristen überall aufnahm, wo es möglich war: auf Treppen, in Lüftungsschächten oder Aufzugsschächten. Es war harte Arbeit und John vergoss viel Blut, aber weil Gruber entkommen konnte, konnte unser Kämpfer seinen Sieg feiern und langsam auf Weihnachten auf dem Flughafen freuen. (02.06.2016)

Die Hard is the ultimate action blockbuster. I saw it when I was just a little kid and I remember thinking how cool Bruce was. And then I didn’t watch it again until fifteen years later, forgetting quite a lot of scenes. I thought that this wouldn’t do, so I came back to this movie. When I was little, I couldn’t fully grasp my own emotions, but now I know that I fell in love with John McClane back then. (02.02.2013)

The film has an ingenious script, whose basic storyline axis has been done a thousand times, but which has never quite lived up to its quality. Then there’s McTiernan's inventive direction that has drive that is so uncompromising that he actually set the bar so high that no one (including himself) has ever surpassed it. There’s also the Christmas Eve atmosphere when it all went to shit, and Bruce Willis in the role of a lifetime as a tired and determined cop who spouts plenty of catchphrases. All of the aforementioned are the cornerstones of not only this film but of the action genre as a whole, which has never been better on screen since Die Hard. Two hours of ecstasy in the most luxurious packaging that only a dull ignoramus can't love! (24.09.2006)

What is the best thing about Die Hard? Bruce Willis! If anyone from the anonymous line of action characters appeared in the main role, it would be completely forgotten and no one could enjoy John McClane as the archetypal example of a reluctant hero. McTiernan also manages to present the action in a completely uncolored way and fearlessly builds the atmosphere of a several-story skyscraper with bloodied feet and a flood of black humor. It's just a shame about a few unforgivable and 80s humorous gaps, the rest is undeniable classic. (16.06.2007)

I was not a very big fan of the action genre in my youth, so I didn’t fully appreciate this piece, even though I enjoyed it in the cinema. Now, after a 20-year hiatus, finally with adequate picture quality (Blu-ray), I can safely say, yes, this is one of the best, if not the best action film of all time, quoted and ripped off to this day. Everything came together here under the most auspicious stars. Most of all, an absolutely top-notch script that imaginatively works on several levels, rich with great twists and turns, at times with pleasantly self-deprecating humour (Willis's and Rickman's wisecracks), apt critical observations (the tabloid media's pursuit of sensationalist reporting) and even emotions. Willis's McClane is not the prototype of a true action hero, he's more of a guy next door in appearance and sense of humour and irony, the kind you could easily go for a beer with, and that makes him believable. Rickman's villain, Hans Gruber, is in turn a brilliant figure to watch with his stoic calmness and elegant casualness that hides relentlessness and coldness underneath. The technical aspects, including the few special effects, haven't aged much (legitimate Oscar nominations) and so the only really small complaint I would have is the fact that, especially on the sharp Blu-ray image, you can clearly see when Willis is Willis and when he's being replaced by a stunt double (and there are quite a few of those scenes). But that's really just a minor quibble that doesn't diminish the quality and importance of this immortal gem. (01.08.2013)