Die Hard
Die Hard is largely seen as one of the greatest action movies ever made. It’s not hard to see why as it completely changed the landscape of action movies which, as a genre, previously centered itself around near-superhumans played by hulking giants like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.
The end result is one of the most grounded action films of all-time. Bruce Willis’s John McClane is not indestructible; in fact, much of the film has the man tired, scared, and hurt as he maneuvers his way through a building brimming with heavily-armed terrorists.
In addition, where many action movies are not known for their performances, Die Hard dodges yet another trope by featuring a strong cast. Bruce Willis’s breakout role as John McClane, to this day, is his most memorable, and Alan Rickman will always be Hans Gruber to me (silly wizard movies be damned).
Sure, Die Hard may be less about Christmas and more about terrorism, but it takes place right around the holiday and there’s plenty of Christmas-red blood spilled. Watch with Die Hard 2 for a double bill that will make you glad that you weren’t invited to anyone’s Christmas party and don’t have anyone in your life worth flying to visit.
