For close to 40 years, there has been debate on whether “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie or not. I am here to settle that debate. “Die Hard” is most definitely a Christmas movie.
The film takes place at an office Christmas Party on Christmas Eve at Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles. Terrorists take over the building in an attempt to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds from a locked vault, taking dozens of hostages in the process.
John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, is a detective from New York City who has come to Los Angeles for the holidays to see his children and his estranged wife, who works at Nakatomi Plaza. McClane must fight his way through wave after wave of terrorists to save his wife and the other hostages before it is too late.
Based on that short description, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who would guess you were talking about a Christmas movie. It is only after viewing that this fact becomes crystal clear.
It is easy to dismiss the idea of “Die Hard” as a Christmas movie and instead add it to the ever-growing list of Hollywood’s blockbuster action films. With explosions, gun fights and a barefoot Bruce Willis, this movie has everything executives dream of.
No magic or holiday spirit fills the hallways of Nakatomi Plaza. There is only Alan Rickman and a bomb.
At face value, “Die Hard” would not make the list of films deemed as classic holiday movies. Despite this fact, millions of people sit down and watch “Die Hard” during the holiday season.
The core of “Die Hard” is love and family. McClane fights so hard to save innocent lives and most importantly, to save his wife. This beating heart of the film is what classifies “Die Hard” as a Christmas movie.
The reason McClane is even in Los Angeles in the first place is to see his family and spend the holidays with them.
After the explosions and shootouts come to an end and the hostages make their escape, McClane and his wife are reconciled and seem to be on good terms again.
They are together as a light snow falls over Los Angeles.
How else can you explain a snowy night in southern California besides it being a Christmas miracle? A family reunited just in time to celebrate together again.
Christmas is a time to be with the ones you love and “Die Hard” is, at its core, a story of a man fighting to save and get back to his family, making it an ideal holiday watch.
“Die Hard” is a Christmas movie and it is one of the best ever made.
But of course, that’s just one man’s opinion.
Artwork courtesy of Adrienne Alls
Categories: Opinion
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