Die Hard Is a Christmas Movie Whether You Like It or Not
It’s no question that Die Hard hits all the marks of a classic action film. It has a fantastic cast, including Alan Rickman’s break-out role, a dynamite script, and non-stop bullets and explosions from start to finish. It sparked one of the most successful franchises in history and made Bruce Willis the go-to action star. At the same time, Die Hard also created a 30 year debate of whether or not it is a Christmas movie.
Although there are skeptics, if you look closely at the cinematic elements of Die Hard, it is undoubtedly a Christmas movie. The imagery, music, and themes all point to Christmas. The heart of the film is based around a family coming together for the holidays. Many have argued that Die Hard is just an action movie that happens to take place on Christmas Eve. They would be wrong. Both the screenwriter and director have clearly stated that Die Hard is most definitely a Christmas film. Today, we will jump head first into Die Hard to finally prove that it is a classic Christmas movie.
How Die Hard became an action film set on Christmas Eve
Like so many Hollywood screenplays, Die Hard is a story with vast origins that went through many changes before the final product. What many people may not know is that Die Hard was inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Originally it was to take place over three days, but director John McTiernan envisioned Die Hard as a Shakespearean tale and decided that it would take place in one night. At the same time, McTiernan was convinced that the story of evil terrorists carrying out a violent heist was missing something. That something was heart. Thus, McTiernan decided to incorporate Christmas as a major part of the film to make Die Hard what it is today.
Die Hard is filled with Christmas imagery and music
Christmas plays perfectly into the story of Die Hard. A man travels across the country to visit his family for the holidays. A group of co-workers are having a lavish Christmas party in a Los Angeles skyscraper. These are all important plot points that would not exist if it wasn’t for Christmas being the heart and soul of the film. The audience sees holiday imagery from start to finish, including a dead terrorist wearing a Santa hat, with “ho, ho, ho” written on on his chest. Just looking that the scenery, one would have to say that Die Hard is certainly a Christmas movie…with a few more bullets. Of course, you can’t have a Christmas movie without the music. Well, Die Hard has you covered. The soundtrack consists of holiday classics including remixes of Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bells, and Let It Snow, Let It Snow.
Die Hard is about family coming together for the holidays
What Die Hard has that so many other action movies lack is interesting characters dealing with complicated issues that go well beyond being held hostage by a group of terrorists. John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, is a New York City cop who travels to L.A. to visit his family on Christmas Eve. His wife, Holly Genaro, played by Bonnie Bedelia, is a successful executive who he hasn’t seen in some time. There are obviously bigger issues going on within there failing marriage. Fortunately, there’s no better way to get back the love of your life than to single handily rescue her and her entire office from a group of sadistic criminals. In the end, she falls back into the arms of her husband, and the two live happily ever after. This may be thanks to the courage and charm of John McClane, but one could also argue it is thanks to the spirit of Christmas and family coming together for the holidays.
What the actors and filmmakers have to say about the debate
Director, John McTiernan, and screenwriter, Steven E. de Souza, have both stated that Die Hard is unquestionably a Christmas movie. Who better to take the word of than these two? From the early drafts of the script, McTiernan deserves the credit for persistently incorporating Christmas motifs throughout the film to give it the charm and heart that makes Die Hard beloved by so many. De Souza has been vocal in interviews and on Twitter that Die Hard hits every mark on the list to prove that it is a Christmas film, even stating on Twitter that it is more of a Christmas movie than Winter Wonderland. Unfortunately, John McClane himself has said otherwise. At the end of his Comedy Central Roast, Bruce Willis declared in epic fashion that “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie”. Sadly, that’s all the audience got out of him on the subject.
The debate may never be officially settled. The simple fact that people still discuss the film to this day is all the proof one needs to crown Die Hard as one of the best action movies of all time. When you dive deep into the film, it’s undeniable that it wouldn’t exist without the spirit of Christmas. The best part about this Christmas movie is that it can be enjoyed all year round.
Article source: https://movieweb.com/die-hard-christmas-movie/