Another Christmas Eve, Another Terrorist Incident

Some links to see to first of all. Norma has the opening to her book Superhero In Training available at Wattpad, and the details can be found at her latest post. Yesterday having had been a Friday, Parsnip had a Square Dog Friday. Krisztina had some Christmas decorating ideas.

Now then, as to today. Last year I reviewed my favourite Christmas movie, Die Hard. Therefore, it was time to review the first sequel, which happens to also be set at Christmas time.

"I think Cardinal Richelieu said it best: treason is merely a matter of dates. This country's got to learn that it can't keep cutting the legs off of men like General Esperanza, men who have the guts to stand up to Communist aggression." ~ Colonel Stuart

"And lesson #1 starts with killing policemen? What's lesson #2? The neutron bomb?" ~ John McClane

"No. I think we can find something in between." ~ Colonel Stuart

"Murder on television. Helluva start to Christmas week." ~ Trudeau

"Next time you kill one of these guys, get 'em to enter the code first." ~ Leslie Barnes

"You give me this story and I'll have your baby." ~ Samantha Coleman

"Not the kind of ride I'm looking for." ~ John McClane

"McClane! I assume it's you, McClane. You're quite a little soldier. You can consider this a military funeral." ~ Colonel Stuart

"Oh, we are just up to our ass in terrorists again, John." ~ John McClane

After the success of Die Hard, it was inevitable that there would be a sequel (and three more after that at last check). Die Hard 2: Die Harder was the 1990 film directed by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger) and bringing back Bruce Willis and Bonnie Bedelia as John and Holly McClane, caught up in another terrorist incident on Christmas Eve. It is based on the novel 58 Minutes by Walter Wager, and weaves the characters created by Roderick Thorp into the narrative of that novel, which tells the story of an unseen terrorist taking control of a major airport's air traffic control system. It raises the stakes considerably from Die Hard, as sequels are often prone to do, and brings us a villain who's quite different from the first film's antagonist, but thoroughly ruthless.

Things open up in Washington on Christmas Eve, a year after the Nakatomi Tower incident. John McClane (Willis) is at Dulles Airport, having had arrived a few days ahead of his wife Holly (Bedelia) with the kids for a visit to his in-laws. He's picking up Holly, who's inbound on a plane, and the weather in the area is deteriorating as a major snowstorm is moving in. John's police instincts kick in regarding a couple of suspicious fellows, and an incident ensues in the baggage areas of the terminal. One of the men gets away, the other dies at John's hands, and John's suspicions are raised. His attempts to persuade the airport's chief of police, Carmine Lorenzo (Dennis Franz) of what might be happening go unheeded. Trudeau (Fred Dalton Thompson), the airport chief of operations, and one of his right hand men, an engineer named Leslie Barnes (Art Evans) are trying to cope with the weather and the chaos of holiday travel.

Which of course is when things go terribly wrong. McClane's suspicions are correct. Someone takes control of the airport systems remotely, including communications, declaring his intentions. An inbound military jet from South America is carrying one General Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero), who will be facing drug traffficking charges in America. He sets down conditions for the General's release and warns the control tower not to interfere in his plans for the evening, or civilian planes will pay the price. McClane recognizes the sound of his voice from a chance encounter: Colonel Stuart (William Sadler), a disgraced former Special Forces officer with ties to Esperanza. With his wife's plane among those at risk in the snowy skies over DC, McClane goes on the hunt to find a way to thwart Stuart and his men.

The screenplay by Steven DeSouza and Doug Richardson took on some of the same elements of the first film- terrorist incident on Christmas Eve, antagonism with authority figures, ruthless villains, sarcastic hero- but then took them in different directions. In setting the story back east, but in a place not particularly his own (as would have been the case if the movie had been set in New York, as it is in Wager's original novel), it puts McClane out of his element, and in a situation where the weather is as much of an antagonist as the terrorists. The antagonism with authority figures plays out very differently from the first film, which was a wise course of action. Where McClane spends most of his interaction with Lorenzo in a state of mutual dislike (at least until late in the film), things are different with Trudeau, who's pragmatic and realistic enough to listen to the concerns of an out of town detective. This is very different, of course, from the first film, where we had Paul Gleason still berating McClane at film's end, and the FBI behaving like a pack of buffoons. 

Harlin has a good touch with action, and it certainly shows in this film, and would do so again in other work. He follows McClane's path through airducts and elevators, down frozen runways and in under-construction areas of the airport. Most of the film was shot in various locations such as airbases, and Harlin helms the film in the right way, showing a skill for ferocious action both at a distance and in the immediate up close and personal. He and his crew certainly convey the sense of weather being a factor in the story- anyone familiar with the Washington area knows what a bit of snow can do to cripple the city, and Harlin keeps the snow coming throughout the film, giving us a blizzard on just the wrong night for travelers, but just the right night for the intentions of his villains. He certainly knows how to film plane crashes- we get more than one here, and the sequences are spectacular. Harlin's direction keeps the pacing of the film going nicely; there's no real slowing down here. Instead we're caught up in the sense of the clock ticking down and the dread of potentially thousands of people at risk at the whim of a very dangerous man.

The casting choices are very well made throughout. We have a couple of other holdovers from the first film. Reginald Veljohnson reprises his role as Al Powell in a cameo, speaking with McClane by phone, the two partners keeping the mood light while dealing with a troubling situation. The energy between the two is much the same as with the first film, two men who have become friends and understand each other. William Atherton returns again as the sleazy journalist Richard Thornburg, who happens to be on the same plane as Holly, and who happens to have a restraining order against her (that whole thing with her hitting him at the end of the first film damaged his ego). He's still as self absorbed, irresponsible, and sleazy as he was the first time around, still believing he's destined for great things as a reporter. We despise him, naturally, which he surely has coming. Contrast him, though, with a new reporter, Samantha Coleman (Sheila McCarthy), who's a local reporter at the terminal looking for a story. McCarthy plays her as plucky and a bit ambitious, but with integrity that is utterly lacking in Thornburg. She even proves to be helpful where McClane is concerned, and McCarthy gives her a streak of humour and humanity.

Art Evans plays Leslie Barnes, the communications engineer who seems to be the smartest guy in the room, and who's an ally to McClane. He carries himself like a competent, efficient specialist, and we get to like him. Evans plays him as sympathetic and as a man trying to find a solution to a crisis. Though he's out of his element as a man under fire, he stays calm, and that's a big contrast to the airport's head of police, as played by Dennis Franz. Lorenzo is a profane, antagonistic walking temper tantrum (come to think of it, that pretty much sums up many of the roles Franz plays). He is completely dismissive of McClane (at least until late in the game) and seems to be five minutes from a heart attack (tempers can be such a trigger for those things). He's an unpleasant sort of person... and yet when things change as the story goes along, still a man who knows what his job requires, and does it... even while being terminally pissed off. The third member of the airport authority is the always reliable Fred Dalton Thompson (reliable at least when he's not going into politics). He gives Trudeau a gruff but sympathetic portrayal, another in the list of character roles he's played, and we can believe him as a man of his position. It's a pragmatic character, a man who's in charge and yet sees the control he usually has taken from him. And Thompson also plays the shocked horror the character must feel when a harsh lesson is inflicted on the airport by the opposition.

Franco Nero is an Italian actor with most of his credits in Italian cinema, but there has been work in American films as well in his resume. His General Esperanza reminds us of various Latin American dictators, a nasty, ruthless man who feels quite like we would expect a dictator to be: arrogant and aloof. Even in a fallen state, he's a man accustomed to getting his own way, and Nero brings these qualities across in his performance. 

John Amos gets a complicated role to play as an American Special Forces commander, Major Grant, sent in with his squad to take down Stuart. He has history with the Colonel, and when we first meet him, he's thoroughly believable as a military officer, tough and brash, disgusted by the situation, initially dismissive of McClane. And yet that shifts (and shifts again as we discover new things about the Major) and Grant's purpose changes. Amos really comes across as no-nonsense, something you'd expect out of such an officer. 

Bonnie Bedelia gets to spend most of the film trapped in an airplane, having to put up with the presence nearby of a dirtbag she dislikes. She retains the attitude, the spunk, and the spirit of Holly in her performance, and when she discovers what's happening on the ground, her actions to intervene in the irresponsible self glorification of said dirtbag (hello, Mr. Thornburg) are entirely justifiable. This was her last turn as Holly, and the character is grounded in what at that point is a healthy marriage to John- the two feel believable in their conversations by phone and their reunion late in the film. I've always thought it was a shame that the later sequels ended the marriage. 

William Sadler has played a lot of character roles down through the years, but his turn as Stuart is one of his best. In the tradition of good villains, he believes what he's doing is the right and justified thing to do... even if it requires doing horrific things. For him, civilian deaths are mere collateral damage, justifiable if it means success for the mission. He's a capable leader too, clearly having the respect of his men, a driven man who happens to be ruthless in his methods. All in all, Stuart comes across as a very dangerous adversary, and all of that comes from Sadler's performance.

Willis of course is good to see back as McClane. He brings back the attitude and the sarcasm from the original film. We can feel his exhaustion as the character is placed into life threatening danger time and time again, somehow coming out despite the odds- we might wonder how he manages to get through the film without a blood transfusion. Willis plays him as very human, not terribly diplomatic, and prone to getting annoyed at a moment's notice. He can take care of himself in a fight though, and we completely get what's driving him- both his sense of duty and his worry about the safety of his wife in particular and countless others in general.

The studio really should have stopped with the second film. It's not quite as fresh as the original film, but it's a well paced, tense action thriller that increases the peril and practically turns weather into a character in a film. The sequels that followed tend to have diminishing returns, both in making McClane regress into a screwed up single guy with family and personal issues and in their story pacing (not to mention having a son grow up to become not a terribly bright Jai Courtney). Oh well, such is life. Yipekayay, and pass the eggnog. Instead of watching It's A Wonderful Life for the fiftieth time, I recommend watching Willis and Sadler bludgeon each other instead. 

Now I Have A Machine Gun. Ho Ho Ho.

Before we get things started today, some links to get to. Norma did a Snippet Sunday post at her blog. And check out our joint blog for a Snippet Sunday post. Today, however, it's time for a movie review....

Some people look to White Christmas, Miracle On 38th Street, or It’s A Wonderful Life as their ideal Christmas movie. Some watch A Christmas Story. I never have seen that one, actually. I see ads for it in the television listings each year, and that kid with the glasses staring back at me leaves me feeling like strangling him (sorry, Ralphie, but it’s true). Some must watch a Peanuts holiday special. Me? My Christmas viewings tend to go in other directions. I rather prefer something like Denis Leary breaking into a house on Christmas Eve and taking Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis hostage in The Ref. It speaks to my skewed sense of humour. But if you ask me what my favourite Christmas movie is, it must be Die Hard.

"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs..." ~ John McClane

"You have me at a loss. You know my name, but who are you? Just another American who saw too many movies as a child? Another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he's John Wayne? Rambo? Marshal Dillon?" ~ Hans Gruber

"I negotiate million dollar deals for breakfast. I can handle this Eurotrash." ~ Harry Ellis

"After all your posturing, all your little speeches, you're nothing but a common thief." ~ Holly McClane

"We are both professionals. This is personal." ~ Karl

At the time this film was released, movie heroes were all too invincible. We had Schwarzenegger taking on entire platoons of enemies seemingly without getting scratched. Stallone was doing the same in the Rambo series, making war, taking no prisoners. So this film gives us something different in the form of John McClane, a man who bleeds, suffers, and is all too human, in his first outing in what would become a series. Based on a novel by Roderick Thorpe, Die Hard adapts the book to give us a New York cop (Bruce Willis) coming into Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to see his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and their children. Holly has been out on the west coast for awhile working as an executive, and there’s friction in the marriage. John meets some of her co-workers at the Nakatomi tower, including her boss Joseph Takaki (James Shigeta), a sympathetic man, and another executive, Ellis (Hart Bochner), a sleazy coke snorting weasel. His reunion with Holly is strained and uneasy... and he’s all on his own for a few minutes when something very bad happens.

Enter the other part of the equation. Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and a team of mostly German terrorists arrive at the tower and quickly take control of the building before heading upstairs and taking hostages in the company party. McClane manages to evade them, heading away into other unoccupied parts of the tower to assess the situation, armed only with a service pistol and unfortunately leaving his shoes and socks behind. Gruber has come for a very specific reason- the millions in bonds in the corporate vault- despite his past in radical terrorist groups, he likes to think of himself as an exceptional thief. And he has no problem in showing people around him that he means business.

Thus McClane is left in the tower to deal with the crisis alone, his wife among the hostages, at odds with the terrorist group inside and the stubbornness of the deputy police chief outside (Paul Gleason), a dimwit who refuses to listen to anything McClane has to say. His chief ally outside is a sergeant, Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), a man who quickly becomes a friend. Their conversations by CB radio (this in an age before cell phones) gives the film so much of its humanity. The odds are stacked against him, and he’s up against a formidable enemy with his wits, his smart aleck mouth, and a handy way of shooting people in his favour.

Director John McTiernan took the screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven DeSouza and crafted a masterpiece action film from the results. He filmed much of the action in and around the corporate headquarters of 20^th Century Fox, creating tense and exciting setpieces along the way. Most of the action is set at night, and the story features a variety of spaces- some of the floors being unfinished, it meant the sets were in a state of uncompleted construction, whereas others featured glass cubicles, elaborate furnishings, computers, and much more. It gives a variety of situations, lighting opportunities, and scenarios for characters to interact, either as a conversation or in a running gunfight. McTiernan assembled a crew that paid attention to the details to give us a sense of tension in so many scenes, and his cinematographers always manage to let the viewer keep track of the action- there’s no sense of what we see too often today in action films- shaky cam effects or rapid edits that just grate on the nerves. We’re always aware of where we are in the story and what’s happening.

The action sequences in the film have justifiably made this one considered one of the best action thrillers ever made; they are elaborate and feel dangerous, and as such work beautifully. He also makes certain to ground the film in the performances of the actors, each of whom brings their own qualities to their roles. Lastly, among the crew, I should make mention of composer Michael Kamen, whose work could be glorious at times, but also derivative of his other works (listen to Lethal Weapon, for instance, and there are times you’re hearing elements of his score for License to Kill). Here he composes music that is as tense and nerve wracking as the film itself. He tends to weave in Beethoven’s Ode To Joy into his score in different places, giving the film a mischevious air, used most effectively when Gruber and his people breach the vault, soaring to a glorious crescendo that actually leaves you, for a moment, rooting for Hans.

It’s the actors that do such fine work creating these characters. Gleason is stubborn and inflexible as Deputy Chief Robinson, a loudmouthed blowhard who thinks he’s in charge of the situation from outside and quickly finds out that’s not the case. He’s unable to appreciate the fact that he actually has an asset inside, and spends much of the movie going out of his way to alienate the one man who can make a difference. He’s not that bright a guy- though he does have moments of comprehension, particularly when two Feds (both named Johnson, no relation) take over things and go all gung ho. William Atherton shows up as a sleazy (that’s an understatement) journalist who’ll do anything for a story, eager to get promoted to network jobs. We quickly see him for the weasel that he is. Hart Bochner is a complete sleazeball in this film (he does tend to play those roles), and he plays that element of his character to the hilt, an operator who thinks he’s a lot slicker than he actually is.

Reginald VelJohnson is a surprise in this film. As John’s primary contact on the outside, Powell is the first responder on the scene. He’s eager to get home to his wife, and he has tragedy in his professional past. He quickly strikes up a friendship by radio with McClane, and there is a tremendous warmth and sympathy in the character. The audience gets to like the man a lot.

Among the gang of terrorists, two of the supporting characters are worth a mention. We first meet them when they’re walking into the front lobby of the building. Clarence Gilyard is Theo, the American computer expert who’s good at what he does and likes to chatter. Gilyard gives him something of a manic energy with a wicked sense of humour, particularly as he uses cameras to direct an assault on the LAPD SWAT team. His counterpart is Karl (Alexander Godunov), a savage blond haired man driven by the death of his brother at McClane’s hands early in the action. Godunov was once a ballet dancer, and we see none of that grace in his performance. Instead we see a man driven by rage, a brutal and angry killer who’s willing to do whatever he must to avenge his brother. Godunov’s performance in the role is scary... it’s like a force of nature.

Bonnie Bedelia plays Holly here in the film, and it’s a complicated performance for her. She has to play on the tension with Willis- neither character is perfect, and these are very human traits they play off of. We see her anger early on, the strain that her character must feel. And as she finds herself in a crisis, held hostage, we also see another side of her, a blend of calmness under pressure and an underlying defiance. As we see the layers of the character, we get to see inner strength there.

It’s the two adversaries I must finish up with. Alan Rickman was an accomplished stage actor in Britain when this film came out, but this is the one that made his reputation on this side of the Atlantic. He plays Hans in many ways. There is the decisive leader, acting quickly and without hesitation. There is the cultured, charming man who knows the ways of the world, likes the cut of a good suit or the taste of a fine wine and understands history. And there is the utterly ruthless, driven man who has his goal in mind, is willing to do whatever he can to attain it. In his mind, he’s not the villain- he’s just a man who’s motivated to get what he wants, and unfortunately there’s someone who keeps getting in his way. In fact, one could argue that if you look at the film in a certain way, he is the protagonist, and his antagonist is this annoying cop who keeps screwing up his plans.

Bruce Willis firmly established himself in this role after television work. He’s a guy who doesn’t particularly like himself- that’s the impression he gives the character. He has an attitude, he has his flaws as a person. He’s smart though, particularly street smart. He notices things, small things that tells him a lot about a person. And in this crisis, a strange sense of humour really shows itself in the character; he really is a smartass, and that shows itself in his CB radio taunts of Hans here and there, or his defiance at the stupidity of Robinson. At the same time, Willis grounds the character in so much humanity. Much of that is related in conversations with Powell, the two men understanding each other. He regrets the state of his marriage, worries about his wife, wonders if he’ll get out of this alive. It gives the character a much more compelling angle than if it had been played as an invincible warrior archetype. John McClane bleeds, suffers, and is in mortal danger.

Die Hard has firmly established a place for itself as one of the greatest action films of all time. Its story gives us a protagonist to root for, a thrilling and taut narrative, and a villain we can’t help but like despite himself. And it’s also taken on a life of its own as a terrific Christmas film. Just not the sort of Christmas film you watch with cranky old Aunt Agnes. She tends to wag her finger at everything.