Krishna
First, let us get through a couple of clarifications:
- Yes, this is the first one in the series. I was curious about the strength of the Franchise that keeps going strong after all these years, and decided to see the first one that started it all.
- The rating that I give is from the perspective of someone seeing it today, which definitely would be different from one who saw it back in 1988.
The story is a thriller, and so, by definition, you stop worrying about logic. This is a Bruce Willis version of Rambo, a one man demolition army.
Bruce Willis plays John McClane, a super cop. It is fun to see a very young Willis with a full head of hair, playing a cop. What is even more surprising is seeing Alan Rickman of the latter Snape fame in Harry Potter series, playing the main villain, Hans Gruber)
You have John McClane, a New York cop, visiting his wife Holly, who has kept her maiden name Holly Gennaro due to differences with her husband. He is on vacation and his aim is trying a reconciliation with his wife. He discovers after arriving that she is in the midst of a party given by her boss in Nakatomi Corporation. (yes, the ubiquitous Japanese scare then). The gang of Hans comes in and takes over the building. The intent is to stage a mock terrorist attack but to steal $640 million worth of bearer bonds in the company’s very highly secure safe. They of course bring in the required Hollywood geek genius Theo who can break into any lock except (don’t laugh) the last one.
First of all, why does a corporation keep that much of assets uninvested in the safe in the same building as the headquarters which seems to be the same building as the living apartments of employees? (John goes there first to change and meet his wife). Even if you buy the outlandish theory, why a bearer bond which is easy to steal and cash? In case they have a need to cash in a small change of $640 m by any employee in case of an “unforeseen emergency”? This is where you just stop thinking and just follow the action.
The movie is fun, especially when Sgt Al Powell comes in as a police officer to routinely check out a possible issue in the building and becomes a strong supporter of John, via a walkie talkie, to the point where he starts giving family relationship advice. And his cartoonish boss Police Chief Dwayne Robinson who is a pig headed guy who opposes everything sensible to provide irritation value to the story. Of course he gets his just desserts when the whole case is taken over abruptly by the FBI who make further bungles. The only man who even knows what to do is John, alone and killing an entire army of terrorists.
Well, you know how it all ends already. The fun part is when you realize that the police sergeant is the same person (Reginald VelJohnson) who played dad in the Family Matters of old (ugh, Urkle series if you don’t remember the name).
The whole movie is cartoonish but the action takes you along, and until the end, you don’t find the movie going slow but it is not one of those intelligent thrillers. You keep suspending your disbelief at every stage, and feel that it may have easily turned into a parody with very few changes.
It is still OK to watch, though you don’t come out with the feeling of having watched a great thriller or a very logically entertaining movie. Almost like reading a comic book on superheroes.
For all the holes in the movie, this one gets 5/10 for sheer entertainment.
– – Krishna