Die Hard
Dir: John McTiernan
1988
*****
John McTiernan's 1988 classic Die Hard is the original 'Man in a vest' kick-ass action movie. The difference with this film is that unlike other action movies of its kind that came before, Bruce Willis wasn't a grunting muscle-bound moron with an arsenal of machine guns and no acting abilities what so ever. He was just a nice guy, a good cop, with a sly sense of humour who subsequently kicks ass but not because he wants to (he's on vacation) but because he has to (to save his Wife, the long suffering Holly). The quintessential 80's action movie? It has tough competition but for my money this is the joint best action film of all time along with Terminator 2. I guess it depends when you were born but most people agree, this is one of the best, thanks mostly to its simplistic story. It's other big highlight is it's villain, played by the brilliant Alan Rickman, that has become something of a fan favorite. Not only is Die Hard joint best action film of all time but it is also one of the best alternative Christmas films of all time. After all, nothing projects the spirit of Christmas quite as well as throwing a baddie off a tall building.