Film Analysis: Die Hard - Essay Example

A group of European terrorists, led by German mastermind Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), infiltrate the building and take the employees hostage. Yet they are not truly terrorists—they are merely pretending to be so as to disguise their true intention, which is to steal $650 million from the company’s highly-guarded vault. As the terrorists put their plot into motion, McClane struggles to bring them down before they can succeed with their nefarious plans. McClane begins to wreak havoc on the terrorists, killing several and stealing their weapons and the detonators for their bombs. As Gruber and his men try to figure out what is going on, McClane listens to their conversations, gathering information about their plans. In the meantime, Takagi and Ellis are killed, and McClane despairs over the fact that he could do nothing to save either man. He manages to contact the police and finds an ally Sergeant Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), with whom he passes along information and forms a friendly bond.

McClane pits himself directly against Gruber, challenging him on the radio and trying to bait Gruber into giving up more information. McClane’s cocky persona irritates Gruber, who calls him a typical “American cowboy.” Gruber, while undoubtedly intelligent (citing his “classical education” at one point), nonetheless demonstrates a disdain for Americans that, in the end, contributes to his own destruction, as he continually underestimates McClane’s ability to interfere with his plans. For instance, in one scene, Gruber is cornered by McClane on the roof of the building and immediately pretends to be an escaped hostage, adopting a flawless American accent in an effort to fool his adversary. Gruber’s facial expressions in these scenes are coldly calculating as he examines his enemy and looks for an opportunity to destroy him. When McClane hands Gruber a gun for protection, Gruber turns the gun on McClane, only to find that the savvy cop had taken the bullets out prior to handing over the weapon.

The cat-and-mouse conflict between McClane and Gruber comes to a head in the final act of the film. After breaking into the vault, Gruber is stopped from leaving by a machine gun-wielding McClane. Gruber retaliates by placing a gun on Holly’s head, threatening to shoot her if McClane does not drop the weapon, which he does. Gruber once again refers to McClane as a cowboy, confusing John Wayne with Gary Cooper, which makes McClane burst into laughter. Gruber, who feels confident in his victory, joins him in laughing, but McClane has one final surprise—he has taped another gun to his back, which he uses to kill Gruber’s remaining cohort. McClane shoots Gruber, who tumbles out of a broken window, dragging Holly with him. McClane releases the catch on Holly’s watch, which sends Gruber falling to his death thirty stories below.

There is a false ending to the film before the true resolution. As McClane embraces Powell and introduces him to Holly, Gruber’s henchman, Karl (Alexander Godunov), emerges and attempts to kill McClane. Powell (who had earlier explained to McClane that he had taken a desk job because he had mistakenly shot a kid while on the beat) overcomes his regrets long enough to draw his weapon and kill Karl before he can harm McClane, finally bringing him a sense of redemption. At this point, the film comes to its true close as McClane and Holly, happily reunited, jump into a limousine to go home to their children while “Let It Snow” plays in the background.