Representation of Masculinity in Die Hard 2 - Essay Example

? Representation of Masculinity in Die Hard 2 of Representation of Masculinity in Die Hard 2 Topic 4: Drawing on your Mulvey and Neale readings, as well as Tasker’s discussion, analyse the representation of masculinity in one of the Die Hard films. How is the McClane character represented as a site of identification? As spectacle? The extant literature in the field of films incorporates gender studies that examine the representation of masculinity or the male action hero. From this stance, studies in the film field pay specific attention to the herculean physical performances and spectacular body appearances of starring characters such as John McLane in the Die Hard series (Carroll, 2003, p. 54). However, at times, when these action heroes start going back to the action roles that brought them into the limelight, in some instances, several years down the line, scholars extend their ignorance and overlook the fundamental divinity of age as they discuss the hard bodies of these hegemonic heroes (Bould 2005, p. 39). As such, this paper intends to analyse the representation of masculinity in one of the Die Hard films, namely Die Hard 2. The analysis will be drawn by references to the works of Mulvey (1974), Neale (1983) and Tasker (2004). Masculinity as a spectacle merely depicts an idea of opinion which a filmmaker tends to deliver to the audiences. This depiction merely involves physical prowess, sexual virility and aggression (Rzepka and Horsley 2010, p. 61). These are potentially bewildering images of action heroes. With that in mind, it is interesting to note that this hegemonic ideal is not only hard to create but also implausible to maintain for the contemporary male. Therefore, the figure that depicts powerful masculinity may only exist or be embodied in legendary heroes, mythical figures and a minute number of males within a society (West and Lay 2003, p. 27). Die Hard 2 is a story revolving around a police officer who lives in New York. The movie begins when on the eve of Christmas he visits his ‘distanced’ wife, who lives in Los Angeles. Upon his arrival, he finds her and the rest of her work colleagues having a Christmas party at the building in which they work (Gates 2006 p. 35). Coincidentally, some criminals posing as political terrorists invade the building, demanding the release of war criminals who are jailed in an American penitentiary facility. John McLane works as a New York law enforcement officer. He stays far away from his wife and has some unresolved issues; it is partly due to them that he is not on good terms with his wife (Rzepka and Horsley 2010, p. 89). He is a masculine character with virile physical prowess and social dominance. Another important aspect is the high level of aggression noted among these heroes. Prior studies undertaken concerning the subject matter of Hollywood’s presentation of male genres have characterised Die Hard 2 as a male-driven action movie. The audiences of this movie will not find it difficult to spot the genre of the movie, i.e. male-driven. This is visible and prominent in the case of presentation of the lead hero as a macho man (Milestone and Meyer 2012, p. 50). This is because of his spectacular ability to wrestle his enemies, which is a trait of a hero from a movie of the male-driven genre. Indeed, extant studies and research from a feminist perspective clearly state that the physical masculinity of an action hero gives a preferential tone for the action narrative (Carroll 2003, p. 79). An analysis of Die Hard 2 highlights that movie directors focus on physicality in such action heroes as John McLane, and the way they display their bodies forms a vital ingredient of the visual effects (Gates 2006, p. 58). Several suggestions are that American action films strive, frequently at the expense of developing the narrative, to contrive situations or instances for displaying the body of an action hero. Ideally, extant literature that examines both the hegemonic male and the action hero routinely expounds on such issues as sexuality, race, class, and nationality and, above all, the body (Bould 2005, p. 59). Despite the protagonist’s ageing physical prowess, most reviewers as and critics acclaimed the Die Hard series with a great deal of passion and believable applause. This is due to his ability to withstand physical assaults with his male hard body irrespective of his age at that particular time (Berg 2002, p. 80). It should be noted that masculinity change in terms of age must take place within the franchise of the Die Hard series, given the fact that Bruce Willis premiered the first of Die Hard movies at the age of 35. Accordingly, all Die Hard movies portray the physical toughness of the leading character as opposed to his age (West and Lay 2003, p. 55). This means that, despite the point that John McLane continued to age during the augmented life span of the Die Hard franchise, his character continued to be middle-aged instead of a youthful representation of the masculinity image (Benshoff and Griffin 2011, p. 75). As stated earlier, Bruce Willis premiered the original film of Die Hard when he was 35, when he had passed the age of presenting a youthful masculinity image (Carroll 2003, p. 112). Therefore, it can be said that John McLane continues to be a tough character with a hard masculine personality, who has the ability to cope with pain, habitual brutality and repeated punishments. It is because of this reason that not only the audience accepts this ageing hero but also the critics applaud him. As mentioned before, in the beginning of the movie a gang enters the same building in which John McLane goes to talk to his wife. Movie reviewers have proposed that, due to his masculinity, John is able to overshadow and overpower more than ten men all by himself (Benshoff and Horsley 2010, p. 91). What does this imply? With reference to the hegemonic male bodies of action legends, masculinity is a sign of the ability to withstand hardships, think fast, overpower obstacles that normal humans cannot tackle and show machismo in a flamboyant manner (Bould 2005, p. 80). A closer analysis of the movie helps understand that masculinity is not only physical ability but also the possession of charisma by the protagonist. John fights till the end of the movie without losing his will power as opposed to his opponents, who lose their lives, machinery and, most importantly, money (Gates 2006, p. 66). The sheer brute power that John employs while fighting his enemies shows the recent shift from feminine action in the 1970s to the male hard body that emerged in the 1990s, particularly to gain popularity with a youthful audience (Berg 2002, p. 105). Die Hard captures the art of masculinity as John displays hard-core power that depicts the nature of men as they physically battle out of their problems. As per the analysis of Neale (1983), it can be acknowledged that common expectations of audiences from a movie of the male-driven genre was of a detective skilled in action – take James Bond, for example; however, they have rather changed now. Actors like Woody Allen have been introduced as a fresh breed of physical masculinity. Since then, cinema has portrayed men as ever-persistent characters of battle between and among the distinct layers of the male persona. Traditionally, men are the authoritative dominators of movies (Neale 1983, p. 15). Die Hard 2 came to represent the male vulnerability that every man experiences in his everyday life (Rzepka and Horsley 2010, p. 154). Thus, forced to contend with consequences of the loss of identity, men displaced the conventional gender roles of feminism with male hard body machismo that attracts most youth (Berg 2002, p. 127). In Die Hard 2, the main protagonist exhibits other characteristics closely related to masculinity by replacing other classic structures such as intellectualism, virility and strength with irrationality, insecurity and imperfection respectively (West and Lay 2003, p. 71). The presence of these replacements creates room for the expression of a model of masculinity that redefines manhood in the film field. Movie reviewers and critics portray the character of John McLane in Die Hard 2 as masculine, especially when he tampers with an airplane’s fuel tank when the enemies are about to take off (Mulvey 1975, p. 7). Other than the commonly expected traits of a macho man as a lead character of the movie, the Die Hard series replenished the cinema field with literal action, as it sought to give space and reassert control of some of the shambled (naive traits of the lead male actors) gender ideologies portrayed in the 1980s (Gates 2006, p. 82). Epitomic movies of this past decade, such as those of the Die Hard series, perfectly represent the typical blockbuster action films of the eras that bombarded the audience with images that were considered to portray the best attributes and characteristics of a correct man (Benshoff and Griffin 2011, p. 115). As a matter of course, hegemonic male actors established yet another type of masculinity of this era, which movie reviewers refer to as ultra-masculinity (Milestone and Meyer 2012, p. 76). Through the analysis of the studies, it becomes easier to understand that this type of masculinity maintained the normal attributes of the so-called authoritative male action hero, but it went farther to construct itself as godlike. Actor Bruce Willis in his Die Hard series possesses superhuman character traits that enabled him to outsmart all his enemies at each step of the game and survive every kind of crazy stunt that a normal man would never dare to dream about (Bould 2005, p. 119). In spite of the fact that the late 1980s films incorporated emotions, John McLane lacks this indifferent trait, which is nevertheless a pragmatic key attribute of ultra-masculinity (Berg 2002, p. 140). Entry of a new breed of action heroes sought to do away with this association after a long decade of men who were presented to have emotional insight. To ensure that it was followed, the film scripts meant for this new era relied heavily on the application of quick quips as well as catchphrases. This was in opposition to the drawn-out monologues of such typical films as the Allen films. The application of masculinity led to the use of phrased statements to imply a lack of words by these hard body male actors. With the aim of compensating for the main actor’s lack of words, these films relied primarily on physical action. As a result, the ideal macho man, Bruce Willis, expresses his ability physically (West and Lay 2003, p. 90). After analysing this movie thoroughly, I deduced that violence became yet another imperative attribute of masculinity in the 1980s (Carroll 2003, p. 130). It was mainly because films of 1980s portrayed cinematic heroes as brawlers. Consequently, the brawl became the means through which male protagonists expressed themselves. On the other side, the 1970s type of masculinity made lead characters define their distinct attributes; in Die Hard 2, the main character possesses ultra-masculinity and authoritative male masculinity (Tasker 2004, p. 76). The presentation of both types of masculinity represents the equal presence of power and catchphrases as well as quick quips. This dichotomy representing ultra-masculinity versus the other side of feminised masculinity has survived through and made it to the current decade’s cinematic trends. The presence of feminised masculinity portrayed by John McLane in some instances of Die Hard 2 depicts the possession of delicate and soft features that made the whole movie remain extremely popular since when it premiered. In particular, its appeal reveals the simultaneous resurgence of the male machismo that John displays (Jeffords 2004, p. 66). It can be said that Die Hard 2 gained great popularity mainly because of the presentation of John as a man of herculean physique (Gates 2006, p. 111). Today, audiences expect the starring of a strong man. A general trait expected in a lead actor is a burly and macho personality evident due to his appearance (Jeffords 2004, p. 100). At some point, John’s ageing body represents a glimpse of a narcissistic affront to, as well as an attack on, the adult ego, which in turn portrays him as an action hero who remains powerful and potent and says no to traits related to weakness and unreliability (Milestone and Meyer 2012, p. 109). This, perhaps, highlights a less realistic but helpful version of his ageing body. In conclusion, Die Hard 2, as well as the rest of the Die Hard series, epitomises ways in which Hollywood and other film industries around the world portray masculinity in the cinema field. It shows us a police officer who has troubles in his daily life and who eventually manages to redeem his personality, although only through hard labour. Masculinity is prevalent throughout the movie and the traits that embody such decisive prowess traverse the film. Thus, it can be said that the contemporary filmmaking has allowed development and introduction of newer methods for character narratives, which allows audiences to expect more traits and dimensions in the presentation of masculinity in films. Reference list Benshoff, Harry M. and Griffin, Sean 2011, America on film: Representing race, class, gender, and sexuality at the movies, Wiley Blackwell, New York. Berg, Charles R. 2002, Latino images in film: Stereotypes, subversion, and resistance, University of Texas Press, Austin, TX. Bould, Mark 2005, Film noir: From Berlin to Sin City, Wallflower Press, London. Carroll, Bret E. 2003, American masculinities: A historical encyclopedia, The Moschovitis Group, New York. Gates, Philippa 2006, Detecting men: Masculinity and the Hollywood detective film, State University of New York Press, New York. Jeffords, Susan 1994, Hard bodies: Hollywood masculinity in the Reagan era, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ. Milestone, Katie and Meyer, Anneke 2012, Gender and popular culture, Polity Press, Cambridge. Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual Pleaure and Narrative Cinema. Screen, 16(3), 6-18. Neale, S. (1983). Maculanity as Spectacle. Screen, 24(6), 2-17. Rzepka, Charlis and Horsley, Lee 2010, A companion to crime fiction, Wiley Blackwell Publishing, New York. Tasker, Yvonne (ed.) 2004, Action and adventure cinema, Routledge, London. West, Russell and Lay, Frank 2003 (eds), Subverting masculinity: Hegemonic and alternative versions of masculinity in contemporary culture, Rodopi, Amsterdam Read More