Die Hard

When all is said and done, this is one of the best pure action movies around. I say this in spite of certain plot idiocies inherent to the genre, at least these days. Things like the inevitable standoff with a gun to the head of someone dear to the hero, forcing him to drop his gun, the bad guy who points a gun at the hero’s head when he has absolutely nothing to gain other than giving the hero a chance to disarm him for a bloody and impossible fight, and worst of all the man who, when last seen, was dangling by the neck from a huge chain with absolutely no possibility of escape, suddenly springing to life in the last two minutes. Luckily, these howlers happen in the endgame, where they usually are as ho-hum formula takes over from smart moves. Up to then, it keeps your blood racing, and we root for the one determined man going up against not only the bad guys but the idiots on the police and FBI who are determined to get everyone killed. Oh, yes, and a TV newsman so despicable that even Faux News would fire him.