As long as movies have been made, they have been checking off multiple boxes. Casablanca is a love story set in a war film; The Godfather is a family drama in a mob film; Back to the Future is a comedy sci-fi film with a redemption story however these pale in comparison to the debate of Die Hard as an action film or a Christmas film. I’ll make the case for and against this classic film as one to watch or avoid during the holiday season.
On the surface, Die Hard is the story of a cop who finds himself trapped in a skyscraper facing off against a team of international terrorists on Christmas Eve and that synopsis is correct to a point. The hero, John McClane, is a true blue-collar hero and highly relatable. At the time, Bruce Willis was relatively unknown to larger audiences but had gained some notoriety after starring in the hit television show Moonlighting, but practically every single Hollywood tough guy initially turned down the role. Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Mel Gibson, Don Johnson, and James Caan all passed on playing McClane. Even Willis passed at one point only to accept the role once he found time in his schedule to make the film. It’s this unknown quality of Willis at the time that allows viewers, particularly male viewers, to insert themselves as John McClane and imagine they would react similarly to the tough, street smart cop as he guns down various bad guys. While it’s easy to view McClane as a hardened street cop, he’s a much more complex character than your typical run-and-shoot protagonist. We learn that he’s estranged from his wife who moved from New York City to Los Angeles to pursue a corporate executive career and took his young children along with her. When terrorists bust up the annual holiday party, his duty as a police officer and that of a husband and father become blurred as his goal is to save her and hopefully see his kids in time for Christmas.
McClane’s blue collared-ness is emphasized almost from the very beginning of the film. He’s never ridden in a limo and even opts to ride in the front seat with the driver. He’s clearly uncomfortable as he walks into Nakatomi Plaza and finds a massive Christmas party in celebration of the most successful year in the company’s history, and is even shown an opulent Rolex watch gifted to his wife from the company. John himself is half-dressed for most of the film with a muscle undershirt and no shoes while the terrorists are wearing European designer clothing. Even his wife, who by the way has a Christmas-themed name, and her co-workers misinterpret the initial motivations of the terrorists and, in the case of one coked-up co-worker, leads to deadly results. This arrogance, contrasted with John’s street smarts, further drives home the point that while he is outmatched, he is not outwitted. Then we get to the terrorists, and while their motive begins as political, it quickly turns to robbery as they are after more than $600 million in bearer bonds (for context, this is equivalent to over $1.3 billion adjusted for inflation). This turn in motive is pure greed compared to John’s pure journey to save his family. In order to save his wife, he must sacrifice the opulent gift which ultimately drops the lead terrorist, Hans, to his death.
Besides these symbolic arguments in favor of the Christmas season, both John McTiernan and Stephen E. Souza, respectively the director and screenwriter of Die Hard, have said in interviews that Die Hard was produced with Christmas in mind. McTiernan has specifically noted he wanted to create an assault on capitalism and emphasize the importance of the season while the screenwriter has directly stated that the film is in fact a Christmas movie. Souza has directly responded to tweets asking him to confirm if it is in fact a Christmas movie and even made a chart comparing Die Hard to another legendary Christmas film, White Christmas. Even Die Hard’s producer, Joel Silver, made a prediction during the film’s production that it would be remembered as a Christmas movie and there are some heavy filmmaking techniques that seem to drive home this point. In one of the film’s more subtle tricks, its soundtrack and orchestral score contain several references to Christmas style music. As John is being driven in that limo, “Christmas in Hollis” by RUN D.M.C. is playing on the stereo and other songs heard in the film included “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow”, “Jingle Bells”, “Winter Wonderland” and even Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” can be heard throughout the film. Actual jingle bells can be heard during the orchestral score as well but the best example of this is during the final confrontation when John has strapped his handgun to his back using holiday wrapping tape maybe as a nod to this prop or to drive home the point of Die Hard as a Christmas movie but I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Now, I will concede the point that it may be a reach to make these arguments but we’ve had the benefit of over 30 years of thematic and critical analysis to make these observations, so they must count for something, right? I’m sure in time, someone will make the comparison of Tommy Boy to Hamlet or Ghostbusters to the rise and fall of American capitalism. The tough point to sell is that of Al Powell’s character and his belief in John even though he has never met him. Akin to a child’s belief in Santa Claus, his action to save John and Holly is symbolic of “goodwill towards men” and the FBI agents as the interlopers who mean to derail and misinterpret the true meaning of Christmas. It’s certainly a stretch to make these points and overall, it can exhausting to defend Die Hard as a film for the holiday season. If you’re tired of trying to uphold its honor or simply want to throw a grenade in a testosterone-fueled debate, here’s the case against Die Hard as a Christmas film. While the holiday connections are present, at the end of the day, it’s still an action film with great set pieces, amazing characters with memorable performances with a wisecracking protagonist who somehow manages to defeat a superior force. From there, one could make the argument that Die Hard is more of an allegory for the Vietnam War and the Tet Offensive. Without getting outside the scope of this article, just go ahead and watch Full Metal Jacket. Once the terrorists turn into thieves, it becomes a cops and robbers film like The Great Train Robbery or Dog Day Afternoon. Pigeonholing Die Hard as a Christmas film almost does a disservice to the film’s work as an action film (and there is amazing action). Everyone can immediately conjure a scene with John shooting a terrorist or resorting to fisticuffs when his guns won’t get the job done.
While many of the filmmakers have stated that they made Die Hard with the Christmas season in mind, leading actor Bruce Willis is not on this same bandwagon. Willis’ star shot up following the release of this film. He became an action star almost overnight and was even the subject of a Comedy Central Roast in 2018 where he remarked that Die Hard “isn’t a Christmas movie, it’s a Bruce Willis movie” and while this seems like it put an end to this debate, screenwriter Stephen E. Souza noted that this was uttered during a Roast, a show where jokes and half-truths are the norm, so it’s entirely possible that Willis was joking but it’s telling that he’s one of the few people involved in the film that have spoken out against Die Hard as a Christmas classic. It’s difficult to find what his co-stars have thought but given Alan Rickman’s pleasant disposition, it’s not hard to believe that he would have enjoyed a good laugh when presented with the theory.
Whether you find it enjoyable or exhausting to watch Die Hard at Christmas time, the point is that it’s a movie that everyone can hopefully enjoy. What message or theme you want to take away from it is up to you because remember, art is subjective but the Christmas season is jolly and regardless if you want to watch White Christmas or Die Hard, the point is that you should watch a film that gives you joy so for me, I’m going to queue up a marathon of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Christmas Vacation and Die Hard with a glass of bourbon and enjoy life.
Featured Image Credit: Die Hard Screenshot
