Die Hard is the gold standard to which all other action films will forever be compared. A perfect film in virtually every aspect, from John McTiernan's direction, to Jan DeBont's cinematography, to Michael Kamen's score, to every actor's performance across the board: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Reginald Veljohnson, ...and especially Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber.
This film was the turning point in modern action films - the moment when they moved from the unstoppable one-man army of Rambo,…