DVD REVIEW FOR "DIE HARD" (1988) (Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman) (R)
Length
Screen Format(s)
Languages
Subtitles
Sound
Sides
132 minutes
Letterbox (2.35:1)
English French
English Spanish
Dolby Digital 5.1
1
Plot: A NY cop (Willis) tries to thwart the efforts of a group of terrorists (led by Rickman) who've seized a high-rise office building and taken hostages, including his wife.
(Parental Review currently not available -- but there's plenty of lethal violence, blood and profanity to warrant the R rating)
VIDEO:
(A-) Although not as sharp as the latest theatrical releases (being more than ten years old), this release still looks good and shows plenty of detail despite featuring mostly dimly lit scenes. Some film artifacts are present (scratches and other "blips") and some pixelation is also noticeable (in some scenes more than others), but neither is distracting.
In addition, at times the film's color balance is over saturated (to heighten the visceral effect of certain scenes) but since this doesn't occur throughout the picture, one assumes it was done intentionally that way in the original theatrical release.
AUDIO:
(A+) Certainly demonstration caliber, the audio on this THX certified disc sounds great. From the fun Beethoven-inspired score to the tremendous use of sound and spatial effects, the audio track clearly enhances the action and will probably have your family members (and possibly your neighbors) asking you to turn down all of the aural mayhem.
EXTRAS:
Scene selection/Jump to any scene (with moving images).
Theatrical trailers for all three "Die Hard" films.
Slide Show -- 16 still images from the film.
Featurette -- Clips and interviews regarding the production (5+ minutes).
Cast filmographies and biographies.
COMMENTS:
The perfect action film that singlehandedly resurrected that genre and inspired countless other "rip-off" imitators (including two sequels), this is a great flick that also jump-started Bruce Willis' film career.
From the ingenious premise to the brilliant acting by Alan Rickman -- as one of cinema's best portrayed villains -- the film is a blast to watch (literally and figuratively) throughout its entire two hour plus runtime.
It's too bad the disc's supplemental materials don't equal the effort put behind the film. The slide show (of 16 still images) has an ugly, action-oriented border around the images, and the five- minute featurette isn't that noteworthy.
Being the groundbreaking action picture that it is, the film certainly deserves a running audio commentary by director John McTiernan, and also could have included a better "making of" feature as well as clips and/or notes about the film's impressive stunt work and effects.
Nonetheless, for fans of the film, action-flicks, or simply well-made thrillers, this is a must have disc that should be in every DVD collection.
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