Holiday Favorites 2012: Debbie Digs 'Die Hard'

Welcome to Holiday Favorites, a series in which Slackerwood contributors and our friends talk about the movies we watch during the holiday season, holiday-related or otherwise.

"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except ... the four assholes coming in the rear in standard two-by-two cover formation."
-- Theo, Die Hard

There are plenty of classic and modern holiday-themed movies to enjoy, but the film that immediately comes to mind when I think of Christmas Eve is 1988's Die Hard. Why is the most definitive action film of the Eighties at the top of my holiday favorites list?

The story opens on Christmas Eve, as John McClane (Bruce Willis) makes his way to Nakatomi Plaza to meet his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) at her office Christmas party. Debauchery prevails along with the festivities, including sex in a boardroom among coworkers and illicit drug use by blowhard Harry Ellis (Hart Bochner). Nakatomi Trading President Mr. Takagi (James Shigeta) pulls out all the stops for his employees and their guests.

Plenty of Christmas-related packages and messages are delivered throughout Die Hard, whether it's classic holiday tunes such as "Let It Snow" or McClane sending down a dead terrorist dressed in a Santa hat with "Now I have a machine gun -- Ho Ho Ho" written on his shirt.

Another reason to have Die Hard on the Holiday Favorites list is the inclusion of key elements of many classic Christmas stories. There's the underdog ordinary man McClane who must face adversity and dealing with family drama a la George Bailey's character in It's A Wonderful Life. Sgt. Al Powell can be likened to Santa's helper, providing support to the main hero in this story. Meanwhile there's The Grinch Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) delivering mayhem and carnage on Christmas Eve.

Watch the original trailer for Die Hard below:

Want to watch? Die Hard is available on Blu-ray and DVD, and you can rent it from all local independent and major chain video stores, including streaming via Amazon. Want to see it in the theater? Consider a screening via Tugg, who listed Die Hard on the list of Top 8 Feel-Bad Holiday Films. Leave a comment below if you are interested and we'll keep you posted if Die Hard is scheduled.