Welcome to Die Hard: All Week Long.

This week marks the fifthDie Hardflick and the return of everyman action icon, John McClane.

Die Hardis one of the great examples of cinematic classics that almost werent.

Few likely know that the screenplay for the film is closely based on the novel, Nothing Lasts Forever.

Written by Roderick Thorp, its the tale of retired NYPD cop Joe Leland.

Leland, the basis for McClane, appeared in another novel entitledThe Detective.

Thats right, Ol Blue Eyes played a version of McClane before Willis did.

Better still, Frankie was offered the starring role ofDie Hardin the 1980s.

After Sinatra wisely stepped away from the project, Fox struggled to find a new premise.

The thought of Arnold saying Yippie-ki-yay… still makes me giggle.

But Fox ultimately (and wisely) opted for a standalone film calledDie Hard.

And can you really imagine anyone else but Bruce Willis as John?

Holly GENNARO (Bonnie Bedelia) is a career woman on the rise in Nokatomis American branch.

He claims this is a political ransom for some zany Eastern European cause.

The only man who can stop them?

With the eventual help of the LAPDs one semi-smart cop, Sgt.

But nothing beats an original.

From there, every small detail has a pay off somewhere down the line.

A tricky thing about setting a film in a confined space is keeping everything visually interesting and unique.

Director John McTiernan avoids boredeom early and often by subtly introducing aspects on each floor of Nakatomi.

There is the one of all glass and pipes.

There is another floor under construction, which has beams everywhere.

These simple creative touches keep things feeling fresh and actually make the setting intimately part of the movie.

The highrise locale is great, but what really madeDie Harda classic is its three waves of narrative.

The first and most important is the way it constructs its hero.

Bruce Willis as an action star today is a no-brainer.

But once upon a time he was the romantic lead of TVsMoonlighting.

But BRUCE WILLIS?!

ABCs supposed Cary Grant?

Sure, he was not unfit, but he was just a regular schmuck with a receding hairline.

And thats the beauty of John McClane in his inception.

Hes a New York cop who has nothing but contempt for these LA phonies.

He mumbles disdain for those in the west when he sees the beach blonde bunnies at the airport.

McClane, along with his wife and Yoshinobu, is the only authentic person in this building.

Hell, even the terrorists are more likable than most of the hostages.

There is nothing extraordinary about Willis or McClane.

That relatability makes him so much more interesting than Ahnold or Sly.

When he is fighting for his life against the terrorists, its not a foregone conclusion he can win.

This creates something called tension or suspense.

Theres a reason hes included inAFIs 50 Greatest Movie Villains.

Everything from the cartoonish German accent down on this guy reeks of malevolent fun.

Unlike his contemporary villains, Hans is just as well developed as the hero.

He listens to Beethovens 9thSymphony as he cracks the safe.

He surrounds himself with competent professionals who are there for the money and not bloodlust.

Hans views McClane as a dumb American cowboy and constantly compares him to John Wayne.

I was always partial to Roy Rogers, McClane counters.

Hence his famous yippie line.

They are such a joy to watch that arguably the movies best scene is when they finally meet.

Seeming to lull McClane into trusting him, he nearly kills our hero with the ruse.

These kind of mind games would make Rambos head hurt, but they makeDie Harda rollercoaster.

Sure, a few hostages die (wholl really miss Ellis?

), but at least John and Holly can work things out.

The more terrorists McClane takes out, the more Holly realizes why she loved him in the first place.

Hes still alive, she says.

When a friend asks how she can know, Holly responds, Only John can drive somebody that crazy.

There is a fair feminist reading of this movie that argues its very regressive.

John travels to LA because his wife and kids have left him behind in New York.

By giving up the name McClane, Holly creates a dangerous situation by choosing a career over her man.

However, I would suggest she is depicted as equally strong willed and street smart as her husband.

She also can stand up to Gruber when she calls him a common thief.

Overall, these many elements combine to make a crackerjack action movie.

Again, there is no line in the screenplay or pacing beat that is left unresolved.

At the films end, every side character, including Sgt.

Al and Argyle, gets to take down a terrorist and go through a mini character arc.

He literally walks on broken glass and jumps off a skyscraper for her.

His victory feels hard won and not preordained.

Hell, it even feels a little bit festive when Let it Snow plays in this final scene.

Den of Geek Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars