Die Hard (Re-Release)

Unspooled

Paul Scheer & Amy Nicholson

Film Reviews, Tv & Film

4.6 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2025

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Paul & Amy walk across broken glass for 1988’s definitive Bruce Willis action film Die Hard! They ask whether Hans Gruber is the true protagonist of the film, learn why Frank Sinatra was originally considered to play John McClane, and explore why this film succeeds where legions of imitators have failed. Plus: we settle the “Christmas movie” debate once and for all. You can rent Die Hard on all platforms but don't forget to check your local library or apps like Hoopla and Kanopy! You can join the Unspooled conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6 Follow Paul and Amy on Letterboxd for more of their movie hot takes! https://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/ https://letterboxd.com/theamynicholson/ Paul’s book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is out now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheer Check out more of Paul's writing on his Substack https://substack.com/@paulscheer Episodic Art by Kim Troxall: https://www.unspooledart.com/ Learn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and on Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The year is 1988.
0:02.6	And you ask for a podcast, and I give you unspooled.
0:07.8	The movie Die Hard. Hello, everyone and welcome to unspoved.
0:32.3	This is the podcast where we talk about the greatest films of all time to find out if they really deserve to be called classics.
0:40.1	Or if they are just remembered that way.
0:43.2	That voice you heard, Paul Scheer, oh, Paul, happy holidays.
0:47.2	And that voice you heard is Amy Nicholson, Amy, right back at you.
0:52.3	I'm so excited to launch into our holiday season with a movie that people debate.
0:59.4	Is it a Christmas movie?
1:00.4	We'll get into that.
1:01.7	But Die Hard is a cultural touchstone, a landmark film for so many reasons.
1:08.2	And I really want to, like, explore the could-of-beens with this movie, because there's so
1:14.5	many things that could have made this movie incredibly lame, immemorable, and a total...
1:22.9	Limping around like John McLean in a hallway with his knees busted in his feet bloody, you mean?
1:28.4	Yeah.
1:29.3	There are so many different directions here that really elevated the material.
1:34.1	I mean, like the accidental discovery that Alan Rickman could do a Californian accent.
1:40.4	But this is also a movie that was so unsure that Bruce Willis was the right guy to star in it, that Bruce Willis was the right guy to make a salary he's going to make for it, that they shot for his very first scene, the bit where he jumps off the roof with the fire hose because there was a quiet bit of thought on the set, you know, if he dies, he dies. We'll have time to replace him if it shot one.
1:59.7	We'll also talk about how this movie fits into 1988 and how it subverted every
2:05.8	trope of an action movie at this time.
2:08.4	And I think that's the reason why it truly has become a classic.
2:13.1	And I think we are due for something else like it.
	...

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