· Discussion of how the film fits Todorov’s narrative theory

Die Hard represents the class of modern action pictures, not only is it a thrill-a-minute ride, but it has one of the best film villains in recent memory, a hero everyone can relate to, dialogue that crackles with wit. There is also a lot of very impressive pyrotechnics that add to the action/adventure genre of the film.

John McClane (Bruce Willis) had intended to spend a nice, quiet Christmas with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and children, ironing out his marital problems and trying to resolve the situation that has him working in New York City as a cop while her career keeps her in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for John, a group of terrorists, led by the suave Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), has other ideas. After taking over the high rise Nakatomi Tower and holding the attendees of the Christmas party (including Holly) hostage.

With Die Hard, director John McTiernan has given us a modern action classic, a movie that doesn't slow down until the end credits. McTiernan is a master of pacing, and on those few oc

The film also fits into Todorovs narrative theory. Todorov described films as following the pattern of equilibrium, disruption and then a return to equilibrium. I don’t believe that this is true for all films but I do think Die Hard fits into this pattern. At first we have equilibrium when John meets up with Holly and everything is as normal within the Nakatomi Plaza. We immediately experience a disruption when we discover that the terrorists are plotting to take control of the building. The main body of the film is then a battle between the disruption and the return to equilibrium. We have John battling to return to equilibrium, while the terrorists battle to cause a disruption. Eventually the film returns to equilibrium, when John comes out the saviour and the terrorists do not escape with anything.

Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber redefines the action genre villain. The man's charm lies in a mixture of violence and cunning, all hidden in a gentlemanly way. Hans is intelligent, and Rickman plays the part with not only a sense of the man he's portraying, but an obvious respect for him as well. It doesn't take many minutes of screen time for us to be aware that Hans is no ordinary terrorist.

The film fits almost perfectly into Propp’s narrative theory, as it contains many of the characters that Propp had picked up o

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