In order to reacquaint you with the tenets of making an entertaining action blockbuster, I present to you “Die Hard,” directed by John McTiernan (1988), one of the most sensationally entertaining action movies of the past few decades.
I know you have a thick skull when it comes to your films, Michael; after all, you keep making the same amateur mistakes ad-nauseum, to the point where your very name inspires jeers and groans when it’s associated with a project. So, I’m going to break down why “Die Hard” works (as opposed to “Transformers” or “Pearl Harbor”) in very simple terms, in order to stop the seemingly inexorable plague of vomit-inducing bores you call movies.
Let’s start with something relatively easy: keep the story simple. Action movies are not the place for deep ideological pondering or convoluted narratives. They need to have a straightforward premise that allows no room for detours. “Die Hard” is about as simple as it gets: a guy trapped in a building with a bunch of terrorists has to kill them all to save his wife. Your movies are often burdened by too many sub-plots and extraneous characters. As the saying goes, keep it simple, stupid.
Next up on the list is your cast, and how to use them effectively. “Die Hard” stars Bruce Willis as New York police officer John McClane and Alan Rickman as terrorist leader Hans Gruber. While it may not seem important to hire good actors for action movies, seeing as they’re supposedly based on explosions and mass death, in actuality the opposite is true. Action movies need good characters to anchor them. Nothing Oscar-worthy is required, but the good guy needs to be somebody the audience can root for and the bad guy needs to seem like a worthy adversary.
Both of these requirements are filled admirably in the case of Willis and Rickman. Willis captures the everyman quality necessary for a good action hero, and the smooth-talking Rickman proves himself to be a cunning villain. It helps in both cases that the script gives both characters some good lines and character moments. For Willis, the early scenes where McClane is catching up with his wife (who ends up trapped in the building with him) provide a strong motivation for getting the stuffing kicked out of him. Rickman gets a juicy moment in the spotlight when Gruber is caught unaware by McClane and has to talk himself out of being killed.
Still with me, Mike? Because now comes the part where you really have to pay attention: how to properly film an action scene. The key is to keep things exciting while still making it so the audience can understand what’s going on. Fast cuts and quick camera movements are fine, but you have a tendency to film action scenes through the perspective of a Chihuahua on meth after it has downed five Red Bulls. Also, every scene doesn’t need a lens flare or gratuitous explosion. Lens flares just end up blinding viewers and explosions are like doughnuts: superficially satisfying, but too many will make you sick to your stomach.
“Die Hard” director McTiernan got the action scenes right. The camera swishes, twists and turns, but never to the point where the audience is confused. The quick cuts keep things moving along without going A.D.D. ala the Jason Bourne movies. And the three big explosions are impressive without going overboard.
I know you have the potential to make a quality action flick, Michael. “The Rock” is one of my favorite movies of all time. It has an excellent story, thrilling fight sequences and Sean Connery as the most badass retiree ever. I would love for you to replicate the awesomeness of “The Rock.” But until you get the basics right, I’m going to keep boycotting your movies. They simply aren’t worth my money.
Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Rob Ryan at Rryan@colorado.edu.