[...] BURBANKED : Leave it to my blog-pal Piper to roust me out of the too-much-working, non-blogging malaise I?ve been experiencing lately by tagging me with one of his ever-loving movie memes. What a rascal! In Lazy Eye Theatre’s 12 Movies Meme, … READ MORE [...]

And I was more or less completely bored by it!

It might have been that I watched it too late at night, in the wrong mood or whatever, but I just thought it lacked a lot of Mann’s signature style. Caan is certainly macho-cool in the movie, but there seems to be very little substance or depth to the role. I never cared much about him like I have Mann’s other protagonists. I even fell asleep a few times during the movie and realized it didn’t even bother me all that much.

[...] I’ve been tagged by The 12 Movies Meme. Published 12 days ago by Burbanked at Burbanked Leave it to my blog-pal Piper to roust me out of the too-much-working, non-blogging malaise I’ve been experiencing lately by tagging me with one of his ever-loving movie memes. What a rascal! In Lazy Eye Theatre’s … [...]

That last comment is great! I can it apply it to LW this way. Lethal Weapon is about a cop looking for a reason to live. He only has to machine gun and karate kick and punch 12 baddies to find that reason.

I’m going to close out my contribution to this discussion with the following point. Last night I watched “Road House” on cable. That’s all.

[...] Richey at Moon In The Gutter Alan Lopuszynski at Burbanked Marilyn Ferdinand at Ferdy on Films, etc. Moviezzz at The Moviezzz Blog Megan Cahalan at All I Need [...]

[...] at the Lazy Eye Theatre came up with the idea to turn this into a Meme. Piper tagged Burbanked, and Burbanked tagged me.After Diablo’s list was announced, I have to admit thinking the same thing. What [...]

Dwayne T. Robinson and the Agents Johnson are comic foils, I’ll agree. But the story is only propelled forward if McClane is forced into doing everything for himself. He doesn’t start out that way – he tries to contact the police, tries to alert someone, all to no avail. He comes to realize that the only way to save himself is to NOT depend on others, NOT trust anyone, and figure out how to survive on his own.

At the same time, the authorities also serve to play into Hans’ “terrorist” plans and follow the playbook. They do what they’re supposed to do; they follow the rules. McClane does not. Of COURSE the hero has to go it alone; that’s the hero’s journey. It may be a stereotype but it’s also very well handled in DIE HARD. The comedy of the characters you’re so easily dismissing provides a counterpoint to the action, blood, bullets, and the cruelty of the villains.

I think also that there’s meant to be a fair amount of fun played at the expense of Los Angeles, the lifestyle, the ridiculousness of it all. McClane’s a NEW YORK cop. He’s a badass, resourceful, knows how to get the job done. The LA cops and FBI guys are lazy, self-centered, egotistical, full of bluster and machismo, but it’s all an act – all of which can be said about LA. The whole story is filled with these kinds of contrasts, and every one of them pays off.

You’re right: most action movies ARE essentially silly – which is why, when a good one with tight plotting, real characters, exciting action and a fun payoff comes around, it should make its mark on the genre as DH certainly has. And although on the surface DH might seem like an unruly behemoth as you say, I’d counter that it’s actually a small story with a very simple point:

A cop who has pissed off his wife just wants to apologize – and he’s only got to kill 12 terrorists to do it.