Cast and Crew:   John McTiernan (Director); Joel Silver (Producer); Michael Kamen (Score); Jan de Bont (Cinematographer); Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Alexander Godunov, Al “Kabong” Leong, Wilhelm von Homburg, Robert Davi, Grand L. Bush

What It’s About:  New York City police officer John McClane flys to L.A. on Christmas Eve to see his estranged wife Holly Gennaro McClane (Bonnie Bedelia) and children over the holidays.  By chance he is the only person at Gennaro’s company Christmas party not taken hostage by a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman).  Can McClane stay alive long enough to save his wife and the other hostages, and what are the terrorists really after?

Why Watch it Today?:  It’s hard to find a better action film than Die Hard, with its fun plot laden with a few twists, a great cast including many of the finest character and goon actors of the 1980s, and enough explosions and spectacular stunts to please even the Grinchiest Grinch tired of the holiday season.  Grab yourself some eggnog and Christmas cookies and be prepared to be blown away (or to quote the movie verbatim if you’re of a certain age and target demographic).

Where to Get It:  Libraries and Netflix