I was probably too young when I first watched “Die Hard” with my dad, but John McClane was the coolest guy I’d ever seen.

I stared, awestruck at the foul-mouthed New York cop rescuing Nakatomi Plaza from terrorists in bare feet and a wife beater shirt. When McClane wasted all of the bad guys and rode off in a limousine to the sound of “Let It Snow,” he became my childhood hero.

My parents must’ve thought it odd as their 10-year-old roamed around the house yelling, “Ho, ho, ho, now I have a machine gun,” but I didn’t care. I loved the series more with every sequel, from McClane foiling a rogue colonel in a Washington, D.C., airport, to his mad terrorist scavenger hunt around New York City — even his absurd return to action in 2007.

With McClane’s fifth hurrah, “A Good Day To Die Hard,” premiering this month, it’s well worth revisiting his legendary 25-year career of saving the day and racking up an outrageous body count.

 

“Die Hard” (1988)

Arguably the best action movie ever made, emulated by countless action movies for the past quarter-century. New York City Police Department officer McClane is at his wife’s Los Angeles office on Christmas Eve when a band of terrorists breaks up the Christmas party.

“Die Hard” has everything: the hero, the hostages, the bumbling L.A. police and FBI agents, the one likable cop with some sense (Reginald VelJohnson), and of course, the still-iconic catchphrase and too many classic one-liners to count. Not to mention one of the greatest villains of all time, mastermind Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), armed with an ingenious plan and a hulking German henchman named Karl.

The chaos unfolds in a labyrinth of deserted offices with plenty of space for the three Bs — bullets, blood and BOOM.

 

“Die Hard 2: Die Harder” (1990)

Not the series’ best but far from the worst, the sequel finds McClane two years later, again on Christmas Eve, waiting for his wife at Washington Dulles International Airport when a corrupt U.S. Army Special Forces unit commandeers it. Lots of shooting, a snowmobile chase and an exploding airplane climax later, the bad guys are a pile of smoldering rubble and McClane reunites with his wife.

A serviceable follow-up boasting more explosive mayhem without the originality or cleverness, “Die Hard 2” is an entertainingly forgettable placeholder between films Nos. 1 and 3. But it adds another layer to the “Die Hard” legacy and plenty more notches to McClane’s badass belt.

 

“Die Hard: With a Vengeance” (1995)

“The Ants Go Marching” still plays in my head whenever I think about this exhilarating, rivetingly inventive New York City-set third installment. Original director John McTiernan returns, sending McClane on a frenzied scavenger hunt through Central Park, the subway and Yankee Stadium to find a ticking bomb by solving a series of fanatical games and riddles.

The film’s comedic genius stems from the stubborn chemistry between McClane and his unlikely sidekick, racially sensitive Harlem shop owner Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson). I could watch McClane and Carver try to solve the water jug riddle for hours.

But the creative flair lies in Jeremy Irons’ deviously brilliant performance as scheming puppet master Simon Gruber (Hans’ brother), exacting carefully orchestrated revenge on the guy who dropped his brother from a 30-story window. The Joker’s opening bank robbery scene from “The Dark Knight” is a page stolen right out of Simon Gruber’s elaborate heist playbook.

 

“Live Free or Die Hard” (2007)

America’s imperfect savior came out of retirement a few years back to take on a deranged cyber terrorist (Timothy Olyphant) wreaking havoc on the country’s infrastructure. The special effects extravaganza doubles as a road trip comedy, as McClane hauls around timid hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) while hunting down the anarchistic geek squad.

McClane’s appeal as the profane everyman hero, an ultimately human — not superhuman — savior was lost in this PG-13 stunt-fest. McClane without cursing is like Tom Selleck without his mustache, and even McClane shouldn’t be able to fly a car into a helicopter.

McClane returns again this winter on a trip to Moscow to save his son, presumably from a ruthless mob of burly Russians. Check back in two weeks after our Oscars preview for a review of “A Good Day to Die Hard.”

Published on February 13, 2013 at 8:27 pm

Contact Rob: rjmarvin@syr.edu