Retronauts Episode 344: Die Hard

"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a podcast..."

So...Die Hard. It's an excellent movie. It's also a Christmas movie. It's okay to state these facts at the start, but it's less okay to be proud of this knowledge because everyone gets it at this point. There is nothing "irreverent" or "clever" about correctly observing that one of the most influential action films of all time takes place during Christmas (Lethal Weapon did the same thing one year earlier, for the record).

This week Jeremy and Bob and Henry Gilbert sit down to discuss the movie's many charms, point out which elements are harder to stomach in 2020, but all agree: this is a great film! They also touch upon the many Die Hard video game adaptations, most of which aren't great, but a few of which were very interesting at the time. Die Hard Trilogy is less interesting since it's just three short games stitched together, but it is also more fun than anyone on this episode is brave enough to admit. Yes, it is ugly, but the soundtrack is also a jam and a half.

Also I must once again stand up for the unrecognized work of legendary character actors: the two FBI agents named Johnson and Johnson are played by Robert Davi (yes, he was in The Goonies, but he also tried to kill James Bond in Licence to Kill) and Grant L. Bush (who was also in Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, and Licence to Kill before playing Balrog in Street Fighter). And I cannot not point out that one of Hans' hired guns in the film is none other than Al Leong. He played Genghis Khan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, the wet-sponge torture artist in Lethal Weapon, and appeared in many other quality films. Al Leong! He matters!

Description: Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, and Henry Gilbert celebrate the ho-ho-holidays at Nakatomi Plaza—a machine gun in hand, feet clenched into fists—by looking back at the film and video game legacy of John McTiernan's seasonal classic Die Hard. Hit it, Argyle!

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Artwork for this episode by Nick Wanserski and editing thanks go to Greg Leahy.