Director John McTiernan has finally ended the annual debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not, revealing the hard truth. Die Hard was just McTiernan's third film as director, following the 1987 hit action classic Predator and his debut, Nomads. He also made The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard With a Vengeance, and Last Action Hero, cementing himself as one of the top action directors of the late 1980s and 1990s. He suffered several personal and legal problems in the 2000s, spending time in jail, and hasn't made a film since Basic in 2003.
However, his legacy can't be argued with, and it is Die Hard for which he is still best known. The movie launched the long-running franchise and confirmed Bruce Willis as one of the "big three" action stars of the 80s and 90s, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. The movie, which sees Willis' working-class cop foil a terrorist plot executed during a Christmas party in Los Angeles, is now considered a classic Christmas movie by some. Others debate this, saying the film is only set at Christmas, but not actually a Christmas movie like Home Alone and Elf. The debate crops up annually, but McTiernan seems to have settled it.
The AFI released a special "behind the scenes" video featuring McTiernan talking about how Die Hard became a Christmas movie. The director goes deep in the 12-minute video, discussing art history and the concepts of authoritarianism and capitalism, but eventually reveals that yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie, despite the original intention not being that.
Other people started to catch on that this was a movie where the hero was a real human being and the people of authority, all of the important folks, were all portrayed as kind of foolish. Everybody, as they came to work on the movie, began to get that, as I said, this movie is an escapee [from the Hollywood machine], and there was a joy in it. We hadn’t intended it to be a Christmas movie but the joy that came from it is what turned it into a Christmas movie.
It's worth watching the entire video as McTiernan's explanation is long and incredibly complicated. Still, the essence is this: yes, it's a Christmas movie that is a repudiation of authoritarianism, as well as the excesses of capitalism. Most fans won't go that deep into the movie's themes and philosophy, enjoying it for the expletive-laden action romp that it is on the surface. Still, it is fascinating to know that McTiernan thought about the film's themes quite intensely.
It's probably why the movie has stood the test of time, remaining an action favorite over 30 years after its release. The video also means those who insist Die Hard is a Christmas movie can finally win the debate, citing the director's own words to any doubters. And its vindication for the makers of the A Die Hard Christmas: The Illustrated Holiday Classic, a bloody but charming storybook which turns the movie into a rhyming Christmas story. So there you have it: Die Hard is a Christmas movie. The director himself confirmed it.
Source: AFI