If you were to ask the majority of genre junkies to name the single greatest action movie to ever come out of Hollywood, then there’s an overwhelming possibility that Die Hard would be the first name on almost everyone’s lips.
After all, John McTiernan’s classic has held that reputation since 1988 for a very good reason, delivering an undisputed all-timer that turned Bruce Willis into a megastar, set the standard for the next decade of cinematic running and gunning, pivoted the preference away from musclebound meatheads towards relatable protagonists, and wound up spawning a cavalcade of “Die Hard on [insert location/mode of transport here]” imitators.
However, things have taken a turn for the spicy on Reddit, after one hot-headed user suggested that Michael Bay’s The Rock is the superior of the two. Don’t get us wrong, Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage buddying up to infiltrate Alcatraz is awesome, but the hot take hasn’t been received too well among the action-loving community.
Is The Rock a great movie? Of course. Is it one of the modern era’s finest actioners? Without a doubt. Is it the best thing Bay has ever helmed in his career? Almost certainly. Is it as good, if not better, than Die Hard? No. Obviously, not everything has to be compared and contrasted, but the folks claiming the (phenomenal in its own right) 1996 smash hit is greater than arguably the greatest of all-time is contentious to say the least.
Each to their own, but for the majority of folks, it’s Die Hard or bust.
Published: Aug 15, 2022 02:50 am