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People on the internet claim that films like Lethal Weapon, Batman Returns, Die Hard 2, and others, must be a Christmas movies because they are set during the holidays. But it's the plot, not the setting, that makes a Christmas movie. And unlike those other films, the original Die Hard works because the plot makes the setting relevant.
To see how that works, imagine you're a writer pitching an idea for a Christmas movie to the Hallmark Channel. Your script is about a working class man in New York City, whose wife took a job with a prestigious company in L.A., which causes a serious rift in their relationship. He's invited to come out to the West Coast for the company's Christmas party, with both hoping they can reconcile. But he blows it early on by complaining about her using her maiden name, and he knows it.
I'm so glad I have terrorist to fight, so I don't have to think about how bad I blew it with Holly.
Soon, the antagonist, a sophisticated, though unexpected, guest (a businessman from a rival company who's planning a hostile takeover) shows up to the party and plots to take the antagonist's wife away with him. She's not interested, setting up tension during their interactions. Meanwhile, the antagonist's partners within the corporation set out to make the protagonist fail in his attempts to reconcile with his wife. Fortunately, a guardian angel of sorts is on his side to help navigate through the obstacles. And after several stumbles, the couple are reunited just in time for Christmas.
And yes, Hans is the romantic rival in the Hallmark version. And it makes sense, as in the actual film, he does plan to take Holly away from John, first by killing her in the explosion that would mask his escape, then by kidnapping her when John messes up that plan. But the respect he shows her during their interactions in the actual film could easily translate to what I described in the Hallmark version.
And let's be honest. Alan Rickman would be the PERFECT romantic rival in the Hallmark version.
As for Ellis, he has his eye on Holly in the Hallmark version, and he's one of the people within the company working with Hans to take control of the Nakatomi Corporation. Of course, Holly discovers this and Takagi (who's not dead, as this is a Hallmark version) fires him and has security escort him out of the building.
Though he does get a harsher ending in the film that was made.
Sure, the obstacles in the Hallmark version are being locked in an unfinished part of the building, or having a drunk female employee target him for a holiday quickie. But the reconciliation troupe was a Christmas movie standard, until Hallmark started making films about single women from the city finding romance when they visit their rural hometown for the holidays. Films like It's a Wonderful Life and The Bishop's Wife have couples facing a threat to their relationship, only to have an angelic figure help reunite them by the end of the movie.
And in Die Hard, even the guardian angel gets a redemption moment.
So, following the troupes of several other films, Die Hard is a homage to older Christmas movies. It just has a lot of gunfire, quotable dialog ("Yippie Ki-Yay, Motherf*cker" the most memorable), and a happy ending.
You might be wondering about how I judge Christmas horror movies, based on my analysis of Die Hard. To be honest, I feel that's a separate sub-genre, with different rules, and I'll be writing about those films next week. I promise.
So that's my take. Die Hard IS a Christmas movie. Not because it's set during the holiday season, but because the script follows a standard holiday troupe of redemption and reconciliation, while adding a high body count, lots of gunplay, and foul language that would make George Bailey pass out.
Whether you agree with me or not about it being a Christmas movie, I think we can all say Die Hard is a classic action film that deserves an annual holiday screening.
