Here’s James Cameron being asked by Stephen Colbert what he thinks is the greatest action movie:
You mean besides mine? No, I know the answer to this. It’s Die Hard. Right? Die Hard. It’s the best one-liner, best villain death, best Christmas movie.
Cameron is an action master, and he’s not wrong; he could have easily chosen one of his own movies, but humble man that he is (sarcasm), he’s opted for John McTiernan’s 1988 action masterpiece. That film set the standard for the perfect modern action movie. It spawned numerous rip-offs in the 90’s and still does today, none of which have attained the excitement of McTiernan’s original.
I’m not even going to argue about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. If it takes place at Christmas and people like watching it during the holidays, who am I to spoil the fun?
I think the rewatchability factor really comes into play when it comes to Die Hard’s legacy. It’s so clever and expertly made. The storytelling, pacing, and the way it pulls viewers in are what have kept people coming back to this film. It’s just so damn entertaining.
Yet, like many classics, the film wasn’t met with universal praise upon release. Roger Ebert famously gave it Two Stars, and reviews from Time, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune were similarly mixed. Still, there was an early sign of its lasting impact: the film earned an incredibly rare A+ CinemaScore.
Ten years ago, I compiled my own personal list of the 10 best modern-day action movies ever made, which included “Die Hard,” “T2: Judgment Day,” “The Matrix,” “The Killer,” “Aliens,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Bourne Trilogy,” “The Fugitive,” “Predator,” and “Speed.”
The rules were simple: movies released after 1980. That’s where the poll below comes in.