3 ms·
Excellent find. However he mischaracterizes one segment of Die Hard that would actually strengthen his thesis. The article argues that the logic of Die Hard r
by brandnewlow 17y ago
Excellent find. However he mischaracterizes one segment of Die Hard that would actually strengthen his thesis.
The article argues that the logic of Die Hard rewards those who "infest" the spaces they inhabit, traversing them creatively rather than via their intended corridors, elevators, and doorways.
He uses the L.A. SWAT team running across Nakatomi Plaza's rose garden as an example of this.
I'd counter that the SWAT team's approach was actually conventional. They try to get in through the front door, and get blown away. Had they tried to tunnel in from below, for example, in Die Hard's world they would have been more successful.
Also, his point that the subsequent Die Hard films would have been improved by holding onto the premise of exploring an architectural space rings true. Die Hard 2 tried to do this with an airport, but it was a much less interesting locale. You could debate whether or not Die Hard 3 was taking the same approach to NYC or not...
If, as he says, Die Hard is more about architecture than characters, I'd argue that the true spiritual sequel to Die Hard is Steven Seagal's Under Siege, aka, "Die Hard on a boat." Throughout the (awesome) film, Seagal travels around a navy ship in all sorts of unconventional ways, letting the viewer explore the unfamiliar space in a fashion similar to John McClane's adventure in Die Hard.
- ErrantX 17y ago> Die Hard 2 tried to do this with an airport, but it was a much less interesting locale Im not sure it is less interesting; I think mostly they used it poorly. Airports are a fascinating place and at times (i.e. when he used the storm drains to get out to the runway) I think there were examples of "Nakatomi Space". The main problem was that an Airport is a very large and very open space - they didn't use that well.