A couple of things I love about Die Hard, _the_ Christmas movie of all Christmas movies:

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1. What could be more American than how we keep on getting the plot wrong? Ask someone what it's about and they'll say "Bruce Willis kills terrorists in an office building." But they're not terrorists, and the movie makes that clear repeatedly! We get it wrong anyway.

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2. They're a robbery crew! It doesn't bore us with details about geopolitics or causes of violence. Nakatomi Plaza has $600 million, 13 assholes want it, 1 cop is caught in the way, bang, there's your plot, the rest of it writes itself. It's writing perfection!

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3. In "benefits of a classical education" Gruber quotes Plutarch about Alexander. But he gets the quote totally wrong. The screenwriters thought it would be a clue Gruber was only feigning being high-class. But since it's Alan Rickman, you buy it anyway: Gruber is elegant!

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4. Unlike in other installments, McClane can't save everyone! Hostages get murdered. Takagi and Ellis both die, one with McClane close enough to see the blood spray and the other with McClane listening on the radio. McClane being present is no guarantee anyone will live!

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5. Unlike in other installments, one of McClane's secret weapons is his ability to make people so angry they make stupid decisions. This happens *repeatedly*, whether it's "now I have a machinegun, ho ho ho!" or "that man looks *really* *pissed*". He's weaponized trolling!

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6. Finally, at the end, what do you have? A whole lot of families reunited with their loved ones and able to go home for the holidays... John and Holly being just one family among many. It's not about *their* being able to be together for the holidays. It's about *everyone*.

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Anyway. I'm off to watch Hans Gruber fall off Nakatomi Plaza. Merry Christmas, everyone, and yippie kai yay, motherf*ckers!

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