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Description
Part 5 of my childhood heroes drawing collection. Growing up in the 80s, movie action heroes were pretty much Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris. The only "normal" looking hero was Mel Gibson who had become an icon in the Mad Max films and in 1987 as Martin Riggs in "Lethal Weapon". But in 1988 a movie trailer started broadcasting on t.v. for a movie called "DIE HARD" which looked like a huge action-packed thrill ride and starring as the main hero John McClane, was what I considered to be comedic actor Bruce Willis. My parents and I were fans of the show Moonlighting and no doubt, Willis was the best part about the series but I could not fathom Willis being an action movie star. Boy was I wrong. It was because of Bruce Willis' John McClane in the first Die Hard that taught me that going against type is always the best option when casting roles. It is much more interesting that John McClane is an everyman instead of Mr. Olympia or a martial arts legend. Not only was that element what made Die Hard and John McClane so great but the movie was so well written and directed. I still consider it to be the best action movie ever made.

John McClane was the perfect hero--a man against enormous odds, doing whatever he can to save others (doing his job). He's not the perfect man for the job---he's no Rambo---he's just an ordinary guy in an extrordinary situation and this makes you not only identify with him but in many ways he's the underdog and you always want to root for the underdog. It doesn't hurt either that he's so quick witted and deliciously sarcastic. John McClane has pretty much set the standard for nearly every action hero to come after him. The best movie cop ever!

I went with the iconic moment (which may be my favorite sequence in the first film) where John McClane has leaped off of the roof of the building, just as it explodes by tying a fire hose around his waist. Hanging on the side of the building, John kicks himself off the glass with his bloody, bandaged feet and fires his baretta at the window in order to climb inside to safety. Only to have the fire hose nearly pull him out again--Die Hard! The background in this peice is of course a photograph of downtown Los Angeles.

Description
Part 5 of my childhood heroes drawing collection. Growing up in the 80s, movie action heroes were pretty much Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris. The only "normal" looking hero was Mel Gibson who had become an icon in the Mad Max films and in 1987 as Martin Riggs in "Lethal Weapon". But in 1988 a movie trailer started broadcasting on t.v. for a movie called "DIE HARD" which looked like a huge action-packed thrill ride and starring as the main hero John McClane, was what I considered to be comedic actor Bruce Willis. My parents and I were fans of the show Moonlighting and no doubt, Willis was the best part about the series but I could not fathom Willis being an action movie star. Boy was I wrong. It was because of Bruce Willis' John McClane in the first Die Hard that taught me that going against type is always the best option when casting roles. It is much more interesting that John McClane is an everyman instead of Mr. Olympia or a martial arts legend. Not only was that element what made Die Hard and John McClane so great but the movie was so well written and directed. I still consider it to be the best action movie ever made.

John McClane was the perfect hero--a man against enormous odds, doing whatever he can to save others (doing his job). He's not the perfect man for the job---he's no Rambo---he's just an ordinary guy in an extrordinary situation and this makes you not only identify with him but in many ways he's the underdog and you always want to root for the underdog. It doesn't hurt either that he's so quick witted and deliciously sarcastic. John McClane has pretty much set the standard for nearly every action hero to come after him. The best movie cop ever!

I went with the iconic moment (which may be my favorite sequence in the first film) where John McClane has leaped off of the roof of the building, just as it explodes by tying a fire hose around his waist. Hanging on the side of the building, John kicks himself off the glass with his bloody, bandaged feet and fires his baretta at the window in order to climb inside to safety. Only to have the fire hose nearly pull him out again--Die Hard! The background in this peice is of course a photograph of downtown Los Angeles.