Die Hard the movie Action Film Subtexts
Die Hard the movie - Action Film SubtextsDie Hard, the original in the series, stars Bruce Willis as John McClaine, and Bonnie Bedelia as his wife, Holly McClaine. The movie is about a group of terrorists who take over the building where Holly works in L.A., so that they can rob the company of $600 million worth of bearer bonds. Unbeknownst to them, John McClaine has just flown in from New York, where he is a cop, and has come to get her after work to spend the holidays with her and their children. The entire movie is about how he nearly single-handedly overcomes the terrorists and saves the hostages, including his wife.
The movie is full of subtexts, that add information about the characters and make them more human. We can relate to the characters because they are people like us, and we know this through the subtexts.
The first subtext that runs throughout the movie is the marriage of the McClaines. It is obvious from the beginning that they have been separated, and do not have a good marriage. He is a cop in New York, and she has taken a job in L.A., and brought the two kids with her. She is an executive for a Japanese company, and has changed her name to her maiden name, instead of her married name. Even though they are separated, it looks like Holly wants to try to work things out over the holidays. She asked him if he wanted to stay in their spare room, instead of staying at someone else's place.
Also, John seems to be a macho cop, and doesn't like that his wife has gone off to pursue her career. She is probably making more money than he is, and his pride is offended by this. Her boss has arranged for him to be picked up at the airport in a limo, and he has never ridden in a limo before. When he gets to her office, he is amazed by how fancy it is. Her co-worker shows him her new Rolex watch, and she seems embarrassed by this, because he could never afford this on a cop's salary.
At first when they see each other, you can tell that things are tense between them. They are glad to see each other, but hold back their feelings. Soon, they begin to fight. It does not seem that they will be able to work through their problems, after all.
As John battles the terrorists, it is clear that he is fighting so hard because he wants to save her. In the end, she sees how hard he wants her back, and everything turns out better than before. Their love has grown because of this predicament.
Another subtext is the fact that nearly all of the...
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