On July 22nd, 1988, Die Hard was released in theaters for all to see. A film considered by many to be a classic, it stars Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, and Alan Rickman. The film centers around the story of John McClane (Willis), a police officer from New York, who is visiting his family in Los Angeles. McClane visits the Nakatomi Plaza when he is caught up in a scheme involving grand theft and large amounts of blood loss. Through a series of strategic moves and murder, the film’s main antagonist Hans Gruber (Rickman) takes control of the Plaza.

Through an equally bloody series of poor descisions the film’s protagonist John overcomes the villainous forces and saves the day. The film is often at the center of a popular Christmas debate between two parties. Those who believe the film is a Christmas movie and others who do not.

The film’s setting is characteristically Christmas and the film features references of the holiday throughout the run time as well. However, the film also exhibits an arguable lack of Christmas cheer with graphic depictions of murder and violence. The film’s protagonist also lacks a traditional Christmas movie character arc. John McClane starts the film as a sarcastic police officer and ends the film the same way. This lack of growth contrasts with a traditional Christmas protagonist arc.

A perfect example of a Christmas arc would be the holiday classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The protagonist, the Grinch, starts the story as an unlikeable character who is devoid of community. Throughout the events of the story though, the Grinch has a change of heart and grows to embrace the holiday and his community.

John McClane as previously stated, doesn’t really experience a festive character arc. While it can be argued that John’s marriage is saved through the trauma bond he and his wife go through, this doesn’t mean that the character has a redeemable character arc. It can be argued that the film’s nature as an R-rated summer blockbuster, completely disqualifies Die Hard as being a Christmas movie overall. Although it’s not a Christmas movie, it is still an excellent film.