Maaaaan, it never ceases to surprise me how far people go to identify with media that works. Whether it’s left-wing people wanting to see an anti-capitalist screed in Die Hard, of all things, or conservatives going “keep politics out of Star Trek”.
Like, I know this… but I keep forgetting this.
And to be clear, I’m not insulting you, I get the impulse. But it’s a thing and once you work your way past it yourself it stands out a lot.
So, just to confirm. John’s very first interaction with the Nakatomi building is being confused by a touchscreen as part of finding out that * gasp * Hollie is listed with her maiden name. He then proceeds to get upstairs when he’s shocked that * gasp * some man smacks a kiss on his cheek. He experiences the casual sex and drug use of the yuppies and then meets with Hollie… at which point he, despite himself, proceeds to berate her for not using his name.
That’s not a critique of capitalism somehow being anti-family, that’s… you know… old man being appalled at the things modern kids do, just now transposed to a husband feeling lost because his wife makes more money than he does and is not that into him anymore as a result.
The entire setup is built on the insecurities of mid-80s blue collar men feeling left behind by modernity. It’s a catalogue of every excuse modern newspapers make for MAGA people.
Also, the two wholesome black friends are a stoner limo driver that exists mostly to prove that John is too blue collar to take advantage of the yuppie affectations and a cop whose entire story arc is that he shot an unarmed child but should get over it and go back to shooting bad guys instead of scoffing donuts.
Hell, Die Hard is my go-to example of how US conservatives manage to be exceedingly pro-cop but simultaneously convinced that the state is a bunch of incompetent fools. John and Al are impossibly competent. Salt of the Earth, see what’s going on immediately, fully developed humans.
Anybody else? Either an uninterested bureaucrat (the ladies handling the 911 calls) or an incompetent, arrogant idiot (literally every other cop and FBI agent). The cops also manage to be doomed by their bureaucratic nature despite being callous about human life, which is amazing. They are just ok with losing a bunch of the hostages, but because somehow they’re too by-the-book, the bad guys are able to factor them into their plan and trick them into opening the vault for them.
I just… it’s a deliciously jingoistic, reactionary, sexist movie. There is no possible counterargument to it. And yet it’s a) a magnificent film, just sheer, pure craft on screen, zero flaws, and b) still being semi-deliberately misunderstood because people have a hard time accepting a fantastic movie that disagrees with them politically so fundamentally.
Oh, also, you’re misremembering. John has zero issues with Takagi. Takagi is cool. He looks down on Ellis in front of John, which makes the two of them share a moment, and his refusal to give in to the threats is presented as a dignified act despite getting him killed. Meanwhile Ellis is presented as an idiot who is too dumb to figure out he’s about to get shot. Die Hard hates yuppies, sure… but it doesn’t hate capitalists.
…
Maaaaan, it never ceases to surprise me how far people go to identify with media that works. Whether it’s left-wing people wanting to see an anti-capitalist screed in Die Hard, of all things, or conservatives going “keep politics out of Star Trek”.
Like, I know this… but I keep forgetting this.
And to be clear, I’m not insulting you, I get the impulse. But it’s a thing and once you work your way past it yourself it stands out a lot.
So, just to confirm. John’s very first interaction with the Nakatomi building is being confused by a touchscreen as part of finding out that * gasp * Hollie is listed with her maiden name. He then proceeds to get upstairs when he’s shocked that * gasp * some man smacks a kiss on his cheek. He experiences the casual sex and drug use of the yuppies and then meets with Hollie… at which point he, despite himself, proceeds to berate her for not using his name.
That’s not a critique of capitalism somehow being anti-family, that’s… you know… old man being appalled at the things modern kids do, just now transposed to a husband feeling lost because his wife makes more money than he does and is not that into him anymore as a result.
The entire setup is built on the insecurities of mid-80s blue collar men feeling left behind by modernity. It’s a catalogue of every excuse modern newspapers make for MAGA people.
Also, the two wholesome black friends are a stoner limo driver that exists mostly to prove that John is too blue collar to take advantage of the yuppie affectations and a cop whose entire story arc is that he shot an unarmed child but should get over it and go back to shooting bad guys instead of scoffing donuts.
Hell, Die Hard is my go-to example of how US conservatives manage to be exceedingly pro-cop but simultaneously convinced that the state is a bunch of incompetent fools. John and Al are impossibly competent. Salt of the Earth, see what’s going on immediately, fully developed humans.
Anybody else? Either an uninterested bureaucrat (the ladies handling the 911 calls) or an incompetent, arrogant idiot (literally every other cop and FBI agent). The cops also manage to be doomed by their bureaucratic nature despite being callous about human life, which is amazing. They are just ok with losing a bunch of the hostages, but because somehow they’re too by-the-book, the bad guys are able to factor them into their plan and trick them into opening the vault for them.
I just… it’s a deliciously jingoistic, reactionary, sexist movie. There is no possible counterargument to it. And yet it’s a) a magnificent film, just sheer, pure craft on screen, zero flaws, and b) still being semi-deliberately misunderstood because people have a hard time accepting a fantastic movie that disagrees with them politically so fundamentally.
Oh, also, you’re misremembering. John has zero issues with Takagi. Takagi is cool. He looks down on Ellis in front of John, which makes the two of them share a moment, and his refusal to give in to the threats is presented as a dignified act despite getting him killed. Meanwhile Ellis is presented as an idiot who is too dumb to figure out he’s about to get shot. Die Hard hates yuppies, sure… but it doesn’t hate capitalists.