palani
19th September 2011, 05:56 PM
http://metaphilm.com/index.php/detail/die_hard/
It’s all who you know
Knowing names moves the plot along in Die Hard. Names locate people. Argyle holds up a sign that says “McClane” so that John McClane can find him and take the limo Argyle drives to the Nakatomi building. John types the name “Gennero” into the Nakatomi computer to locate Holly on the 30th floor. When the thieves first seize the 30th floor they look for Takagi, but they only know his name, not what he looks like. He gives himself away by saying “I am Takagi.” This image of matching names to faces recurs throughout the film, typically with negative results (being identified in this case helps get Takagi killed). The name “Takagi” is also important because part of it is one of the code keys that opens the vault. John writes the names of the thieves on his arm and uses the information later in an attempt to intimidate them by broadcasting their names over the CB waves. Ellis reveals John’s full name to Hans in an attempt to locate him. This ultimately leads to Thornberg’s finding John’s children, which leads to Hans finding out Holly’s relationship to John.
As explicitly with Takagi, names also serve as codes in this film. False names conceal and obscure intentions. The thieves go by the collective name “terrorists,” which conceals their economic motives. The alias is crucial to Hans’ plans: for the vault to open, the FBI must do what they typically do “in response to a terrorist incident.” Holly goes by the name “Gennero” at first to protect her job and later to protect John and herself. John goes by the name “Roy” to conceal from the thieves his motivation to save his wife. Hans, confronted by John, dons an American accent and goes by the name “Bill Clay” to conceal his motivation to kill John and take the detonators.
Hans, playing around, drops names. He compliments Takagi’s suit, saying, “John Philips, London . . . Rumor has it Arafat buys his there.” When he says “John Philips,” Takagi shoots him a look as the score provides a quick low note, the overall effect being as if Hans has displayed some secret, dangerous knowledge about Takagi by simply saying a name.
Other names denote, in a somewhat less obvious fashion, money. The most important names in the film are revealed in its first five minutes. The key name of the film is “Bruce Willis,” a TV star vying for movie stardom, paid $5 million (an unprecedented sum at the time) for the role. “Joel Silver” denotes huge budgets; he produced a plethora of action films throughout the eighties including the Lethal Weapon series and several Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, earning him the moniker “the Selznick of Schlock.” “Twentieth Century Fox,” the very first name we see, denotes both money and the motive to make money—as it would on this film.
Overexposed
Given the value of names in the film and the power they have to give things away, the worst imaginable situation in the Die Hard universe is one in which you cannot conceal your identity. This is the threat posed in the film by television media. Not only does the media give away names, it matches them with faces.
It’s all who you know
Knowing names moves the plot along in Die Hard. Names locate people. Argyle holds up a sign that says “McClane” so that John McClane can find him and take the limo Argyle drives to the Nakatomi building. John types the name “Gennero” into the Nakatomi computer to locate Holly on the 30th floor. When the thieves first seize the 30th floor they look for Takagi, but they only know his name, not what he looks like. He gives himself away by saying “I am Takagi.” This image of matching names to faces recurs throughout the film, typically with negative results (being identified in this case helps get Takagi killed). The name “Takagi” is also important because part of it is one of the code keys that opens the vault. John writes the names of the thieves on his arm and uses the information later in an attempt to intimidate them by broadcasting their names over the CB waves. Ellis reveals John’s full name to Hans in an attempt to locate him. This ultimately leads to Thornberg’s finding John’s children, which leads to Hans finding out Holly’s relationship to John.
As explicitly with Takagi, names also serve as codes in this film. False names conceal and obscure intentions. The thieves go by the collective name “terrorists,” which conceals their economic motives. The alias is crucial to Hans’ plans: for the vault to open, the FBI must do what they typically do “in response to a terrorist incident.” Holly goes by the name “Gennero” at first to protect her job and later to protect John and herself. John goes by the name “Roy” to conceal from the thieves his motivation to save his wife. Hans, confronted by John, dons an American accent and goes by the name “Bill Clay” to conceal his motivation to kill John and take the detonators.
Hans, playing around, drops names. He compliments Takagi’s suit, saying, “John Philips, London . . . Rumor has it Arafat buys his there.” When he says “John Philips,” Takagi shoots him a look as the score provides a quick low note, the overall effect being as if Hans has displayed some secret, dangerous knowledge about Takagi by simply saying a name.
Other names denote, in a somewhat less obvious fashion, money. The most important names in the film are revealed in its first five minutes. The key name of the film is “Bruce Willis,” a TV star vying for movie stardom, paid $5 million (an unprecedented sum at the time) for the role. “Joel Silver” denotes huge budgets; he produced a plethora of action films throughout the eighties including the Lethal Weapon series and several Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, earning him the moniker “the Selznick of Schlock.” “Twentieth Century Fox,” the very first name we see, denotes both money and the motive to make money—as it would on this film.
Overexposed
Given the value of names in the film and the power they have to give things away, the worst imaginable situation in the Die Hard universe is one in which you cannot conceal your identity. This is the threat posed in the film by television media. Not only does the media give away names, it matches them with faces.