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While Die Hard is focused on the situation of taking hostages during one of the Christmas parties, Red One tells the story of the adventures in rescuing Santa and the spirit of the holiday.
The Rock’s Red One pays tribute to Die Hard. (Photo Credits: You tube)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has stepped into the action genre with Red One, and Jake Kasdan has given the film a festive twist. The plot has Johnson playing a character who ends up collaborating with Santa Claus and an ELF commander to fight an evil witch bent on disrupting the festive season. Despite Red One’s heavy reference to Christmas, everything from Santa to magical creatures and elves, it pays homage to Bruce Willis as John McClane in the 1988 action classic Die Hard.
Although the two movies differ in mood and storytelling, they bear a Christmas setting, which has been used as a point of reference. While Die Hard is focused on the situation of taking hostages during one of the Christmas parties, Red One tells the story of the adventures in rescuing Santa and the spirit of the holiday. Despite the films existing in extremely different realities, Red One appropriately makes a nod to Die Hard’s legacy, while doing justice to the holiday season.
The tribute happens during a montage close to the climax, as J.K. Simmons’ Santa character brings gifts to children. We can see Santa moving through air ducts and sliding through the small spaces with a smile on his face. This scene can easily be compared with the famous vent scene in Die Hard that has become iconic after Willis McClane uses a lighter to find his way through the air ducts of the Nakatomi Plaza. The visual parallel is unmistakable, evoking memories of McClane’s iconic line: “Come out to the coast, have a few laughs.” The vent crawl and the floor scene from Die Hard have become iconic parts of pop culture.
This Easter egg was included, maybe because both Dwayne Johnson and director Kasdan are fans of Die Hard. Specifically, Johnson has expressed his respect for Willis and has complimented him in the media interviews. During a press event for G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013, Johnson called Willis “the ultimate man’s man”. This connection might be the reason that the Red One team included the tribute to Willis.
One more connection between Die Hard and Red One is through the cast. Simmons, appearing in Red One as Santa Claus, also acted with Bruce Willis in the film The Jackal in 1997. Meanwhile, Johnson and Willis collaborated in G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
