IF DIE HARD IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE THEN SO ARE THESE... INCLUDING JAWS THE REVENGE
It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Elf, all classic Christmas films, but what about an alternative yuletide cinematic delight? Die Hard leaps from atop of the Nakatomi Plaza asperhaps the most famous example, and of course Jaws the Revenge surfaces from the depthsto lay its claim as a Christmas film.
If you are sick of the usual Christmas classics or the Hallmark or Netflix movies teeming with fake snow and even faker smiles and fun, Dean Newman explores Christmas film encounters of a different kind that have just enough dusting of Christmas – or being set during that period – to make our list.
The French Connection (1971)
Gene Hackman and future Jaws star, Roy Scheider, star in this taut cop thriller from William Friedkin. It is justifiably famous for its tense docu-drama style shooting, including that still heart in your mouth overground train and car sequence.
Many forget though that it opens with Hackman dressed as Santa and chasing a perp and him and Scheider roughing him up in an alleyway. Season’s beatings?
And as it celebrates turning 50 this year, there has never been a better time to catch The French Connection. Read our review here: Review: Roy Scheider in The French Connection — THE DAILY JAWS
Hackman would continue the Christmas theme the following year when he was climbing up a giant Christmas tree on New Year’s Eve (no, he’d not had too much to drink) trying to save himself and some passengers aboard an upturned cruise ship in The Poseidon Adventure (1972).
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Effective conspiracy thriller with Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway and Max Von Sydow that unfolds during Christmas and see’s Robert Redford’s CIA researcher on the run after his office is hit by an assassination squad. What are they after, and who can he trust? For more conspiracy Christmas fun also check out Will Smith in Enemy of the State (1998).
Condor was nominated for an Oscar for its editing, but lost out to another creature, the shark from Jaws.
Trading Places (1983)
A modern-day retelling of the prince and the paper we see an investor (Dan Aykroyd) and street con artist (Eddie Murphy) switch places as part of a bet by two elderly millionaires that changes the lives of the two men they are treating as pawns. When they discover the scheme,they seek revenge and hatch a plan to teach them a lesson that they’ll never forget.
Aykroyd and Murphy are both brilliant, as is the support of Denholm Elliott (Brody in Raiders of the Lost Ark) and Jamie Lee Curtis, in this classic comedy, that almost feels like something from the 1940s, which is directed by John Landis.
Did you know that Landis was on the Jaws set when the pier incident sequence was being filmed? Behind The Screams: The Jaws Pier Incident — THE DAILY JAWS
Rocky IV (1985)
It’s a film about loss and family years before The Fast And The Furious franchise was claiming it all for itself. After the death of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) Rocky Balboa heads to Russia to fight the man who killed him in the ring, Ivan Drago.
The fight takes place on Christmas Day, and we get some lovely snow-based training sequences with a bearded Rocky played by Sylvester Stallone, who was also on script and director duties. It’s like a series of music videos but has some great montages and Stallone has just released a directors cut, which is bad news if you are a fan of Paulie’s robot.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Action, quips, violence and all a year before Bruce Willis in his white vest and bloodied feet. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover blast their way into our hearts in the first and best of the Lethal series, which opens with Jingle Bell Rock, sees a drugs bust in a Christmas tree lot and even has a suicidal Martin Riggs (Gibson) contemplate shooting himself in a deftly juxtaposed scene opposite a Bugs Bunny Christmas Carol cartoon.
Is Danny Glover’s Roger Murtaugh his guardian angel and is this It’s A Wonderful Life with guns? No, but it’s bloody great and with its sheer number of viewings by me, I’m saying it is a better Christmas action film than Die Hard.
Writer Shane Black is a huge fan of setting his scripts during the Christmas period, also see The Nice Guys, Iron Man 3 and The Long Kiss Goodnight, the latter two which appear on this list.
The whole Lethal Weapon series of films was directed by Richard Donner, check out our tribute to the late director of The Omen, Superman and The Goonies, here: 'SUPERMAN THE MOVIE' DIRECTOR RICHARD DONNER PASSES AWAY AT 91 — THE DAILY JAWS
Jaws the Revenge (1987)
Sure, it’s mostly set in the sunny Bahamas, but we get a scene with a Christmas tree and presents and the opening scenes in Amity all have that traditional Christmas feel, even if one of the carolling scenes in juxtaposed with the death of a character by shark attack.
But it is very much a film about family and ghosts of the past (Christmas and otherwise). There’s also some romance, welding and a banana boat attack, something for everyone thenin Jaws takes a Christmas vacation.
Plus, starring the future (human) star of The Muppet’s Christmas Carol (1992) it means you can have a Michael Caine Christmas film double bill.
Read our full reasoning for why Jaws the Revenge is a Christmas film right here: Why Jaws The Revenge IS A Christmas Movie — THE DAILY JAWS
Die Hard (1988)
John McClane visits his estranged wife’s office on Christmas Eve and gets more than he bargained for in the shape of a group of terrorists headed by the wonderful and much-missed Alan Rickman. It’s more brutal and violent than you perhaps remember but is all the more glorious for it, and also has delicious streak of humour thanks to Willis who – at the time – was best known for the light-hearted TV antics of Moonlighting.
Director John McTiernan knows how to squeeze every ounce of tension to create an action film that practically created its own sub-genre of Die Hard on a… films from boat (Under Siege), bus (Speed), stadium (Sudden Death) and more besides. The score was by Michael Kamen and director of photography was Jan De Bont, both who performed the same duties on Lethal Weapon.
Home Alone essentially remade this on a smaller scale two years later, which is ironic as Bonnie Bedelia – who plays Holly – is Macaulay Culkin’s aunt. And yes, Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) is also a Christmas film then.
Batman Returns (1992)
Dubbed the bat, the cat and the penguin in the adverts, this darker follow up to Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) sees chaos explode during Christmas time in Gotham, with Michael Keaton returning in the role of the caped crusader. It also has cute penguins…with rockets.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Shane Black is back on writing duties for this Renny Harlin directed action-thriller with Geena Davies getting some fine support from Samuel L. Jackson in what is one of his favourite films. There are plenty of Christmas nods, from Davise’s character playing MrsClaus in a parade and a Christmas party to end all parties. It also has cinema’s best death by Christmas cooking utensil.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
A third Shane Black film makes the list, after a DC hero, we now get a Marvel one. Someapplaud Black’s quirky leftfield take on Robert Downey Jr’s superhero and Tony Stark, whilst others don’t take to it.
Either way it’s an interesting part 3 and does something different with the series – which it needed to do after the lacklustre Iron Man 2.
Words by Dean Newman
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