Die Hard may not be your standard hacking movie, but it is the standard against which all subsequent action movies must be measured. It introduces Bruce Willis to the world as a major movie star, establishes the prototype of the wisecracking action hero in John McClane, and gives us some of the most memorable lines in movie history. While Theo is "cracking" Mr. Takagi's password and wandering through the Nakatomi Socrates BSD 9.2 OS, John McClane is showing us all what it means to be a modern action star. Yippie ki yay, melon farmers, this is Deciphering Die Hard.

(Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.)