When Ryan Parker sat down to watch Die Hard this Christmas, he created a viral masterpiece. A writer for The Hollywood Reporter, Parker decided to take it one step further and live-tweet the action on the hashtag #DieHard2017Coverage as though it were real. The result is a fascinating critique of modern newsgathering and proof that Die Hard is not just a fantastic Christmas movie but also just a damn good movie. Saddle up.

The copspeak sprinkled throughout the film lends itself to quoting.


The drama builds as just enough information leaks out to indicate a major incident.

A hint that we may have a hero on the inside…

The effect of using the breaking-news format adds a disorienting facet to the story.

At last, we meet our singlet-clad vigilante.

This is interesting. While the film gives only light weight to the double-talk demands of the hostage-takers, foreshadowing a plot twist, media must take breaking news at face value and report what they know.

Parker goes quiet when the FBI takes over, indicating the flow of information has been choked. When he returns to quoting the LAPD, the tap is back on and the information seems more detailed, and thus reliable. It’s a faithful retelling of the good cop / bumbling FBI cop paradigm in this stage of the film.

Our hero saves the day, and his hot wife.

Geronimo.

The drama over, our intrepid reporter goes in for a closer look. He doesn’t know there’s a third act.

Thanks for adding a new way to watch a classic movie, Ryan Parker. Merry Christmas!

Follow Ryan Parker on Twitter.