Male Representation In Die Hard

Male Representation In Die Hard (1988)

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is shown as being dangerous due to the fact he is armed with a fire arm and is capable of doing harm on others, this prop is a common portrayal of men to be dangerous in such media texts as James Bond and other action hero's. His costume also shows him as the protecter/hero of the scene as his vest colour is white which is used in media texts to represent hope framing John as the hero of the scene which is the usually the role of the hero.

However John McClane goes against stereotypes of male portrayals because the use of Mise En Scene as John's body language is crouched in a combat ready stance along with his facial features looks apprehensive as he waits for someone to enter. This goes against the typical archetype of men as he is not shown as being in control of the situation but instead he is being controlled by the situation as he hides and waits for the enemy instead of taking charge and fighting.

Low key lighting also conveys a male atmosphere as men in particular are commonly shown as mysterious as men in these action hero roles also follow the silent protagonist as they prefer action over words and when they do speak the audience and the characters hang on every word. This could also show McClaine as following the archetype of the bad boy as yes he is clearly represented as good due to the white clothing but the low key lighting paints him as a shady character conveying how he doesn't follow the conventional rule set  as shown throughout the film.



Panning shot of McClane shows suspense and danger as we watch John run from the gun shots this is typical with the once again representation of danger that John enters painting him as a dangerous individual and as the classic action hero we all know and love.

This dangerous representation of men is also backed up by the sound of Diegetic gun shots as it hits the glass windows implying a tense atmosphere along with the Non Diegetic music which is fast pace to go with the hectic atmosphere presenting the environment as more of a battle field then an office building.