Right off the bat, without even looking at the cover of this book, you read the line “Yippee Ki-yay Motherf*cker” and your first thought is – “Bruce Willis…that you?” Okay, so it’s actually his character John McClane from the movie Die Hard, but you know who we’re talking about. So, that being said…Die Hard fans rejoice! A book dedicated to the movie, the cult classic is here!
For the newer fans of the movie, this book is definitely an ideal pick. The author, Mark Leslie, packs in a ton of information surrounding every aspect of the movie, plus some more. You get the background concerning the movie, its book origins, and all of the famous one-liners that other die-hard fans of the movie can quote to you in a heartbeat. Also, Mark Leslie takes time to recommend other books that will truly fulfill your every wish when it comes to garnering every aspect of the movie series. A book worth checking out, so let’s dig deeper.
“Welcome to the Party, Pal” is the foreword written by Sweary Historian James Fell. Brace yourself, this guy brings the quips along with a ton of interesting information about the movie and some of the fictionalized elements included in it. The average viewer of the movie will pick this book up based on the foreword alone at this point. Fell’s deep dive into the “fact vs. fiction” elements of the movie is truly intriguing and will have your jaw dropping more than a few times. Yes, cue raised eyebrows, too along with several hums of “Wow, I never knew that!” because, why would the average viewer know that some of the elements have real tie-ins, while others were strictly fictionalized? Well, we wouldn’t, and let’s be honest. The average viewer wouldn’t really care, but it’s the ones who wish to go deeper and learn more about these militia groups who would. The information contained in the foreword is borderline “priceless.”
Prepare yourself for quite a few chuckles throughout the foreword, too. Historian Fell makes sure to insert quite a bit of his sweary personality with shots fired at random true-life individuals as well as some snarky comments about the characters from the movie. One such was the comment about Gruber earning twenty percent with his stolen bearer bonds. When Fell says “Twenty percent? The fuck kind of miracle worker is his portfolio manager?” We lost it. Things sober up for a minute with lots of historical information heading your way, but one thing is for sure – it’s all interesting and will keep you engaged.
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Moving forward with the main book, you will get next the reason for the author deciding to write this book and why he chose to do it now. We’ll skip over taking a deep dive into that aspect because we simply don’t want to ruin the fun for you in reading it for yourself. But suffice it to say, Mark Leslie loves this movie. The proof of that? Well, besides his extensive collection of multiple copies of the movie(s)? The fact that he took the time to piece together so many great elements of the movie and compile it all into a book. Plus, as stated above, they reference/refer you to other books by other authors who have written about Die Hard as well. Talk about respect!
Book nerds! Did you know that Die Hard was based on a book?! (*gasps*) Neither did we!! Shocking right? Quick! To the bookstores! Or Amazon…or wherever you buy your books. LOL! It must be hunted down and read! The connections must be drawn! But, do that after you finish reading this book.
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker gives you insight and background into the movie that almost wasn’t. When we say that we mean that it could have been a different actor altogether in the main role! We know, we know. That’s nothing new, but try to imagine one of the others who passed on the role being John McClane other than THE Bruce Willis. It just won’t jive in your head.
The amount of information that Mark Leslie writes into this book, and how he still keeps it interesting is mind-boggling. The deeper you read, the more you’re going to start thinking – “Okay, it’s going to get dull or repetitive here in a minute and I’ll just doze off.” Nope! Page after page is packed with movie tidbits, revelations, and information that the average watcher never knew. Is there as much humor as in the foreword? No, but that’s okay! Now, does the book get a touch repetitive here and there? Yes. Is that problematic? Absolutely not.
One of our favorite points in this book is the author challenging readers to recall a movie villain from other thrillers at the time of Die Hard. We’ve all seen other “action” movies from the ’80s and ’90s, but even we have to admit…we can’t name any from some of the movies the author specifically details. Shocking. Absolutely shocking. You have to admit, that Die Hard…made it’s impact on the world of cinema.
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Throughout this book, the author points out how the book made the dynamic shifts that it does to become the screenplay that became the cult classic of today. He also touches on the ongoing debate of whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not. Even goes so far as to compare it to another movie with Christmas in the title! Safe to say, based on this argument…Die Hard is a Christmas movie. End of debate. Period.
One other aspect that we found truly interesting is that an actual medical doctor (yeah, not some pretender LOL) gave his thoughts on the survivability of John McClane if this movie were to transpire in real life. The doctor’s analysis is well thought out and truly interesting to read. Especially learning that Bruce Willis even did quite a few of the stunts himself! Yep, cue jaw-drop. Some of the more dangerous stunts even take place early on in filming in the event of (ahem)…tragic results. Yikes! But talk about guts! LOL!
This personal passion of Mark Leslie to compile this book, to share his own personal love of the movie with readers around the world is an inspiring project. It is also one that comes to fruition in a satisfactory manner. Whether you’re a casual fan of the movie, or whether you’re a Die Hard fan, this book will give you a lot to chew on and enjoy from beginning to end.
This novel is brimming with a fount of information from beginning to end. You will enjoy learning so much about the characters and how so many of them got their first shot on the big screen with this movie. Talk about how it potentially shaped their careers and gave them the jump-off that they needed. Unfortunately, we won’t see Bruce Willis in any more iconic roles, but Die Hard will be forever.
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Whether you are a “Die Hard” fan of the movie or just a casual enjoyer, this book is worth checking out. It is packed with gems of information about things we guarantee that most don’t even know about. Don’t miss out on this book and add it to your collection. Also, be sure to read to the end, seeing the author do an homage to the movie? Absolutely worth it.
Pros:
- Engaging
- Informative
- Page-turner
- Enjoyable
- Humorous
Cons:
- None
Scribble's Worth 
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