Die Hard (1988) tells the story of John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York cop visiting his ex-wife’s work in Los Angeles for a Christmas party. When terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) takes over the building and holds everyone hostage, it is up to John McClane to stop the terrorists.

Full of gunfights, explosions, profanity, and numerous deaths, Die Hard is not for the faint of heart, but the movie finds balance with one liners and comedic timing that has made Die Hard a cult classic.

The “controversy” from the film has become a yearly debate at holiday dinners, officer parties, and daily conversations. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie simply because it takes place on Christmas Eve and features Christmas music and references to Christmas spread throughout the film.

To see which side Decatur falls on with regards to the film, the Hawk asked students and staff if they believe Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not. Sadly, the Hawk only received 22 responses. Of the 22 votes, 16 said yes, five said no, and one voted “What’s Die Hard?”. Therefore, the Hawk can confidently say that according to Decatur, Die Hard is in fact, a Christmas movie.