Everyone loves an underdog story, and that is what Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense tapped into when sharing a Christmas message that incorporated Bruce Willis’ movie Die Hard into the hopeful post. With Ukraine continuing to fight against the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense shared Die Hard’s trailer on their Twitter account in a direct comparison between the conflict their country is still embroiled in and the Christmastime-set action movie.
The message included with the video read:
The Russo-Ukrainian War has been ongoing since 2014, but gained a lot of media attention when Russia instigated a massive escalation by launching an aggressive invasion of Ukraine. Almost one year on, the conflict that was expected to see Russia dominate Ukraine is still ongoing, with the smaller country having fought back in an unprecedented show of resilience against the odds. At time of writing, Russian attacks have resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 Ukrainian civilians, with more than 10,000 injured. Russian losses are not as clearly recorded, but it is estimated to be over 100,000 incorporating deaths, injuries and those who have deserted the fight.
“An underdog who wins against the bad guys. This is the kind of story we all enjoy. Dedicated to all the die hards on the front line. Ukraine will win! Yippee Ki-Yay…!”
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Die Hard Is The Perfect Metaphor for the Russo-Ukrainian War
20th Century Fox
When looking for a comparison, there are many underdog movies that could be referenced in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, but choosing Die Hard is certainly one where the comparisons are clear to see.
Die Hard is the story of John McClane, a NYPD detective played by Bruce Willis, who is caught up in a terrorist incident while attempting to reconcile with his estranged wife at a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza. During the movie, McClane finds himself single-handedly taking on an army of bad guys as he attempts to save his wife and the other hostages from lead terrorist Hans Gruber. Even though in the real world it is unlikely that McClane would make it to the climax of the movie, in Hollywood, the magic of storytelling ensures that he is able to face Gruber and save the day just as the snow starts to fall outside.
That snow is just one of the reasons that Die Hard is constantly debated as being the “greatest Christmas story ever told.” While San Deigo County officially declared the film a Christmas movie, the rest of the world is still undecided. Although not the usual family-friendly festive fare, Die Hard does have many of the classic Christmas movie properties, including being set of Christmas Eve, featuring a number of Christmas songs and being the story of a regular guy just trying to be with his family at Christmas. However many times the subject is debated, Die Hard’s place as part of Christmas is not likely to change anytime soon.
