Firstly, let me start by saying that Alan Rickman is amazing. The man is unstoppable in everything he’s in.
He was and still is an acting powerhouse. This is not a critique of the man himself rather a dissection of two of his most iconic characters: Love Actually’s Harry and Die Hard’s Hans Gruber.
Don’t @ me Harry Potter fans.
Hans Gruber was a ruthless terrorist, he held Nakatomi Plaza hostage, kidnapped John McClane’s wife and murdered people…like a lot of people.
He cared for nothing more than money and killing people. He is regarded as one of the greatest villains in cinema and deservedly so.
I’m going to count to three on my Hans.
But how can Harry from Love Actually hold up against Gruber?
Three words: JONI GODDAMN MITCHELL.
It was Joni Mitchell that taught our cold hearts to hurt.
Harry has a family, a loving and caring wife, so what does he do? Throws it all away for his floozy of a secretary in the pursuit of nothing more than an obscene fantasy that has no chance of ending well, gifting her a necklace and giving his wife the bargain bin Joni Mitchell CD which leads to a one of cinema’s saddest scenes.
Okay, Joni Mitchell isn’t bad but I’m exaggerating for effect.
Hans on the other hand is a family man. He has a brother who he cares about and vice versa, there’s literally a whole movie dedicated to that love.
Whereas Harry has no such redeeming qualities. The man is a bigger slimeball than a terrorist.
Wash those Grubber little Hans.
When Hans took McClane’s wife Holly, he still did so with care but Harry couldn’t even take care of his own wife.
In conclusion, yippy kay yay the hell away from here Harry.
Thank u next.