No, it’s not Friday night, so this isn’t properly a Friday Night Gun Fight – but it was too obvious not to do it. So, you’re getting a Friday night gunfight on a Sunday night. Don’t forget – Die Hard’s sequel is a Christmas movie too! Mad Duo

Breach-Bang-Eggnog Edition
Richard Kilgore and Jake Call
Have you ever tried bourbon and egg nog with a teaspoon of maple extract in it? We did. But we had to be sure we liked it. So we tried another. Now Swingin’ Dick is making 722 copies of his swingin’ appendage, Slim, Stafford, and Reeder are trying to push each other under the office mistletoe, and Tam (Keel) has had enough of everyone being a dumbass. It’s gonna take us a bit to untangle this goat rope in time for New Year’s, so enjoy this holiday bonus edition of Friday Night Gunfights with a film that needs no introduction. Welcome to the party, pal…
What’s the only thing more badass than dying hard? Dying harder. Hence our decision to review a Christmas Eve contact front! from the second installment of everyone’s favorite Christmas movie franchise: Die Hard.
In this scene, terrorists have already seized Dulles International Airport and are holding an entire nation hostage by controlling all flights in and out of the nation’s capital. The ever-helpful airport technician, Barnes, is an ever-helpful hack-clad, M16A1-equipped SWAT team through the Annex Skywalk in a last-ditch effort to re-claim the air traffic last-ditch system. (We’re still not sure exactly what an annex skywalk is. Our Minions fly in and out of Dulles constantly. Nobody can find it, which sucks ‘cause the office pool is up to $100 now.)
Unbeknownst to our star-crossed SWAT officers, John McClane is getting ready to fall from the air vents in a Christmas miracle brought to you by Beretta and a whole lotta profanity.
THE GOOD
- Full auto M16A1s. While what is traditionally called “high port” is currently out of vogue (and ever in contention), it was the best-known practice at the time to keep teams in close quarters from muzzling each other with those awesome 20 in. barrels.
- A young T1000 initiates the ambush with a killer headshot from his porcelain, X-ray-proof Glock 7. (We’re hoping these models will become commercially available with Gen 6.)
- The bad guys stage a pretty clean ambush, with shooters to the front, fanned out and a guy on the scaffolding for suppressing fire from the high ground.
- McClaine’s unconventional use of urban terrain allows him to maximize the effectiveness of the 360-degree battlefield and maintain the element of surprise.
- So many slap-tastic MP5 reloads.
- At 2:58, McClaine actually executes a pretty good emergency reload, including hitting the slide release with his trigger finger because he’s a lefty.
THE BAD
- Using the moving walkway. In bad weather and against opponents who already control major sections of the airport electrical system, this was just a poor choice. Also, channelizing terrain, anyone?
- Somersaults and lateral combat rolls do not constitute proper bounding technique.
- At 3:15, if you’re going to use scaffolding as a firing position, make sure it’s anchored.
THE UGLY
- Dropping 20’ from an air duct with leather-soled shoes.
- That sweet finger-over-the-front-of-the-trigger-guard “combat” shooting grip.
Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!
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We work pretty hard on this stuff. Do us a solid if you’re getting anything out of our writing!
When we gonna see more Friday Night Gunfights? These are wicked…
An annex skywalk would be the (sky) bridge that connects a main building to its side building, sometimes known as an annex. Sorry this is late. Can I get a slice of that office pool?
Believe me, I have lived near Dulles all my life. Snow mobiles in Virginia are the funniest thing around. Lots of crap I’ve never seen in the neighborhood. Still, because it’s supposed to be home, It’s my favorite of the DH series.