Innocent lives in the hands of all manner of criminality.
NOTABLE CONTENDERS: Proof of Life, The Delta Force, Executive Decision, The Rock, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
WINNER: Die Hard
Die Hard still holds up as 24-carat action-movie gold, thanks to a great script (that served as a template for many a film to follow), a director who knew something about staging action scenes, and courtesy of Alan Rickman, an iconic villain.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia4BgnjPG7w]