COUNTERPUNCH LETTERS : Maybe There’s a Reason for ‘Die Hard’ View of Reporters

I’ve just lost a tremendous amount of respect and confidence in veteran reporter Fred Francis and the television network he works for. Mr. Francis contends that “Die Hard 2” reporter Richard Thornberg is an “unbelievable” character. Unlike the rest of America, Mr. Francis apparently remains clueless to the fact that the movie--unlike the events of real life which Mr. Francis reports on--is entertainment.

In numerous interviews, both the cast and director Renny Harlin have called the movie a “cartoon.” If, in your comparison, “Die Hard 2” doesn’t meet the “plausible mayhem” of a James Bond character, so be it. As long as the NEA doesn’t have its way, we’re a free-speaking country and you’re entitled to your opinion.

It may be painful for you to see a television reporter satirized so brutally, but so what? It’s entertainment. Bruce Willis as John McClane is a bigger-than-life character, as is reporter Thornberg. When I want to keep up with the drama of the real world, I’ll watch CNN. When I want to escape that drama, I’ll go see movies like “Die Hard 2.”

By the way Mr. Francis, if you ever do decide to go waving your American passport at a political rally in Tehran, let me know, I’d like to cover it. That would be news.

KEN REED

Los Angeles