My right scanner called 'Missile launch, three o'clock.' I had seconds to respond. In 26 years of flying combat missions and ten years trying to publish my work, I've encountered adversity in three distinct forms: external, internal, and imposed. Each demands the same response.

Why does every action movie want to be Die Hard and then fail? The problem isn't the spectacle. The problem is that we simply don't care. Die Hard's first fifteen minutes are a masterclass in character work that most action movies skip entirely. Here's what they're missing.