Hans Gruber isn’t just some bank robber or terrorist hell bent on causing harm to others. He’s not just corrupt or misguided. And his villainy is not just a force of violent intimidation.
He’s sophisticated. He has style and poise. He would be able to work a room of politicians, businessmen, art collectors, etc. He speaks multiple languages with ease and understands the cultures of many. He can even manage an American Southern drawl when he needs to. He wears five-thousand dollar suits while on a heist, as opposed to tactical gear. He’s groomed and sleek. And he even manages to recite literature, history, and philosophy with ease, meaning that he’s well educated.
Through the perspective of the hostages, he comes off less intimidating, which at first makes them more at ease and compliant. Even the sleazeball Ellis thinks he can reason with Hans because they’re both businessmen. Mr. Takagi likely steps forward for the same reason. Yet they both suffered the same fate, drawn in by Hans’ charm.
And at the same time he comes off as even more intimidating because he is clearly not one that is going to make a mistake. He’s not going to lose his cool. He’s not going to trip up. This is ever-evident when Karl goes ballistic after he learns of his brother’s fate. Karl wants blood, but Hans is the one that handles the situation in a sophisticated manner, telling him that there will be a time and place for vengeance.
Through the perspective of the audience, the sophistication factor adds depth to the character. He’s clearly no cookie-cutter, crazy killer, and he’s clearly no mustache-pulling, one-dimensional mastermind.
How far will he go? Is he truly just a businessman? Will he just let the hostages go once he gets what he wants? These questions and more keep the audience invested and engaged and only in the end of certain moments do we know how truly ruthless he can and will be.
