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Die Hard
20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox
?
Gordon Company
Silver Pictures Silver Pictures
Die Hard Collection Die Hard Collection

Die Hard

40 stories of sheer adventure!

1988 132 min ★ 7.8 (12,631) Released
Action Thriller

High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. One man has manages to escape... An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired... and the only chance anyone has got.

Original title
Die Hard
Language
EN
Country
US
Budget
$28,000,000
Revenue
$140,767,956
Reviews & Ratings 6
R

RalphRahal

Feb 1, 2025 · via TMDB

★ 9.0

Die Hard (1988) is one of those action movies that just gets everything right. The plot is simple but brilliantly executed, keeping the tension high from start to finish. It does not waste time with unnecessary filler, making every moment count. John McClane is a great protagonist, not because he is an unstoppable action hero but because he is resourceful, vulnerable, and constantly thinking on his feet. The script balances action and humor perfectly, making McClane’s struggle feel real while keeping things entertaining. The directing by John McTiernan is masterful, making every sequence feel dynamic without being chaotic. The cinematography uses tight framing and creative camera angles to keep the audience engaged, especially in confined spaces. The way the film plays with lighting and reflections adds to the tension, making even quiet moments feel suspenseful. It is visually impressive without relying on flashy effects, and every shot is carefully composed to enhance the story. The acting is top-tier, with Bruce Willis bringing the perfect mix of charm, toughness, and desperation to McClane. Alan Rickman’s performance as Hans Gruber is legendary, delivering a calm and intelligent menace that makes every scene with him feel electric. The supporting cast adds depth to the story without overshadowing the main conflict. The score and sound design enhance the intensity, with well-placed music and crisp sound effects that make every gunshot and explosion hit harder. Die Hard is not just a great action movie, it is a masterclass in how to make one.

K

kevin2019

Jan 24, 2024 · via TMDB

★ 10.0

"Die Hard" is an utterly compelling mix of exciting action and some particularly bruising violence and some surprisingly quieter character moments (the wonderfully written and performed radio conversations between McClane and Sergeant Al Powell are a memorable highlight). The chief villain Hans Gruber is especially well written and he is so familiar with police and FBI procedures he has been able to draw up his plans accordingly and this means he is always one step ahead of everyone else. The best thing of all about "Die Hard" is that it is actually a good film and not just another noisy and generally brainless time filler and this fact alone must surely single it out in this particularly competitive genre.

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Dec 24, 2023 · via TMDB

★ 7.0

Hardened NY cop "McClane" (Bruce Willis) arrives at the launch of the new building where his estranged wife "Holly" (Bonnie Bedelia) works, only to discover that she's now started using her maiden name. Humph!!! Luckily (for us) this is just the start of his woes as "Gruber" (Alan Rickman) turns up with his well equipped gang intent on robbing the place of millions of dollars worth of bearer bonds in a complex and meticulously planned heist. The best laid plans, though, and soon the secreted "McClane" realises the dangers to himself and his missus, and so has to clandestinely manoeuvre himself around the incomplete structure trying to nobble the baddies and keep himself alive long enough for the cops and/or the FBI to show up. When they do, he soon discovers that but for the savvy "Al" (Reginald VelJohnson) they are all rather gung-ho eedjits. It's now a battle of wits between the two men and what ensues is action packed, genuinely witty and yep - it's definitely a Christmas film. Sometimes it's not so easy to remember why Bruce ever became famous at all, but when you see his natural charisma partnered here with an on-form Rickman (even if his accent has moments of madness all of it's own) and some suitably beefcake Eastern European muscle and we get some entertaining banter and loads of pyrotechnics at the denouement of an engaging thriller. Great fun!

The Movie Mob

The Movie Mob

Sep 15, 2022 · via TMDB

★ 10.0

**Die Hard's fresh take on action heroes, excellent directing and pacing, and explosive effects make it a near-perfect action film and one of the finest of the genre.** Die Hard revolutionized the action genre by rejecting the muscle-bound action tropes of its predecessors and introducing a relatable fast-talking hero masterfully portrayed by Bruce Willis. Willis' John McClane receives more sympathy from the audience because of his everyman quality. McClane seems like an ordinary guy caught up in an extraordinary situation and is doing whatever he can to save his wife and stop the bad guys. This more conventional character makes Die Hard much more engaging because most viewers can see themselves in the movie. Mix in John McTiernan's incredible directing, Alan Rickman's standard-setting villain, and sprinkle in some Christmas music and holiday cheer for extra flavor and you got yourself one of the greatest action movies in history and the best Christmas movie of all time (Don't fight me on it not being a Christmas movie, please. Let me have this.)

John Chard

John Chard

Jul 8, 2019 · via TMDB

★ 10.0

One seized tower block, one sweaty vest and one big set of action cojones. Based on ex cop Roderick Thorpe's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, Die Hard, directed by John McTiernan, changed the face of the action movie. Starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald Veljohnson, Alexander Godunov, William Atherton & Paul Gleason, McTiernan's movie went on to make over $100 million in profit at the box office alone. Spawning three equally successful sequels (at the time of writing), it began a franchise that showed that if done well, the action movie could be a dominant force in the world of cinema. The set up is relatively simple, Willis plays New York cop John McLane who during the Christmas holidays is in L.A. to visit his estranged wife Holly (Bedelia). She works for the Japanese Corporation of Nakatomi, and currently she's attending the company Christmas party up on the 30th floor of the humongous Nakatomi Plaza tower block. Bad day at the office because a group of apparent German terrorists, led by the charismatic Hans Gruber (Rickman), take the whole building hostage: with one exception; McLane, who evades capture and launches a one man war against the terrorists. What follows is just over two hours of high octane action, smart dialogue and technical smarts. McTiernan had already endeared himself to the action movie fan with the ball busting beef stew that was Predator in 87, a fact not lost on Die Hard's co producer Joel Silver, who clearly knew that McTiernan could smoothly shift the action from the Val Verde jungle to the urban jungle of L.A. And he did. Next was to get the right man for McLane. Richard Gere was first choice but passed, so the makers took a gamble on Willis, whose career was at a standstill after his leap from TV show Moonlighting on to the big screen with the likes of Blind Date & Sunset barely making a ripple in Hollywood. The rest for Willis, as they say, is history. McLane is an everyman hero, streetwise, even slobbish, but identifiable to many with his work ethics, desperate heroics and emotional vulnerability. Willis attacks the role with a hunger rarely seen from the big male earners in filmdom. During the two hours and ten minute running time of Die Hard, Willis as McLane changed the face of the action hero for ever; even making a dirty white vest iconic in the process; the latter of which couples nicely with the hero being bare footed throughout for a nifty bit of writing. Across the board the casting is flawless, Bedelia is spunky and driven, a woman worth fighting for. Veljohnson as beat copper Al Powell-McLane's walkie-talkie buddy and only link to the outside world-is memorable because it feels real, he has his own issue gnawing away at him, but his exchanges with Willis keeps the humanity grounded as the carnage unfolds. Gleason & Atherton are wonderfully anal as Deputy Police Chief and TV Reporter respectively, while Hart Bochner as Ellis dishes out one of the best weasel turns to have ever graced a movie featuring corporate suit types. But as Die Hard resembles the great Westerns of yesteryear, much like the great Oaters, Die Hard could only be as good as its chief villain. As Willis' McLane ushered in a new action hero to copy, Rickman's uber intelligent villain set a new benchmark. Snappily dressed, well versed and as charming as they come, Gruber in Rickman's hands is a villain you could quite easily root for! That's further testament to Willis' turn that Rickman doesn't walk away with the movie, both men are from different sides of the fence, good and evil, yet both are characters you can hang your hat on. Quite a trick from McTiernan that. Rickman is ably supported by the scary Godunov as right hand man Karl and Clarence Gilyard Jr. as the cold hearted Theo. Elsewhere the impact of Robert Davi & Grand L. Bush as the two cocksure FBI agents Johnson & Johnson (no relation) should not be underestimated. All the actors, of course, are indebted to the sizzling script by Steven E. de Souza & Jeb Stuart. So to is praise due to photographer Jan de Bont, who in collaboration with McTiernan, produces a camera work lesson for action movies, as the camera swoops in and around the tower, down elevator shafts and up tilt to roofs; with the fight scenes afforded a spatial sheen not expected in the confines of a tower block setting (the film was actually shot at 20th Century Fox's own 2121 Fox Plaza). Even the scoring from Michael Kamen and the sound tracking are of a high standard; check out the various "mood" uses of Beethoven's Ode to Joy from Symphony No.9 and Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 In G Major: Brilliant. The 80s was well served by action movies with the likes of Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop proving massively popular. But just as Raiders Of The Lost Ark changed the game for action/adventure, so too did Die Hard. It's now the benchmark movie for action, a film that unlike Hills Cop & Lethal Weapon remarkably shows no signs of ageing either. It's no monkey in the wrench or a fly in the ointment, it's the daddy, and the one that all other action movies have to answer to. 10/10

Wuchak

Wuchak

Mar 19, 2019 · via TMDB

★ 7.0

***Big, dumb, fun action flick with Bruce Willis and a skyscraper*** RELEASED IN 1988 and directed by John McTiernan, "Die Hard" is the first of (currently) five installments in the Die Hard series. In this one New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) flies to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his wife & kids. When McClane visits Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) at her company’s Christmas party a group of radical criminals take control of the skyscraper. Alan Rickman plays the nefarious mastermind of the operation while Reginald VelJohnson plays a cop on the ground that befriends McClane via walkie talkie. Meanwhile Paul Gleason is on hand as an exasperating police chief. This franchise fills the bill if you're in the mood for big, dumb, fun action thrills. Don't get me wrong because a lot of work goes into making these kinds of films and it takes talent & genius to pull them off. I mean "dumb" in the sense that the focus is on unbelievable action rather than deeper themes beyond "genuinely good people may be flawed, cocky and somewhat profane, but they're courageous and never give up in the face of evil." The Die Hard flicks are the natural progeny of over-the-top films like 1977's "The Gauntlet" where the action scenes are so overdone they're cartoony, but entertaining. There's a thin line that filmmakers must tread with these kinds of blockbusters because they can easily fall into overKILL, like 2001's "The Mummy Returns." Thankfully, "Die Hard" evades that ditch because it’s not too over-the-top and it offers entertaining protagonists & antagonists, amusing one-liners, worthy bits of character development and a compelling comic booky story. While all five Die Hard movies are of the same action expertise, I prefer the sequels because this one takes place almost entirely in and around a skyscraper. I favor the wider location scope of the others. THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hours, 12 minutes and was shot entirely in Los Angeles. GRADE: B/B+

User reviews courtesy of TMDB.

Keywords 26
1980s absurd action hero amused based on novel or book christmas christmas party excited explosion fbi heist high octane hostage negotiator hostages husband wife relationship lapd los angeles, california murder one man army one night police officer s.w.a.t. shootout suspenseful terrorism vault
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Cast 40
Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis

John McClane

Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman

Hans Gruber

Alexander Godunov

Alexander Godunov

Karl

Bonnie Bedelia

Bonnie Bedelia

Holly Gennaro McClane

Reginald VelJohnson

Reginald VelJohnson

Al Powell

Paul Gleason

Paul Gleason

Dwayne Robinson

De'voreaux White

De'voreaux White

Argyle

William Atherton

William Atherton

Richard Thornburg

Hart Bochner

Hart Bochner

Harry Ellis

James Shigeta

James Shigeta

Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi

Andreas Wisniewski

Andreas Wisniewski

Tony

Clarence Gilyard Jr.

Clarence Gilyard Jr.

Theo

Joey Plewa

Joey Plewa

Alexander

Lorenzo Caccialanza

Lorenzo Caccialanza

Marco

Dennis Hayden

Dennis Hayden

Eddie

Al Leong

Al Leong

Uli

Gary Roberts

Gary Roberts

Heinrich

Wilhelm von Homburg

Wilhelm von Homburg

James

Robert Davi

Robert Davi

Big Johnson

Grand L. Bush

Grand L. Bush

Little Johnson

Rick Ducommun

Rick Ducommun

Walt

Matt Landers

Matt Landers

Captain Mitchell

George Christy

George Christy

Dr. Hasseldorf

Anthony Peck

Anthony Peck

Young Cop

David Ursin

David Ursin

Harvey Johnson

Mary Ellen Trainor

Mary Ellen Trainor

Gail Wallens

Kym Malin

Kym Malin

Hostage

Betty Carvalho

Betty Carvalho

Paulina

Kip Waldo

Kip Waldo

Convenience Store Clerk

Tracy Reiner

Tracy Reiner

Thornburg's Assistant

Fred Lerner

Fred Lerner

Guard

Bob Jennings

Bob Jennings

Cameraman

Robert Lesser

Robert Lesser

Businessman

Stella Hall

Stella Hall

Stewardess

Terri Lynn Doss

Terri Lynn Doss

Girl at Airport

Charlie Picerni

Charlie Picerni

Dwayne Robinson's Driver (uncredited)

Terry Ray

Terry Ray

SWAT (uncredited)

Eric Kay

Eric Kay

Fireman (uncredited)

Gérard Bonn

Gérard Bonn

Kristoff

Mark Winn

Mark Winn

Police Detective (uncredited)

Crew 37
Jan de Bont

Jan de Bont

Director of Photography

Marilyn Vance

Marilyn Vance

Costume Designer

Alan D. Purwin

Alan D. Purwin

Pilot

Charles A. Tamburro

Charles A. Tamburro

Pilot

Charlie Picerni

Charlie Picerni

Stunt Coordinator

Bernie Pock

Bernie Pock

Stunts

Chuck Picerni Jr.

Chuck Picerni Jr.

Stunts

Fred Lerner

Fred Lerner

Stunts

George P. Wilbur

George P. Wilbur

Stunts

Gilbert B. Combs

Gilbert B. Combs

Stunts

Glenn R. Wilder

Glenn R. Wilder

Stunts

Henry Kingi Jr.

Henry Kingi Jr.

Stunts

John C. Meier

John C. Meier

Stunts

Jophery C. Brown

Jophery C. Brown

Stunts

Julius LeFlore

Julius LeFlore

Stunts

Keii Johnston

Keii Johnston

Stunts

Kenny Endoso

Kenny Endoso

Stunts

Kurt Bryant

Kurt Bryant

Stunts

Nick Brett

Nick Brett

Stunts

Norman Howell

Norman Howell

Stunts

R.A. Rondell

R.A. Rondell

Stunts

Randy Hall

Randy Hall

Stunts

Steve Picerni

Steve Picerni

Stunts

John McTiernan

John McTiernan

Director

Frank J. Urioste

Frank J. Urioste

Editor

Joel Silver

Joel Silver

Producer

Lawrence Gordon

Lawrence Gordon

Producer

Michael Kamen

Michael Kamen

Conductor

Ron Bartlett

Ron Bartlett

Foley Editor

Stephen McLaughlin

Stephen McLaughlin

Music Producer

Michael Kamen

Michael Kamen

Original Music Composer

Stephen Hunter Flick

Stephen Hunter Flick

Sound Effects

George H. Anderson

George H. Anderson

Supervising Dialogue Editor

Richard Edlund

Richard Edlund

Visual Effects Producer

Roderick Thorp

Roderick Thorp

Novel

Jeb Stuart

Jeb Stuart

Screenplay

Steven E. de Souza

Steven E. de Souza

Screenplay

Gallery 373
Videos 13
Similar Movies 534
US Release Dates 10

Jul 12, 1988

Avco Theater Los Angeles

R Premiere

Jul 15, 1988

R Theatrical (Limited)

Jul 22, 1988

R Theatrical

Jan 26, 1989

VHS

R Physical

Nov 29, 1995

Laserdisc

R Physical

Mar 9, 1999

DVD

R Physical

Jul 10, 2001

Special Edition VHS

R Physical

Nov 20, 2007

Blu-ray

R Physical

May 15, 2018

4K Ultra HD

R Physical

Dec 8, 2023

R Theatrical

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Stripper Wives

Stripper Wives

1999

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Sally's Beauty Spot

Sally's Beauty Spot

1990

Sign in to vote

Battle your watched movies head-to-head

Community Top Movies

🥇 Evil Dead II

Evil Dead II

1987 · 14 wins

🥈 The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

2008 · 14 wins

🥉 Halloween

Halloween

1978 · 13 wins

#4 Final Destination

Final Destination

2000 · 12 wins

#5 Halloween II

Halloween II

1981 · 11 wins

Sign in to build your own ranking
0 Points
0/0 Correct
0 Streak

Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.

Movie Trivia

Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.

What movie experience do you prefer?

Movie theater — theater popcorn with Icee/soda & maybe nachos 67%
At home — relaxed on your favorite couch or chair with whatever drinks & snacks are in the kitchen 33%
3 votes

What is your favorite movie genre?

Action 50%
Adventure 0%
Animation 0%
Comedy 0%
Crime 0%
Documentary 0%
Drama 0%
Family 0%
Fantasy 0%
History 0%
Horror 50%
Music 0%
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Thriller 0%
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Western 0%
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