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IMDb > Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard
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Photos (see all 74 | slideshow) Videos (see all 3)
Die Hard (1988) -- New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building.
Die Hard (1988) -- New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building.
Die Hard (1988) -- New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building.

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 10% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
John McTiernan
Writers (WGA):
Roderick Thorp (novel)
Jeb Stuart (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Die Hard on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 July 1988 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
It will blow you through the back wall of the theater! more
Plot:
New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(176 articles)
Willis Slammed Over Airport Plans
 (From WENN. 12 July 2009, 7:21 AM, PDT)

[DVD Review] 12 Rounds
 (From JustPressPlay. 9 July 2009, 3:06 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
How An Action Movie Should Be Made more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Runtime:
131 min
Country:
USA
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #29160) | Peru:14 | Argentina:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2001) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (re-rating) (2001) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (cut) (video premiere) | Finland:K-16 (1989) (cut) | Finland:K-15 (DVD version) | Finland:K-18 (1988) (uncut) | Malaysia:18SG | Brazil:14 | Philippines:R-18 | UK:15 (2007) | UK:18 (1988) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | India:A | South Africa:16LV | Italy:VM14 | Australia:M | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Norway:18 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:PG-12 | Spain:18

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Director John McTiernan found it necessary to smash cut away from Hans Gruber's face whenever he fired a gun, because of Alan Rickman's uncontrollable habit of flinching from the noise and muzzle flash. If you look at Rickman's face when he shoots Takagi, you can see him wincing. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Argyle rams Theo's van, the front end of the limousine is thoroughly wrecked. When he comes through the gate at the end of the movie, it's more or less intact. (The gate itself also would have caused more damage than is visible.) more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Businessman: You don't like flying, do you?
John McClane: What gives you that idea?
Businessman: You wanna know the secret to surviving air travel? After you get where you're going, take off your shoes and your socks then walk around on the rug bare foot and make fists with your toes.
John McClane: Fists with your toes?
Businessman: I know, I know, it sounds crazy. Trust me, I've been doing it for nine years. Yes sir, better than a shower and a hot cup of coffee.
John McClane: Okay.
[the businessman sees John's gun]
John McClane: It's okay, I'm a cop. Trust me, I've been doing this for eleven years.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Sin City (2005) more
Soundtrack:
SKELETONS more

FAQ

Do any of the terrorists live?
Who are the 'terrorists'?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more
66 out of 99 people found the following comment useful:-
How An Action Movie Should Be Made, 14 August 2004
7/10
Author: Theo Robertson from Isle Of Bute , Scotland

1988 and the undisputed number one action star was that Austrian body builder with the funny name with that monosylabic guy from ROCKY in second place . The thing I hated about Arnie and Sly is that their action movies were uninvolving with over blown battle scenes where the good guys never seemed to be in danger of dying . I was also going to bring the James Bond franchise into the conversation but the series became a parody when Bond stopped speaking with a Scottish accent sometime in the early 70s

DIE HARD is different to the other 80s action fests with John McLane being a fairly believable genre character . Okay he`s two dimensional but that`s got to be one dimension more than John Rambo who only exists to kill a lot of nasty commies so Americans can flock to the cinema . It`s also interesting to note that McLane`s wife is used in the plot which is slightly different from how most action films work out where the hero is normally single , but that`s probably because DIE HARD as more depth to it than many contemparies. Perhaps the biggest difference is that McLane is slightly flawed as we`re shown one scene where the hero gives the bad guys something they want , not something you`d see in a Arnie or Sly movie . I won`t mention the stunts or the tightly written set pieces or how compelling they are because everyone else has beat me to it , except to say that big explosions and gun fights often overwhelm an action movie ( Bond movies are a good example ) but here they occur from the narrative instead of someone cramming them into the script in a vain attempt to thrill the audience .

Normally I`d have a fit that an action blockbuster is well inside the IMDB top 250 but DIE HARD does deserve to be there since it`s the best movie of its type of its era .

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Die Hard (1988)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Most solid action movie franchise? the1armedman
Can someone please help me!!!!! areeaad_stu
What do you think McClane was saying to..... franscutchy
Can someone please help me? What does Ellis say... franscutchy
Order the Die Hards, best to worst.... ollie-rocks
Toss The Damn Bag, John! garyw0001
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