Die Hard (1988)

John McClane, officer of the NYPD, tries to save his wife Holly Gennaro and several others that were taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers:

Roderick Thorp (novel), Jeb Stuart (screenplay)

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia

Top Rated Movies #121 | Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	John McClane
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Holly Gennaro McClane
Reginald VelJohnson	...	Sgt. Al Powell (as Reginald Veljohnson)
Paul Gleason	...	Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson
William Atherton	...	Richard Thornburg
Hart Bochner	...	Harry Ellis
James Shigeta	...	Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Alan Rickman	...	Hans Gruber
Alexander Godunov	...	Karl
Bruno Doyon	...	Franco
De'voreaux White	...	Argyle
Andreas Wisniewski	...	Tony
Clarence Gilyard Jr.	...	Theo
Joey Plewa	...	Alexander
Lorenzo Caccialanza	...	Marco

Storyline

NYPD cop John McClane goes on a Christmas vacation to visit his wife Holly in Los Angeles where she works for the Nakatomi Corporation. While they are at the Nakatomi headquarters for a Christmas party, a group of robbers led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage, with the exception of John, while they plan to perform a lucrative heist. Unable to escape and with no immediate police response, John is forced to take matters into his own hands.

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Plot Keywords:

hostage | one against many | terrorist | heist | christmas | 

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Taglines:

It's Christmas Eve In L.A. And The Party Action's About To Explode... On The Fortieth Floor!

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Italian Japanese

Release Date:

20 July 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Duro de matar

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles International Airport - 1 World Way, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$601,851, 17 July 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$83,008,852

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$140,767,956

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox,Gordon Company,Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) (4 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where McClane falls down a shaft was a mistake by the stuntman, who was supposed to grab the first vent, as it originally was planned. He slipped and continued to fall, but the shot was used anyway; it was edited together with one where McClane grabs the next vent down as he falls.

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Goofs

Just after we are first introduced to Johnson and Johnson, Hans is seen walking on the top floor in, looking up and shining his flashlight. In the Forward Tracking Shot, just before he climbs the wall, the shadow of the boom mic is visible just above his shadow on the far right of the screen in the widescreen version of the film.

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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 ...

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Crazy Credits

In the widescreen version, the 20th Century Fox logo is stretched.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Cop Out/The Crazies/A Prophet (2010)

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Soundtracks

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne
Performed by Vaughn Monroe
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

"Welcome to the party, pal!"

When people think action - they remember Die Hard. They remember Bruce Willis in his star-making role as that guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. They remember John McClane, they remember Han's Gruber, Holly Generro and Ellis, alright not really Ellis... but everybody will always remember those immortal words, "Yippee-Ki-Ay Motherf*&ker" Die Hard is the ultimate action film, packed with all the firepower you can handle and enough C4 to level a building. It's and a genuine no-holds-barred roller coaster ride from beginning to end.

With a relatable everyman John McClane, (Bruce Willis in his iconic role - brilliant)and a sinister villain in Han's Gruber (Alan Rickman)Die Hard has the action-genre by the balls and sets a standard in this genre that has never been equaled. "Welcome to the party, pal!"