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Die Hard

  • 1988
  • R
  • 2h 12m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
901K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
833
6
Bruce Willis and Hart Bochner in Die Hard (1988)
Bruce Willis is John McClane in the film that launched the billion-dollar 'Die Hard' action franchise.
Play trailer1:28
14 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionThriller

A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.

  • Director
    • John McTiernan
  • Writers
    • Roderick Thorp
    • Jeb Stuart
    • Steven E. de Souza
  • Stars
    • Bruce Willis
    • Alan Rickman
    • Bonnie Bedelia
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.2/10
    901K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    833
    6
    • Director
      • John McTiernan
    • Writers
      • Roderick Thorp
      • Jeb Stuart
      • Steven E. de Souza
    • Stars
      • Bruce Willis
      • Alan Rickman
      • Bonnie Bedelia
    • 1.1KUser reviews
    • 204Critic reviews
    • 72Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #115
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 8 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos14

    Trailer: 30th Anniversary Christmas Edition
    Trailer 1:28
    Watch Trailer: 30th Anniversary Christmas Edition
    Die Hard Trilogy
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch Die Hard Trilogy
    Die Hard
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch Die Hard
    Holiday Movie or Not?
    Clip 3:12
    Watch Holiday Movie or Not?
    Alphabet of Movies | A to Z
    Clip 1:33
    Watch Alphabet of Movies | A to Z
    Watch Like a Pro: Giancarlo Esposito's Ultimate Villain Watchlist
    Clip 3:51
    Watch Watch Like a Pro: Giancarlo Esposito's Ultimate Villain Watchlist
    Die Hard: Roof Jump
    Clip 1:25
    Watch Die Hard: Roof Jump
    What's Your Favorite Scene From a Holiday Movie?
    Video 3:33
    Watch What's Your Favorite Scene From a Holiday Movie?
    Giancarlo Esposito's Ultimate Villain Watchlist
    Video 3:54
    Watch Giancarlo Esposito's Ultimate Villain Watchlist
    The 'Hobbs & Shaw' Cast Reveals Its Watchlist
    Video 4:49
    Watch The 'Hobbs & Shaw' Cast Reveals Its Watchlist
    'Die Hard' Trailer Commentary With 'Happytime Murders' Private Detective
    Video 2:06
    Watch 'Die Hard' Trailer Commentary With 'Happytime Murders' Private Detective
    'Die Hard' Anniversary Mashup
    Video 1:16
    Watch 'Die Hard' Anniversary Mashup

    Photos175

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Bruce Willis and Andreas Wisniewski in Die Hard (1988)
    Alan Rickman and Bonnie Bedelia in Die Hard (1988)
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, and Reginald VelJohnson in Die Hard (1988)
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Alan Rickman and Bonnie Bedelia in Die Hard (1988)
    Alan Rickman, Bruno Doyon, and Wilhelm von Homburg in Die Hard (1988)
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Terry Leonard in Die Hard (1988)
    Die Hard (1988)
    Hans Buhringer in Die Hard (1988)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bruce Willis
    Bruce Willis
    • John McClane
    Alan Rickman
    Alan Rickman
    • Hans Gruber
    Bonnie Bedelia
    Bonnie Bedelia
    • Holly Gennaro McClane
    Reginald VelJohnson
    Reginald VelJohnson
    • Sgt. Al Powell
    Paul Gleason
    Paul Gleason
    • Dwayne T. Robinson
    De'voreaux White
    De'voreaux White
    • Argyle
    William Atherton
    William Atherton
    • Thornburg
    Hart Bochner
    Hart Bochner
    • Ellis
    James Shigeta
    James Shigeta
    • Takagi
    Alexander Godunov
    Alexander Godunov
    • Karl
    Bruno Doyon
    • Franco
    Andreas Wisniewski
    Andreas Wisniewski
    • Tony
    Clarence Gilyard Jr.
    Clarence Gilyard Jr.
    • Theo
    Joseph Plewa
    Joseph Plewa
    • Alexander
    • (as Joey Plewa)
    Lorenzo Caccialanza
    Lorenzo Caccialanza
    • Marco
    Gérard Bonn
    • Kristoff
    • (as Gerard Bonn)
    Dennis Hayden
    • Eddie
    Al Leong
    Al Leong
    • Uli
    • Director
      • John McTiernan
    • Writers
      • Roderick Thorp
      • Jeb Stuart
      • Steven E. de Souza
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    8.2
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    8.4
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The fictional Nakatomi Plaza is the headquarters of 20th Century Studios, so the studio could use one of its own buildings and didn't have to hold back on stunts and action sequences. While Jeb Stuart was writing the screenplay, he did a tour of the building, and immediately incorporated some of the locations and objects he found there into his script as set pieces (such as the cart that McClane and Karl end up riding during their fight). The company charged itself rent for the use of the then-unfinished building. Some of the middle floors were occupied by legal and administrative departments, so only empty floors were used for filming. Still, the filming of scenes that involved gunfire had to be postponed until after hours because some of the employees from the active floors started to complain about the noise.
    • Goofs
      There is no ambulance in the truck when the terrorists first arrive, but Theo drives an ambulance out of the truck near the end of the movie (error acknowledged by filmmakers).
    • Quotes

      John McClane: [huddled in an air vent, recalls his wife's invitation] "Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs..."

    • Crazy credits
      In the widescreen version, the 20th Century Fox logo is stretched.
    • Alternate versions
      The Ultimate edition DVD contains the following deleted/extended scenes:
      • Extended power shutdown sequence.
      • Extended opening flight scene.
      • Brief dialogue in the first Hans/McClane confrontation.
      • Extended scene where Robinson/Powell brief the FBI on the tower situation.
      • Brief dialogue when Hans interrogates Takagi.
      • Brief dialogue after Theo says "You didn't bring me along for my charming personality".
      • Extended/alternate dialogue in McClane/Powell conversation after McClane uses the plastic explosives.
      • Brief scene of FBI agents getting stuck in thorn bushes as they make their way towards the building.
      • At the end, McClane says "You got a warranty for this (Holly's watch, a gift from Nakatomi Corporation)?" to which Holly laughs.
      • Argyle's dialogue as Powell's police cruiser flies by in the background.
      • Brief Ellis dialogue reacting to the terrorist intrusion.
      • City engineer briefly coughs before pulling out the power cord.
      • Brief dialogue in Hans/Karl argument about "neutralizing" McClane.
      • Additional Holly dialogue after seeing Karl's reaction to McClane's escape.
    • Connections
      Edited into Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Singin' in the Rain
      Written by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

    User reviews1.1K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    The Perfect Modern Action Film
    "Die Hard" is the prototype type for the modern action film. Since it's also one of the best action films ever made, that happens to be a very good thing. "Die Hard" is lean, mean, and doesn't contain a single second of wasted screen time. The direction, the action, the story, the acting . . . every aspect of this film comes close to big-budget action movie perfection. Since "Die Hard" was first released in 1988, it's difficult to think of a blockbuster action film that doesn't follow the basic structure and format of "Die Hard" . . . or, for that matter, is better than "Die Hard".

    "Die Hard" is about John McClane (Bruce Willis, in one of his all-time best film performances), a basically good, honest New York cop with a penchant for annoying authority figures. Traveling to Los Angeles in a last ditch attempt to patch things up with his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), John McClane suddenly finds himself involved in a hostage situation. Terrorists, led by the enigmatic Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), have taken over the office building in which Holly is working, and with Gruber holding the upper hand over the LAPD and FBI forces in Los Angeles, it's up to John McClane to save the day . . . .

    Kudos should be given to both director John McTiernan and screenwriters Jeb Stuart and Steven DeSouza -- the film is tight, electrifying, and clever, which is something few action films can ever claim. The story isn't completely believable, but it's believable enough, and it manages to move along at a quick enough pace to where the most glaring plotholes can easily be glossed over. There's also enough twists and wrinkles thrown into the story to keep the audience guessing as to what's going to happen next . . . and the surprises don't come out of left field, but are actually clever and well thought-out. (The fact that McClane often relies on his brains instead of his bullets to get out of his predicaments is also a big plus.) Simply put, "Die Hard" is one of the smartest and savviest action screenplays ever written. McTiernan holds up his end of the film admirably as well -- he uses the claustrophobic nature of the office building to great effect (particularly in any scene involving an elevator shaft), and he keeps the film rolling at a rollercoaster pace, building up the anticipation of the audience before unleashing the action. A lot of recent action films just fly along at a mindless, breakneck pace, without ever allowing the story to breathe or the suspense to build . . . unlike those films, "Die Hard" knows how to maximize the impact of each and every scene, and that's why it stands out so clearly from them all. With "Die Hard", John McTiernan puts on a perfect clinic as to how to pace an action movie.

    As for the acting, it's darn near close to perfect. Bruce Willis is awesome as John McClane. As played by Willis, McClane's a smartass with a distinct disdain for being given orders . . . but McClane's also clever, and knows how to keep cool under pressure. There's more to McClane than the stereotypical tough guy hero. Fortunately, the role was given to Bruce Willis, who infuses McClane with the perfect mix of cocky arrogance and stone-cold heroism. The fact that Willis plays McClane as a man often in disbelief of his own situation, and who struggles in his fight against bad guys instead of just killing bad guys with ease, like most stereotypical action heroes -- well, not only does it make the character much more believable, it's darn brilliant. (The fact that Willis also knows how to deliver a deadpan one-liner better than anybody else in Hollywood makes the character all the better.) There's only a handful of movies where both character and actor are a completely perfect match; Bruce Willis as John McClane is one such perfect match.

    Also worthy of mention is Alan Rickman's performance as the villain Hans Gruber. The Machiavellian Gruber would've been an easy villain to turn into little more than a scenery-chewing Bond villain . . . fortunately, Rickman doesn't travel the easy route. Gruber, as played by Rickman, is cold and calculating, and actually acts smart, instead of merely claiming to be smart and then being thoroughly outwitted by the hero. He always appears to have an ace hidden up his sleeve, and is so convincing at giving this impression, it's hard to tell throughout the film whether he or McClane truly have the upper hand. Other actors probably could've played Gruber fairly well, but Rickman makes Gruber one of the all-time great villains. As for the rest of the cast, they're all pretty good. Bonnie Bedelia does a nice job as John's soon-to-be-ex-wife Holly -- she plays her with enough smarts and feistiness to break the usual "damsel in distress" mold. It's also worth mentioning that Paul Gleason, who plays the obstinate police chief Robinson, pretty much sets up the modern action movie stereotype of the authority figure who refuses to heed the advice of the maverick hero. The character is stupid to a fault, and he's wonderful because of it.

    "Die Hard" is a terrific example of what happens when all the pieces of a film fall together perfectly. There simply are no weak spots or dull moments in the film. Is "Die Hard" one of the best overall movies ever made? Probably not. But it's undeniably one of the best action movies ever made, and it just might well be the perfect modern action film. Grade: A
    helpful•398
    130
    • MadReviewer
    • Jul 31, 2001

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    FAQ28

    • What will it cost to repair all the damage to the building by the bad guys?
    • What exactly is the deal with Ellis? Why was he acting so strange?
    • Why does McClane need to take a gun to L.A.?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 20, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Italian
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Umri pokončno
    • Filming locations
      • Fox Plaza - 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA(Nakatomi building)
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Gordon Company
      • Silver Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $28,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $83,844,093
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $601,851
      • Jul 17, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $141,603,197
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 12 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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