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.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 8 wins & 8 nominations total
Joseph Plewa
- Alexander
- (as Joey Plewa)
Gérard Bonn
- Kristoff
- (as Gerard Bonn)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
30 Movies to Watch Over the Holidays
30 Movies to Watch Over the Holidays
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe 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.
- GoofsSeveral times during transmissions with the two-way radios, characters interrupt each other, which would be impossible given the type of radios they were using.
- 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 creditsIn the widescreen version, the 20th Century Fox logo is stretched.
- Alternate versionsThe 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.
- ConnectionsEdited into Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
- SoundtracksSingin' in the Rain
Written by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
Featured review
In the late 1980s, Director John McTiernan refined the action film genre with this action- packed thriller that not only stars Bruce Willis is the role that defined his career, but also brought impressed audiences everywhere with ecstatic action sequences complete with amazing practical effects, inspiring characters, and one of the most original scripts for an action movie written for its time. This movie stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York cop who heads on vacation to Los Angeles for the holidays, to spend Christmas with his wife Holly Genero (played by Bonnie Bedelia) and kids. Upon arriving at the Nakatomi Plaza building where she works, he and his wife ended having an argument dealing with family matters. Their dispute is eventually interrupted when the building becomes under attack by a dozen German terrorists lead by the ruthless Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman) who's intent on robbing the company of its money. Pitted against overwhelming odds and Gruber's diabolical mind, John McClane must take matters into his own hands and fight off the terrorists who have his wife, along with hundreds of innocent civilians held hostage, with no aid from the Los Angeles Police Department who are helpless against the terrorists' overwhelming power.
My family and I catch this fi on cable almost every year during the Christmas season and this never gets old. Unlike other action films from the 80s that spit cheesy little one-liners and mindless gun shootouts, this film presents viewers with a very likable protagonist who is self aware with his flaws and has feels very human, a Villain who is near equally likable and incredibly smart, and the dialogue between these two characters (which are spoken via walkie-talkies for the majority of the time) is very witty and clever that keep viewers' attention. The main character John McClane spends most of the time fighting off the terrorists who are lead by Hans Gruber, and the scenes are exciting to watch. Glossing with intense gunfights, explosions, stellar camera-work and fight choreography, the scenes keep viewers strapped to their seats. In the scenes when the action lightens up, there are some interesting conversations between characters like McClane, who at one point, shares a tender moment with a cop by admitting his flaws as a husband and a man as a whole. These moments are make you feel for the character and are presented in a realistic way and not sappy way. Bruce Willis does an excellent job as the main character and his performances him as the action hero he is today, along with his famous line "Yippie Kay Yay, motherf***er". The same can be said about Alan Rickman is gives off a performances as the one of the most charismatic antagonists ever put on screen. What really impresses me about this film is the action set pieces. The Nakatomi Plaza that serves as the film's main setting (at least during the beginning) is shot nowhere other than Twentieth Century Fox headquarters. Quite interesting!
Die Hard is one of the most influential action films ever made and shines with nearly every aspect an action film needs. It is a good movie for viewers to pop a bag of popcorn, sit on the couch, and watch. Director John McTiernan did a fantastic job with this film as well as the cast. This film is a textbook example of what action films need to be and a movie that every action fan should not miss.
My family and I catch this fi on cable almost every year during the Christmas season and this never gets old. Unlike other action films from the 80s that spit cheesy little one-liners and mindless gun shootouts, this film presents viewers with a very likable protagonist who is self aware with his flaws and has feels very human, a Villain who is near equally likable and incredibly smart, and the dialogue between these two characters (which are spoken via walkie-talkies for the majority of the time) is very witty and clever that keep viewers' attention. The main character John McClane spends most of the time fighting off the terrorists who are lead by Hans Gruber, and the scenes are exciting to watch. Glossing with intense gunfights, explosions, stellar camera-work and fight choreography, the scenes keep viewers strapped to their seats. In the scenes when the action lightens up, there are some interesting conversations between characters like McClane, who at one point, shares a tender moment with a cop by admitting his flaws as a husband and a man as a whole. These moments are make you feel for the character and are presented in a realistic way and not sappy way. Bruce Willis does an excellent job as the main character and his performances him as the action hero he is today, along with his famous line "Yippie Kay Yay, motherf***er". The same can be said about Alan Rickman is gives off a performances as the one of the most charismatic antagonists ever put on screen. What really impresses me about this film is the action set pieces. The Nakatomi Plaza that serves as the film's main setting (at least during the beginning) is shot nowhere other than Twentieth Century Fox headquarters. Quite interesting!
Die Hard is one of the most influential action films ever made and shines with nearly every aspect an action film needs. It is a good movie for viewers to pop a bag of popcorn, sit on the couch, and watch. Director John McTiernan did a fantastic job with this film as well as the cast. This film is a textbook example of what action films need to be and a movie that every action fan should not miss.
- Screen_Blitz
- Dec 2, 2015
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Duro de matar
- Filming locations
- Fox Plaza - 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA(Nakatomi building, interiors filmed on the 29th and 35th floors)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $28,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $85,892,546
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $601,851
- Jul 17, 1988
- Gross worldwide
- $143,651,650
- Runtime2 hours 12 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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