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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

40 Storeys High - with Suspense, Excitement and Adventure on every level!

---

Genres:

Action | Thriller

---

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

When the police dispatcher tells Sergeant Powell to investigate the Nakatomi building, she tells him it is a "Code 2". This refers to an urgent incident where sirens are not to be used.

---

Goofs

When the terrorists are first walking in as a group looking very serious and sinister, the one on the far left is on a collision course with the wall! The camera cuts away just before he walks into it.

---

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 ...

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Connections

Referenced in B gai waak (1998)

---

Soundtracks

Jingle Bells
(uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont
Whistled by Bruce Willis

User Reviews

Arguably the Greatest Action Film of All Time

One of greatest action films ever produced, with a case to be made for the the absolute pinnacle. Everybody knows what's right with it -- self-contained setting, ever-escalating stakes, fantastic hero & villain, tons of interesting characters on all sides, SFX that hold up nearly 30 years later - - so here's just a couple things that might challenge its claim to #1 Action Film trophy: Too many unbelievably stupid characters challenge suspension of disbelief, and the 80s hair and fashion date it just a trifle. But even the former are good for a few laughs, and the latter is a very minor complaint.

Otherwise, "Die Hard" is pretty much flawless. Bruce Willis, John McTiernan, Alan Rickman -- their finest hour (maybe you could make a case for Rickman's loftier work, but he's dead solid perfect here). A movie I have seen more than any other but for "Casablanca."