Die Hard (1988)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers (WGA):

Roderick Thorp (novel)
Jeb Stuart (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 July 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It will blow you through the back wall of the theater!

Plot:

New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Hostage | Christmas | Christmas Party | Bond

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Piège de cristal (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Stirb langsam (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
A un passo dall'inferno (Italy) [it]
Assalto ao Arranha-Céus (Portugal) [pt]
Die hard - vain kuolleen ruumiini yli (Finland) [fi]
Die hard: Operasjon skyskraper (Norway) [no]
Drágán add az életed (Hungary) [hu]
Duro de Matar (Brazil) [pt]
Duro de matar (Argentina) [es]
Jungla de cristal (Spain) [es]
Poly skliros gia na pethanei (Greece) [el]
Smrtonosná pasca (Czechoslovakia: Slovak title) [sk]
Smrtonosná past (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Szklana pulapka (Poland) [pl]
Trappola di cristallo (Italy) [it]
Umri muski (Yugoslavia: Serbian title) [sr]
Visa hing (Estonia) [et]
Zor ölüm (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

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 (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | 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

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The movie's line "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker." was voted as the #96 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

Goofs:

Continuity: Right after the terrorists discover the bag with the detonators is missing, Hans radios Theo to check on the progress. Theo turns and looks at a computer screen and says "Three down, four to go!" for a total of seven. Clearly visible on the screen he is looking at are only six 'locks' (three flashing, three not flashing).

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Sopranos: Join the Club (#6.2)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

SKELETONS

Action-packed thrill ride that could be the best in the genre!!!

Quite possibly the best modern action movie since the classic "Dirty Harry", "Die Hard" simply rocks. Based on the interesting novel "Nothing Lasts Forever" by Roderick Thorp, "Die Hard" made headlines for its combination of a terrific cast, excellent script, amazing action sequences and superb direction. Headed up by screen favorite Bruce Willis (The Sixth Sense), "Die Hard" also features the talented Alan Rickman (Galaxy Quest) and Bonnie Bedelia (Needful Things). Directed by action veteran John McTiernan, the mastermind behind such action spectaculars as "Predator", "The Hunt For Red October", "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1999), and "Die Hard With A Vengeance".

In the role that shot him to stardom, Willis plays Detective John McClane, a hard-hitting cop from New York on Christmas Vacation in LA. He is there to visit his wife (whom he is separated from), Holly Gennaro, who recently got a great job working for the Nakatomi corporation and has permanently moved to Los Angeles with their two children. John arrives at Nakatomi Plaza expecting a fun Christmas party and a relaxing night. Man was he wrong! A few minutes after getting settled, twelve gun-toting Eastern Europeans take the entire 30th floor hostage. The supposed terrorists are headed up by the brilliant megalomaniac Hans Gruber (Rickman), who actually wants the $640 million dollars inside the floor's vault. Somehow, McClane escapes upstairs armed only with a handgun and starts causing a ruckus, slowly hunting down each well-equipped thug.

"Die Hard" succeeds is because it presents every challenge McClane has to face realistically and clearly. As the tension mounts, the ordeals for John become increasingly harder. First, it's just a terrorist. Then a whole slew of them. Later, it's the NYPD and even the FBI! Director McTiernan gives the film a good pace and makes the film work by showing that John isn't superhuman; he only uses his brain more than his gun. Also, screenwriters Jeb Stuart (The Fugitive) & Steven E. De Souza (48 Hrs.) add touches of humor that lighten up the viewer and classic one-liners ("Yippy-Ki-Yay, !@#$") that ignite the screen. Their subplots actually add to the story instead of overcomplicating it, especially one featuring good cop Sgt. Al Powell (Rejinald VelJohnson of TV's "Family Matters").

Overall, this movie was awesome. Willis is very believable and has significant screen presence. Character development is superb, and even though Stuart and De Souza leave some loose ends untied - like how a man gets hung with a chain and still comes back for more - the film remains to be an action classic. Note to Parents: the nudity, drug use, continual profanity, and extreme violence would make this a bad choice for kids under 13. Otherwise, see "Die Hard" ASAP! Overall Rating: *** Worth 9 out of 10 dollars ***