Die Hard (1988)

Film: Die Hard

Director: John McTiernan

Country: USA

Released: July 1988

Runtime: 132 minutes

Genre: Action 

Studio: Silver Pictures / 20th Century Fox

Influenced: John Woo, Paul Greengrass, Renny Harlin, Antoine Fuqua, Michael Bay

Conceived by producer Joel Silver, who was inspired by Sidney Lumet's 1979 action film Dog Day Afternoon, Die Hard is a film about a regular guy who finds himself in an extraordinary situation. The film is also based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, with the screenplay adapted by Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart. The story follows the courageous character of John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York City police officer who visits his estranged wife, Holly Gennero (Bonnie Bedelia), in LA during the Christmas holiday. Because of the film's seasonal backdrop, some people not only consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie, but also say it's the greatest Christmas movie ever made – which is, of course, no more than an excellent bit of trolling.

Holly works for the Nakatomi Corporation in a high-rise office building and, during a company Christmas party, a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) seize the building and take the employees hostage. Unbeknownst to the terrorists, McClane manages to evade capture and then is forced to use his skills as a cop to rescue the hostages and stop the terrorists. Ever resourceful, McClane takes down the terrorists one by one, earning him the nickname "The Cowboy" from the LAPD. Meanwhile, Gruber poses as a sophisticated terrorist, but his true intention is to steal $640mn in bearer bonds from the building's vault. Sgt. Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), a sympathetic LAPD officer, becomes McClane's ally on the outside and their radio conversations provide emotional support for McClane. 

Die Hard was innovative in several ways. It was one of the first action films to take place in a confined space, such as a building. This made the film more suspenseful and intense, as the audience felt trapped along with the characters. McClane engages in intense confrontations with various terrorists, including memorable scenes involving crawling through air vents and leaping off the roof with a fire hose tied around his waist. Die Hard was also one of the first action films to feature a regular guy as the protagonist. This made the film more relatable to audiences, as they could imagine themselves in McClane's shoes. Also, thanks to Rickman's stellar performance, Gruber is a charismatic and intelligent bad guy, elevating the character of the villain in action films.

Despite mixed initial reviews, Die Hard was a commercial success, grossing over $140mn worldwide and winning two Oscars for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. It was the first film to be rated R in America for violence and language, and spawned a franchise that includes five sequels, a TV series and a comic book. It has also been remade twice, in 2009 and 2013, but neither remake was even nearly as successful as the original. The 1988 version of Die Hard balanced intense action with humour and witty dialogue, giving it a unique tone that set it apart from other action movies of the era. The film also introduced memorable lines like "Yippee-ki-yay, motherf****r" and iconic imagery, such as McClane's barefoot run through broken glass, and its success served to revitalise the action film genre in the 1980s.