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Die Hard (1988)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
15 July 1988 (USA)
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Tagline:
It will blow you through the back wall of the theater! more
Plot:
New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars.
Another 6 wins
&
2 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(266 articles)
Bruce Willis 'Disturbed' Over Social Networks Trend
(From Aceshowbiz. 21 January 2010, 8:09 PM, PST)
Willis 'Disturbed' By Social Networking
(From WENN. 21 January 2010, 8:21 AM, PST)
(From Aceshowbiz. 21 January 2010, 8:09 PM, PST)
Willis 'Disturbed' By Social Networking
(From WENN. 21 January 2010, 8:21 AM, PST)
User Reviews:
One of the best action pictures *ever*.
more (546 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
131 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
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 |
New Zealand:M |
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:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Nick Nolte was the first one to turn down the lead.
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Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): After Powell did his sweep at the Nakatomi building to report the "wild goose chase" (even though he saw the gunshots on the roof from the convenience store), the dispatcher did not follow proper procedure and respond to Powell's transmission, when Powell said, "...everything here is okay, over." Dispatchers always have to echo or respond to the last transmission.
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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.
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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.
more
Soundtrack:
SKELETONS
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FAQ
What is the origin of "Yippee ki-yay"?Who are the 'terrorists'?
Do any of the terrorists live?
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more (546 total)
Message Boards
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Related Links
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| News articles | IMDb top 250 movies | IMDb Action section |
| IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
On the night that John McClane (Bruce Willis), an NYC cop, is visiting his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) in a 40-story skyscraper, terrorist thieves seize control of the building. McClane manages to slip away unnoticed and singlehandedly works to take out the terrorists and save 30 or so hostages.
Fantastic! This ought to get anybody out of their seat and make them take notice! Once it gets going there is non-stop action and violence, and even entertaining exchanges between McClane and terrorist leader Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). The picture offers some good dialog, good thrills, some impressive special effects, and some good performances. I think this movie and its equally macho sequels would be a must for any action fan's video/DVD library.
McClane does sort of turn out to be a one-man army, but he's not exactly superhuman. He suffers wounds and injuries just like any normal human being, and he talks quite a bit. McClane's efforts are not appreciated by either the L.A.P.D. *or* the F.B.I., and his only support outside the building is from weary street cop Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson). The relationship between McClane and Powell is a well-developed one, and Willis and VelJohnson have good dialog as Powell offers McClane words of encouragement.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the superb performances by Rickman and Russian ballet dancer Alexander Godunov as the primary bad guys. These are thoroughly entertaining action movie villains, and Hans is actually more than one-dimensional. On the one hand, he's cold-blooded and cruel, yet he also enjoys dressing well and seems very cultured.
The only sour note is the abundance of the F-word (although, in retrospect, I might be swearing a blue streak if I were in the same frustrating situation) and the variety of truly moronic supporting characters in the film (the self-serving, coke-snorting yuppie Ellis (Hart Bochner), the foolish and brain-dead deputy police chief Robinson (Paul Gleason), the equally self-serving and pompous TV news reporter Thornburg (William Atherton), and the ignorant and overconfident FBI men (Robert Davi, Grand L. Bush).
But what a film it is. Entertaining for over two hours. While on the surface it seems like a real "Guy's" film, Bonnie Bedelia, as the estranged wife, has a decent role, although hers is the only prominent female role in the picture.
9/10