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Die Hard (1988)
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Overview
User 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:
(257 articles)
Surrogates DVD / Bluray Specs
(From MoviesOnline. 30 November 2009, 8:00 PM, PST)
Moonlighting | Cable girl
(From The Guardian - TV News. 30 November 2009, 4:05 PM, PST)
(From MoviesOnline. 30 November 2009, 8:00 PM, PST)
Moonlighting | Cable girl
(From The Guardian - TV News. 30 November 2009, 4:05 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Action-packed thrill ride that could be the best in the genre!!!
more (545 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:
The original poster for the film did not feature Bruce Willis likeness, just the building. The producers originally thought it might deter non-Willis fans from seeing the movie. Posters were later altered after the early box office success.
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Goofs:
Factual errors: When McClane drops the monitor with the C4 down the elevator shaft, he has time to jump away from the door as the explosion rises. The gases from C4 actually expand faster than the speed of sound, so his face would have been melted off.
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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
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Dirty Harry: The Original (2001) (V)
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Soundtrack:
Ode to Joy
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FAQ
Is this movie based on a book?How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
How did Hans know that those kids on TV were Holly McClane's?
more
more (545 total)
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb top 250 movies | IMDb Action section |
| IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
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 ***