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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! See 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:
(341 articles)
Twenty years later: 'The Hunt for Red October'
(From EW.com - PopWatch. 5 March 2010, 9:34 AM, PST)
2010 Bradford International Film Festival: Packed With Underground Greatness
(From Bad Lit . 5 March 2010, 5:00 AM, PST)
(From EW.com - PopWatch. 5 March 2010, 9:34 AM, PST)
2010 Bradford International Film Festival: Packed With Underground Greatness
(From Bad Lit . 5 March 2010, 5:00 AM, PST)
User Reviews:
How An Action Movie Should Be Made
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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 See 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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Deputy Chief Robinson says that John McClane (Bruce Willis) "could be a fucking bartender for all we know" (because of McClane's claim to be able to "spot a phony ID"). Prior to becoming a well-known actor, Willis was a bartender.
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Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Argyle first learns of the Nakatomi takeover, he is pouring a glass of whiskey just off screen with the appropriate sound effect. However, when the glass reappears on screen a moment later, it is empty.
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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.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: (#4.1)" (2009/I)
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Soundtrack:
SKELETONS
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FAQ
How did Hans know that those kids on TV were Holly McClane's?Why exactly did Holly punch the TV reporter Dick Thornberg at the end?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
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See more (549 total) »
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Die Hard (1988) See more »Recommendations
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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 |
1988 and the undisputed number one action star was that Austrian body builder with the funny name with that monosylabic guy from ROCKY in second place . The thing I hated about Arnie and Sly is that their action movies were uninvolving with over blown battle scenes where the good guys never seemed to be in danger of dying . I was also going to bring the James Bond franchise into the conversation but the series became a parody when Bond stopped speaking with a Scottish accent sometime in the early 70s
DIE HARD is different to the other 80s action fests with John McLane being a fairly believable genre character . Okay he`s two dimensional but that`s got to be one dimension more than John Rambo who only exists to kill a lot of nasty commies so Americans can flock to the cinema . It`s also interesting to note that McLane`s wife is used in the plot which is slightly different from how most action films work out where the hero is normally single , but that`s probably because DIE HARD as more depth to it than many contemparies. Perhaps the biggest difference is that McLane is slightly flawed as we`re shown one scene where the hero gives the bad guys something they want , not something you`d see in a Arnie or Sly movie . I won`t mention the stunts or the tightly written set pieces or how compelling they are because everyone else has beat me to it , except to say that big explosions and gun fights often overwhelm an action movie ( Bond movies are a good example ) but here they occur from the narrative instead of someone cramming them into the script in a vain attempt to thrill the audience .
Normally I`d have a fit that an action blockbuster is well inside the IMDB top 250 but DIE HARD does deserve to be there since it`s the best movie of its type of its era .