Die Hard (1988)
A New York cop, an LA skyscraper, twelve terrorists, one Christmas Eve.
John McClane flies in to reconcile with his wife at her office Christmas party; Hans Gruber's crew takes the building; McClane spends the night barefoot, outnumbered, and increasingly inventive. Is it a Christmas movie? It begins and ends with Christmas, a marriage, and 'Let It Snow' — the defense rests.
Yes, it is a Christmas movie — the whole story happens because of a Christmas party, on Christmas Eve, to the sound of Run-DMC's 'Christmas in Hollis' and a Beethoven finale. Bruce Willis was a sitcom actor the studio gambled on, Alan Rickman was making his film debut, and the result rewired the action genre for a generation: one vulnerable man, barefoot and outgunned, in a sealed building. The novel it adapts was a sequel to a Frank Sinatra film, which is why Sinatra, at 70, was contractually offered the role first.
From the Film
The Facts
- Year
- 1988
- Director
- John McTiernan
- Runtime
- 132 minutes
- Genres
- Action
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Bruce Willis | John McClane |
| Alan Rickman | Hans Gruber |
| Alexander Godunov | Karl |
| Bonnie Bedelia | Holly McClane |
| Reginald VelJohnson | Al Powell |
| William Atherton | Richard Thornburg |
| Paul Gleason | Dwayne T. Robinson |
| Hart Bochner | Ellis |
Good to know: Set during a Christmas Eve party in a Los Angeles skyscraper, it received four Academy Award nominations and elevated Bruce Willis to leading-man status.
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