Die Hard (Film)
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This article is about the 1988 action film. For the film series it launched, see Die Hard (film series). For other uses, see Die Hard (disambiguation).
| Die Hard | ||
| Theatrical release poster | ||
| Directed by | John McTiernan | |
| Produced by | Lawrence Gordon Joel Silver | |
| Screenplay by | Jeb Stuart Steven E. de Souza | |
| Based on | Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp | |
| Starring | Bruce Willis Alan Rickman Alexander Godunov Bonnie Bedelia | |
| Music by | Michael Kamen | |
| Cinematography | Jan de Bont | |
| Edited by | Frank J. Urioste John F. Link | |
| Production companies | Gordon Company Silver Pictures | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox | |
| Release date | July 12, 1988 (Los Angeles) July 15, 1988 (United States) | |
| Running time | 132 minutes | |
| Country | United States | |
| Language | English | |
| Budget | $28 million | |
| Box office | $140.8 million | |
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart. It follows off-duty New York City Police Department officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) as he takes on a group of highly organized criminals led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who perform a heist in a Los Angeles skyscraper under the guise of a terrorist attack using hostages, including McClane's wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), to keep the police at bay.
It is based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, the sequel to 1966's The Detective, which was adapted into a 1968 film of the same name that starred Frank Sinatra. Fox was therefore contractually obligated to offer Sinatra the lead role in Die Hard, but he turned it down. The studio then pitched the film to Arnold Schwarzenegger as a sequel to his 1985 action film Commando; he turned it down, as well, and the studio finally and reluctantly gave it to Willis, then known primarily as a comedic television actor.
Made for $28 million, Die Hard grossed over $140 million theatrically worldwide, and was given a positive reception from critics. The film turned Willis into an action star, became a metonym for an action film in which a lone hero fights overwhelming odds, and has been named one of the best action movies ever made. The film also ranks #29 on Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. The film's success spawned the Die Hard franchise, which includes four sequels (Die Hard 2, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard), video games, and a comic book.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
[edit] Cast
- Bruce Willis as John McClane, a streetwise New York cop who has come to Los Angeles to reconcile with his wife
- Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, a German mastermind and the leader of the terrorists
- Alexander Godunov as Karl, Hans's savage main henchman
- Bonnie Bedelia as Holly Gennaro-McClane, John's estranged wife
- Reginald VelJohnson as Sgt. Al Powell
- Paul Gleason as Dwayne T. Robinson, the Deputy Chief of Police
- De'voreaux White as Argyle, John's limousine driver
- William Atherton as Richard Thornburg, an arrogant reporter
- Clarence Gilyard as Theo, Hans's tech specialist
- Hart Bochner as Harry Ellis, a sleazy Nakatomi executive
- James Shigeta as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi, Nakatomi's head executive
Additional cast includes Hans's henchmen: Bruno Doyon as Franco, Andreas Wisniewski as Tony, Joey Plewa as Alexander, Lorenzo Caccialanza as Marco, Gerard Bonn as Kristoff, Dennis Hayden as Eddie, Al Leong as Uli, Gary Roberts as Heinrich, Hans Buhringer as Fritz, and Wilhelm von Homburg as James. Robert Davi and Grand L. Bush appear as FBI Special Agent Big Johnson and Agent Little Johnson, respectively, Tracy Reiner appears as Thornburg's assistant, and Taylor Fry and Noah Land make minor appearances as McClane's children Lucy McClane and John Jr.
[edit] Production
[edit] Release
The premiere of Die Hard took place on July 12, 1988, at the AVCO theater in Los Angeles, California.
