Die Hard (1988)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic.
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Cast
as John McClane
as Hans Gruber
as Sgt. Al Powell
as Holly McClane
as Karl
as Harry Ellis
as Dwayne Robinson
as Thornburg
as Takagi
as Argyle
as Franco
as Tony
as Theo
as Alexander
as Marco
as Kristoff
as Eddie
as Uli
as Heinrich
as Fritz
as James
as Big Johnson
as Little Johnson
as City Engineer
as City Worker
as Capt. Mitchell
as Rivers
as Ginny
as Hasseldorf
as Young Cop
as Woman
as Man
as Harvey Johnson
as Gail Wallens
as Supervisor
as Dispatcher
as Lucy McClane
as John Jr.
as Paulina
as Convenience-Store Clerk
as Station Manager
as Thornburg's Assistant
as Producer
as Soundman
as Businessman
as Stewardess
as Girl at Airport
as Boy at Airport
as Hostage
as Girl in Window
as Hostage
as Hostage
as Cameraman
as Cameraman
as Guard
as Guard
as Hostage
as Kissing Man
as Hostage
as Hostage
News & Interviews for Die Hard
Critic Reviews for Die Hard
All Critics (64) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (59) | Rotten (5) | DVD (11)
There are good performances from everyone in this long, often funny, very violent but exciting melodrama.
Die Hard is an action picture with a capital A. In fact, you might as well go ahead and capitalize the whole darn word.
As a grand flourish of cinematic technique, it is awesome; as a human drama, it is disgusting and silly, a mindless depiction of carnage on an epic scale.
McTiernan, who directed last summer's Predator, composes the action cleanly and logically, making good use of Jackson DeGovia's elaborate post-modernist set-the building becomes something of a character in itself.
In the first half of Director John McTiernan's movie, Willis wears an undershirt. In the second half he gets rid of it. And that's pretty much it for his performance.
Die Hard is as high tech, rock hard and souped up as an action film can be.
Audience Reviews for Die Hard
An exhilarating all-time classic action movie that is not only impressively well directed and tense when it needs to be but also always surprises us with its well-written script and realistic characterization of its witty, flesh-and-bone hero, John McClane.
Super Reviewer
Remains a stone-cold action classic even by modern movie standards. The premise is widely inventive, the action is always tense, the comedy is on-point, and the cast is top-notch all around. The highlights are by far the charismatic Bruce Willis and "always awesome in everything" Alan Rickman, who have a fantastic hero-villain dynamic that the franchise would never quite capture again. The definitive "Christmas" movie for action fans everywhere.
Super Reviewer
Still one of the, if not the, best action film of all times. A great hero, a unique location, an excellent bad guy and plenty of kick-ass action. Doesn't get much better than this. Merry Chrismas!
Super Reviewer
Die Hard Quotes
| John McClane: | Yippie-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker! |
| Karl: | He wasn't lying about Marco. He's down on the street. The other one was Heinrich. And his bag is missing. |
| Hans Gruber: | He had the detonators. |
| Sgt. Al Powell: | In fact, I think he's a cop. Maybe not LAPD, but he's definitely a badge. |
| Dwayne T. Robinson: | How do you know that? |
| Sgt. Al Powell: | A hunch, things he said. Like being able to spot a phony ID. |
| Dwayne T. Robinson: | Jesus Christ, Powell, he could be a fucking bartender for all we know! |
| John McClane: | Glass, who gives a shit about glass? |
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