Die Hard turns 30 this year. The 1988 action film, which stars Bruce Willis as everyday cop John McClane, gets a sparkling anniversary home release this week, debuting on 4K Ultra Blu-ray for the first time, while also appearing in a special five-movie steelbook pack for the absolute completist collectors out there. But why does this high-octane, and very simple action film still resonate with audiences to this day?
Die Hard sees New York City police officer John McClane arrive in sunny Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. He’s there to make a surprise visit to his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), who has transferred to California because of work – taking McClane’s two kids with her. Using the services of newbie chauffer Argyle (De’voreaux White), McClane rolls up to the Nakatomi Plaza in downtown Los Angeles where a party is in full swing for employees before they all venture off to be with their families for the holiday break. McClane is surprised to see Holly using her maiden name, something that sparks a bit of a riff when they finally get together, high up in the sprawling skyscraper. After meeting Holly’s boss Takagi (the late James Shigeta), and sleazy co-worker Ellis (Hart Bochner), McClane takes to Holly’s private quarters to wash-up, right before the building is taken over by bad-ass European terrorists, led by the sinister Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman, making his feature film debut).
What follows is a couple of hours of relentless action set pieces as Willis’ John McClane goes on a one-man mission – albeit helped over the radio by desk jockey cop Al Powell (Reginald Veljohnson) – picking off each of the bad guys one by one in attempt to free the dozens of hostages held captive in the fortress that is the Nakatomi Plaza.
Die Hard, though set at Christmas, actually hit cinemas at the height of the summer in July of 1988 – its $28 million budget rewarded with a huge $140 million from cinemas around the world. Though this was in no doubt a huge haul, it was later where the film would find its true audience – the home video market. The film’s re-watchability at the height of the video rental boom of the late 1980s saw fans repeatedly go back for more, and when it eventually arrived on network television, fans lapped it up even more.
The reason that we all have grown to love, and indeed continue to love this beloved action movie, is a number of things. Of course, there’s the performance of Bruce Willis, the former TV actor feasting upon the relatable character of McClane – his greatest movie role – a man audiences could all root for as he attempts to topple the tyranny of nasty bad guy Gruber. He’s also got the kids to worry about, and his apparent failing marriage as well, not to mention his major backlog of police work back home.
The late Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber is the ultimate movie bad guy, and in some respects, Fox was well ahead of the game with their casting of the applauded British thespian. These days, we see our greatest stage actors transition to Hollywood for mainstream roles, but back then, particularly for a movie debut, it was more unheard of. Of course, Die Hard would set Rickman up for more movie villainy in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves as the Sheriff Of Nottingham a few years later, but his performance as Hans Gruber is probably his greatest.
Other elements which makes Die Hard the greatest action movie of all time are the very well-written supporting characters, and indeed the actors that perform them.
It’s set at Christmas, so it’s the perfect film to add to your watchlist every December – we here at THN never fail to reach for the DVD as soon as December 1st comes around.
Ultimately, the reason for the outpouring love of Die Hard comes down to its simplicity – something the later films sadly moved more away from. It’s essentially the story of a man stuck in a confined space with no way out – McClane simply has to battle the bad guys to save the day – classic Roy Rogers stuff.
It’s a formula that has been repeated dozens of times since – Under Siege, Speed, The Rock and the more recent Olympus Has Fallen to name but a few. While those movies are enjoyable, it is Die Hard that they all have to thank for their varying degrees of success. Modern action movies would simply not be the same without it.
Die Hard is available on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ & Digital Download now.
THE DIE HARD COLLECTION limited edition Blu-ray™ Steelbook is also available.
