NewsDie Hard voted favourite Christmas DVD — December 25, 2013 The 1988 action movie has been voted as the favourite Christmas DVD to watch according to a poll conducted by Rakuten's Play.com, the online retailer.' A Good Day to Die Hard' released on DVD and Blu-ray — June 4, 2013 The fifth film of the Die Hard film series, was directed by ( Max Payne, The Omen) and written by ( X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The A-Team), and starring as.Featured articleHarold 'Harry' Ellis was a sleazy businessman working for the. A cocaine addict and stereotypical yuppie, Ellis arrogantly attempted to assist in betraying to save his own life, only to get himself killed in the process.Poll.

Feb 10, 2014  The kill count for Die Hard 1.

Running time132 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$28 millionBox office$141.5 millionDie Hard is a 1988 American directed by, written. Based on 's 1979 novel, it was produced by the Gordon Company and, and distributed. The film follows off-duty officer who is caught in a Los Angeles skyscraper on Christmas Eve during a heist led by criminal mastermind.Made for $28 million, Die Hard grossed over $141 million theatrically worldwide.

Transforming Willis into an action star, the film became a for an action film in which a lone hero fights overwhelming odds. The film's success spurred creation of the franchise, which includes four sequels, a number of video games, and a comic book. In 2017, it was selected for preservation in the United States. Die Hard has been named one of the. The film also ranks No. 20 on 's 2017 list of the 100 greatest movies of all time.

Contents.Plot On Christmas Eve 1988, detective John McClane arrives in, intending to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly, at the Christmas party of her employer, the Nakatomi Corporation. McClane is driven to the party by Argyle, a limousine driver. While McClane changes clothes, the party is disrupted by the arrival of a former radical and his heavily-armed team: Karl Vreski and his brother Tony, Theo, Franco, Alexander, Marco, Kristoff, Eddie, Uli, Heinrich, Fritz, and James. The group seizes the tower, disables communication to the outside world, and secures those inside as hostages except for McClane, who slips away, and Argyle, who becomes stranded in the garage.Gruber interrogates Nakatomi executive Joseph Takagi for the code to the building's vault and reveals that he plans to steal $640 million in, with the terrorist act merely a distraction. Takagi refuses to cooperate and is executed by Gruber.

McClane secretly watches, escapes, and sets off a fire alarm in an attempt to alert authorities. Eddie assures the fire department it is a false alarm. Gruber sends Tony to investigate. McClane kills Tony, pocketing his weapon and radio, which he then uses to alert the, who suspect McClane of making a prank call.

Al Powell is sent to investigate. Gruber sends Heinrich and Marco to stop McClane, who kills them both. Powell arrives, and finding nothing unusual, he prepares to leave, but McClane drops Marco's corpse onto his patrol car to gain his attention. Powell summons the LAPD, who lay siege to the building. McClane steals Heinrich's bag containing and detonators.James and Alexander use anti-tank missiles to disable a before McClane drops C-4 attached to an office chair and computer down the elevator shaft, blowing up their floor and killing them.

Holly's coworker, Harry Ellis, attempts to mediate between Hans and McClane for the return of the detonators. McClane refuses, prompting Gruber to execute Ellis. While checking explosives attached to the roof, Gruber encounters McClane. Gruber masquerades as an escaped hostage; McClane offers him a gun and Gruber attempts to shoot McClane, but the gun is empty. Karl, Franco, and Fritz arrive; McClane kills Fritz and Franco but is forced to abandon the detonators.FBI agents take command of the siege, ordering the building's power shut off; this, as Gruber anticipated, disables the vault's final lock. Gruber demands a helicopter on the rooftop for transport to the Los Angeles airport, but the FBI prepare to double-cross him by sending two helicopter gunships. McClane discovers that Gruber intends to detonate the explosives on the roof, faking the deaths of his team so they can escape with the bearer bonds.

While making final preparations, Gruber sees a news report by intrusive reporter Richard Thornburg that features McClane's children and deduces from a desk photo that McClane is Holly's husband. The criminals order the hostages to the roof, but Gruber takes Holly with him to use against McClane, who subdues Karl in a fight before heading up to the roof. After killing Uli, he sends the hostages downstairs as the FBI helicopters appear and shoot at McClane, believing him to be a terrorist. Gruber detonates the explosives, destroying the roof and one helicopter; McClane barely survives.Theo retrieves their getaway vehicle, an ambulance before Argyle rams it with the limo and knocks Theo unconscious. A weary McClane finds Holly with Gruber and his remaining men, Eddie and Kristoff.

After knocking Kristoff unconscious, McClane confronts Gruber and is ordered to surrender his submachine gun. McClane does this to spare Holly but distracts Gruber and Eddie by laughing, allowing him to grab a concealed pistol taped to his back that contains two bullets. McClane wounds Gruber and kills Eddie; Gruber crashes through a window but grabs onto Holly's wrist. Gruber makes a last-ditch attempt to kill the pair, but McClane removes Holly's wristwatch, and Gruber falls to his death.Outside, McClane and Holly meet Powell. Karl emerges and attempts to shoot McClane, but is killed by Powell.

Argyle crashes through the parking garage door in the limo. Thornburg arrives and attempts to interview McClane, but Holly punches him before she and McClane leave the area with Argyle.Cast. Bruce Willis in 2010 (left) and Alan Rickman in 2011; Die Hard was Rickman's first cinema appearance and Willis's second leading role in a major Hollywood production.

as, a streetwise New York cop who has come to Los Angeles to reconcile with his wife. as, an extremist recently expelled from a West German political terrorist group and the leader of the terrorists. as Karl Vreski, Hans's second-in-command and Tony's brother. as, John's estranged wife. as Sgt.

Al Powell. as Dwayne T. Robinson, the Deputy Chief of Police. as Argyle, John's limousine driver. as Richard Thornburg, an arrogant reporter. as Theo, Hans's tech specialist.

as Harry Ellis, a sleazy Nakatomi executive. as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi, Nakatomi's head executiveAdditional cast includes Hans's henchmen: Bruno Doyon as Franco, as Tony Vreski, Joey Plewa as Alexander, as Marco, Gerard Bonn as Kristoff, as Eddie, as Uli, Gary Roberts as Heinrich, Hans Buhringer as Fritz, and as James. And appear as FBI Special Agent Big Johnson and Agent Little Johnson, respectively, appears as Thornburg's assistant, and and Noah Land make minor appearances as McClane's children andProduction. Which served as the setting for Nakatomi PlazaProduced by Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver, the film is based on 's 1979 novel, the sequel to 1966's. The latter novel was adapted into a 1968 starring and was a box-office success. When a movie based on Thorp's sequel went into production, the studio was contractually obligated to offer Sinatra the lead role in Die Hard.

Sinatra, then in his early 70s, turned down the project. The story was then changed to have no connection to The Detective. Declined the role as he wished to broaden his appeal by attempting comedy in what eventually became.

Although it has been rumored that at this point the project was repurposed to be a sequel to Schwarzenegger's 1985 action film, scriptwriter de Souza has denied this. De Souza has said he wrote the script as if Hans Gruber were the protagonist. 'If he had not planned the robbery and put it together, Bruce Willis would have just gone to the party and reconciled or not with his wife. You should sometimes think about looking at your movie through the point of view of the villain who is really driving the narrative.'

After Schwarzenegger, the role was offered to a variety of other actors, including, and, all of whom turned it down. Fast running out of options, demographic data from helped persuade the studio, the producers and director to offer the role to Bruce Willis.At the time, Willis was largely known for his comedic role as detective David Addison on the television series and also had co-starred in the 1987 comedy film directed. Willis initially turned down the role due to his contractual commitments to Moonlighting. However, after his co-star became pregnant, Moonlighting was shut down for 11 weeks which provided sufficient time for Willis to work on Die Hard. Willis was paid $5 million to star in the film, a figure virtually unheard of at the time for an actor who had, up to that point in time, starred in only one moderately successful film, and normally only paid to major stars such as. Then-20th Century Fox president justified the cost, stating the film was reliant on its lead actor, while other sources within the studio would state that Fox was desperate for a star for Die Hard, intended to be its big summer action blockbuster, especially since they had already been turned down by so many other suitable actors.

This section needs expansion. You can help. ( February 2018)On release, Die Hard drew ambivalent reviews from critics. Of the gave it a less-than-flattering review, rating it a mere two stars out of a possible four. Despite considering it well made and performed (particularly Rickman's role) Ebert criticized the stupidity of Gleason's deputy police chief character, claiming that 'all by himself he successfully undermines the last half of the movie.' Retrospective reviews have been much more positive. On website, the film has an approval rating of 93% based on 76 reviews, and an average rating of 8.53/10.

The website's critical consensus reads, 'Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic.' On, the film has a score of 72 out of 100, based on 14 critics, which indicates 'generally favorable reviews'. Audiences polled by gave the film an average grade of 'A+' on an A+ to F scale. Critics' rankings Some critics have ranked the film on respective lists of the all-time best Christmas films (see below, for further discussion):.

– #5. – #1.

– #4. – #1. – #8. – #4.

– #1Accolades The film was nominated for four: ( and ), (, and ) and (, and Thaine Morris). 's score earned him a in 1989. Music The main theme from the finale of 's (commonly known as 'Ode to Joy') is featured prominently in 's score throughout the film, in many guises and variations (mostly as a for Gruber and the terrorists), and thematic variations on ' are also featured, as the theme for the character Theo.

McTiernan said that he incorporated those themes into the film's soundtrack as an homage to 's (which featured both pieces of music). Basing his score around thematic variations on well-known pieces is a concept that Kamen previously used in. 's is playing during the party sequence near the film's beginning.As the film has a Christmas setting, the score also features sleigh bells in some cues, as well as the Christmas pop standard '. Two 1987 pop songs are used as source music: near the film's beginning, limousine driver Argyle plays the rap song ', performed by, and, later, while talking on the phone in the limousine, Argyle is listening to 's '. The end credits of the film begin with the Christmas song ' (performed by ) and continue with Beethoven's 9th Symphony.The film's final four minutes were tracked with music from two other Twentieth Century Fox features; these were temporary tracks which the studio decided to leave in the film. The music heard when McClane and Powell see each other for the first time is from 's score for the 1987 film.

When Karl appears with his rifle, McTiernan decided that he did not like Kamen's produced music for the scene and chose to use a piece of temporary score that the production had purchased. The piece was part of the score composed by for the 1986 science fiction action film.Similarly to Aliens, the score by Michael Kamen was heavily edited, with music samples looped over and over and cues added to scenes. The most notable example is the 'brass blast' heard when John slams the chair at the window as he confronts Marco, then Heinrich appears and he kills him, and later when Hans Gruber falls to his death.The score as heard in the film was released by in February 2002, but was limited to 3,000 copies. It was subsequently reissued by La-La Land Records in November 2011, in a two-disc limited edition of 3,500 copies. In addition to the Kamen score, this release also includes the Monroe and Beethoven end credits pieces, Run-DMC's 'Christmas in Hollis,' and the John Scott track from Man on Fire.Legacy The film spawned four sequels: (1990), (1995), (2007), and (2013).

In July 2007, Bruce Willis donated the undershirt worn in the film to the at the.Die Hard established what would be a common formula for action films over the next decade, featuring a lone against a colorful terrorist character in an isolated setting. Several of these films that followed this formula were often referred to as ' Die Hard on a ', such as (1992, ' Die Hard on a battleship'), (1992, ' Die Hard on a plane') and (1994, ' Die Hard on a bus'). Such a trend would continue until films like (1996, also dubbed ' Die Hard on ') changed the tone and feel of how action movies going forward were made, and which further changed with the evolution of CGI effects exemplified by (1999). Other 1990s action films featuring the Die Hard scenario include,.

Scott Tobias of observed that none of these following films readily captured the complete effectiveness of the Die Hard story.In 2001, Die Hard was listed at #39 on AFI's, a list of America's most heart-pounding films. In 2003, Hans Gruber was listed at #46 on list. It was selected by magazine as #29 on their '500 Greatest Movies of All Time' list. In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States by the as being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'. In 2006, Gruber was listed as the 17th-greatest film character. John McClane was placed at number 12 on the same list.

In the June 22, 2007 issue of it was named the best action film of all time. Status as a Christmas film In 2010, Die Hard was voted as 'The Greatest Christmas Film of All Time' by Empire. In 2012, listed it at the top spot on their list of 'The Top 25 Action Movies'. Debates have been had about whether or not Die Hard should be considered a Christmas film. Some feel that because the events of the film occur on Christmas Eve and its setting includes a Christmas party, that is enough to qualify it as a Christmas film, while others feel that since the film is not actually about Christmas and focuses on an action plot involving a lone police officer trying to stop terrorists, it should not be considered a Christmas film. On December 24, 2017, screenwriter stated on that Die Hard is a Christmas film. However, at his, Willis declared ' Die Hard is not a Christmas movie!

It is a goddamn Bruce Willis movie!' Acknowledging the debate over this, 20th Century Fox released a special Die Hard - Christmas Edition home media release in December 2018 (during the film's 30th anniversary), including a to present the film as a heartwarming Christmas story. References. August 8, 1988.

From the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013. ^. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 30, 2019. From the original on 2011-11-01. Retrieved November 2, 2011.

From the original on 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2017-07-01. From the original on 2016-10-06. Retrieved 8 August 2016. John wick chronicles ps4 1.

From the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2018-10-03. ^ Power, Ed (November 26, 2018). The Independent. Retrieved November 27, 2018.

Bristol Bad Film Club. Archived from on 2015-03-29. Retrieved 2015-03-25. Frazier, Dan (August 24, 2015). Creative Screenwriting. From the original on 2015-09-15.

Retrieved August 25, 2015. ^ Doty, Meriah (February 13, 2013). From the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.

Gharemani, Tanya (June 23, 2013). Complex Media. From the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013. ^ Lawrence, Christopher (2016-08-30).

Las Vegas Review-Journal. From the original on 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2016-12-24. Harmetz, Aljean (February 18, 1988).

From the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2013. ^ Kirk, Jeremy (July 19, 2011). Film School Rejects. Reject Media, LLC.

From the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013. The Hollywood Reporter. From the original on 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2018-11-12. ^ 2011-11-07 at the. Www.empireonline.com (2006-12-05).

Retrieved on 2011-01-14. July 12, 1988.

From the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.

DVDs Release Dates. From the original on 2018-05-23.

Retrieved 2018-05-22. From the original on 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2018-05-22. From the original on 2018-02-11. Retrieved February 10, 2018.,. From the original on 2011-03-02. Retrieved December 17, 2009.

From the original on 2017-12-21. Retrieved July 12, 2018. Archived from on 2010-09-21.

Retrieved July 7, 2013. Nordine, Michael (November 26, 2017). Penske Media Corporation. From the original on 2017-12-04. Retrieved December 4, 2017.

Die Hard is located page 10 of the article's photo gallery. Reynolds, Simon (December 19, 2011). From the original on 2012-01-08. Retrieved December 24, 2011. Bauer Consumer Media. December 2010.

From the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2011-12-24. Nashawaty, Chris (2011-12-26). Entertainment Weekly. From the original on 2014-12-20.

Retrieved 2014-12-20. Hughes, Mark. From the original on 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2017-08-26. Child, Ben (2011-11-29).

The Guardian. From the original on 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2016-12-11. Couch, Aaron. The Hollywood Reporter.

From the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2014-12-20. The San Francisco Chronicle. From the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2014-12-20.

From the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-10-16. November 18, 2003. From the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013. From the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2017-12-29.

From the original on 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2009-07-10. Archived from on October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2009-07-10.

Archived from on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-05-29. Crawford, Amy (July 1, 2007). Archived from on September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2010.

^ Tobias, Scott (July 12, 2018). From the original on 2018-07-12. Retrieved July 12, 2018. Weinberger, Everett (1997).

P. 52. The Movies of the Eighties (1990) by Ron Base and David Haslam. (PDF).

(PDF) from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-06-15. 2014-03-28 at the handv100.pdf. From the original on 2012-03-10.

Retrieved January 28, 2015. Library of Congress. December 13, 2017.

From the original on 2017-12-13. Retrieved December 13, 2017. 2013-06-02 at the. Empireonline.com (2006-12-05). Retrieved on 2011-01-14.

June 15, 2007. From the original on 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2017-07-01.

From the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2011-01-14. From the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-13. Frymorgen, Tomasz (28 November 2017). From the original on 2017-12-24.

Retrieved 27 December 2017. The Independent.

5 December 2017. From the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved 27 December 2017. 12 December 2017. From the original on 2017-12-23. Retrieved 27 December 2017. From the original on 2017-12-26.

Retrieved 27 December 2017. Huffington Post. 24 December 2012. From the original on 2017-12-17.

Retrieved 27 December 2017. From the original on 2018-10-14. Retrieved 27 December 2017.

The Independent. From the original on 2017-12-25.

Retrieved 2017-12-26. Miller, Mike (July 15, 2018). Retrieved December 18, 2018.

Elfring, Matt (December 18, 2018). Retrieved December 18, 2018.External links Wikiquote has quotations related to:.

on. at. at. at.