After McClane and Holly are reunited, Marvin picks them up in his golf cart and drives them away. Stuart had six weeks between contracted work so his agent Jeremy Zimmer contacted Lloyd Levin, the head of development at the Gordon Company, a producing arm of 20th Century Fox. [4][5][6][7][8], Immediately following the theatrical run of A Good Day to Die Hard in 2013, Fox Studios began looking into developing a sixth installment, possibly as an answer to that film's commercial success[9] but poor critical response. [82], McTiernan's direction was praised. It was seen as the most substantial change to salaries since Dustin Hoffman was paid $5.5million to star in Tootsie (1982) at a time when top salaries ranged from $2million$3million. [45][46] When asked to throw Holly to the floor, Rickman refused because he believed it was not a fitting action for the "civilized" Gruber and that Holly, "a self-possessed career woman," would not have let him. LOS ANGELES - April 26, 2018 --The action classic, DIE HARD, celebrates its 30th Anniversary with an all-new 4K Ultra HD re-master and Blu-ray available May 15 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Oct 7, 2022 DVD : Read More . Die Hard is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan, with a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. John McClane", "The 25 Best Action And War Films Of All Time: The Full List", "These Are The 20 Best Action Movies Ever Made", "The Best Action Movies Of All Time Are a Direct Burst of Adrenaline", "The Best Action Movies Of All Time: From, "Today's Special: Best Christmas Movies of All Time (Updated! Retrospective commentators also identified and analyzed its thematic concerns, including vengeance, masculinity, gender roles, and American anxieties over foreign influences. The spade: a game called Die Hard 2: Die Harder. When the production was formally announced for the fifth film in the series, Bruce Willis expressed his desire to retire the John McClane character in a sixth and final film, explicitly calling for a 'fleshed out' conclusion. In the finale, McClane shoots the terrorist leader, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), out of the window to fall thirty stories. One of the writers of the screenplay, Steven E. de Souza, later admitted in an interview for the book Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie that the villains were based on America's "Central American" meddling, primarily the IranContra affair. As the terrorists' plans unfold both Holly and Thornburg begin to realize that something is amiss; this culminates in Thornburg listening into the tower radio transmissions, learning about the crisis and making a live news report from aboard the plane. [90] Huffhines and Mills credited the performances with anchoring the film. [11][13] Fox had adapted the book's 1966 predecessor, The Detective, for the 1968 film starring Frank Sinatra as NYPD detective Joe Leland, and purchased the sequel rights before Nothing Lasts Forever had been written. With the help of his friend, Sergeant Al Powell, he discovers that the dead man's fingerprints correspond to an American soldier who died in a helicopter accident two years ago. McTiernan and Willis had determined that McClane is a man who does not like himself much but is doing the best he can in a bad situation. McTiernan said, "there's no way he could fake that". Peter Rainer of the Christian Science Monitor wrote, "John's appeal was always his ordinariness, but director John Moore has him surviving more explosions than Wile E. Coyote, and with hardly a scratch. Recommended For You [4][17] Elizabeth Abele wrote that when compared to the superheroes of the previous decade in films like Superman (1978) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), McClane is portrayed as physically but realistically masculine, conveying the idea of a "real man" who possesses independent, intrinsic strength. "[170], A retrospective review by The A.V. A number of video games based on the successful movie franchise Die Hard have been released over the years, ranging from beat 'em ups to first-person shooters. [11], Stuart credits Levin for helping him understand Nothing Lasts Forever. McClane learns revenge is a cover story for robbing the New York Federal Reserve. garbage collection, and buses & subways. [12][26] At the time, there was also a clear distinction between film and television actors. [67] In North America, the film received a limited release in 21 theaters in 13 cities on July15, 1988, earning $601,851an average of $28,659 per theater. Release date: 2 July 1990: Runtime: 124 minutes: RYM Rating: 3.05 / 5.0. from 2,577 ratings Ranked #135 for 1990: Language: English, Spanish: Genres . [142] VelJohnson's performance resulted in his casting in the 19891998 sitcom Family Matters. John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. . Its story is set in 1976 and follows John McClane as a rookie cop in the NYPD,[1][107][108] and is scripted by Howard Chaykin. He kills executive Joseph Takagi after failing to extract the access code from him, and tasks Theo with breaking into the vault. Overseas the movie grossed $122,000,000, giving it a $239,540,947 worldwide total. Roderick Thorp, who wrote the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, upon which Die Hard was based, receives credit for creating "certain original characters", although his name is misspelled onscreen as "Roderick Thorpe". In response, an American cowboy saves the day, rescuing his captured wife from a foreign-owned tower. And though the filmmakers try to establish McClane as resistant to advanced technology, this promising idea isn't developed. Instead of a hoist, a team of stuntmen positioned below the window dragged the hose and pulled Willis towards the edge, as they could better control Willis's fall if he went over. Barnes later warns the plans about the terrorist situation using the Outer Marker, the radio beaker without the terrorist's knowledge. He's an ordinary guy who's been thrown into extraordinary circumstances". Sponsored. [31][32][33], In July 2018, di Bonaventura submitted an updated treatment titled McClane, further confirming that the storyline was similar in stature to The Godfather Part 2: featuring elements of McClane's and Holly's characters in the 1970s, intermixed with their present-day counterparts. Outside, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents take control. [86][96] The film's success was credited to the remote relationships built between Willis, Rickman, and Veljohnson, by Mike Cidoni. He befriended a construction superintendent at the under-construction Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, allowing him access to the building to gain ideas on how to lay out the characters and scenes. It was expected that salaries for major stars would increase significantly to ensure they were paid more than a newer star like Willis. Release Date/Format; Die Hard 2: Die Harder [Steel Book] [Best Buy Exclusive] 20th Century Studios. [68] It also drew on a script 20th Century Fox owned called "WW3.com", which dealt with a massive cyberterrorism attack against the U.S. and which was nearly put into production in 2001 but ultimately abandoned because several elements in the story too closely resembled the September 11 attacks. His finished draft was greenlit immediately by Fox, which was eager for a summer blockbuster the following year. Sergeant Al Powell is sent to investigate. The film was re-released internationally in 1993 and made $216,339 more, which totaled its gross to $240.2 million. [4][13] Brody wrote that the police often present a bigger obstacle than the terrorists. [25] The choice was controversial as Willis had only starred in one other film, the moderately successful comedy Blind Date (1987). "[90], Die Hard was one of several 1988 films labeled "morally objectionable" by the Roman Catholic Church, along with The Last Temptation of Christ, Bull Durham and A Fish Called Wanda. [38][58] The first take was used, but McTiernan convinced Rickman to perform a second one as backup. ", "A History Of Iconic Roles That Famous Actors Turned Down", "Las Vegan's Polling Company Keeps Tabs On Hollywood", "Willis Copes With The Glare Of Celebrity", "Big Hollywood Salaries A Magnet For The Stars (And The Public)", "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters 17. At least in the first Die Hard he shows signs of weakness by getting his feet damaged by the glass, in Die Hard 2 he can fall off a plane and brush it off. [4] The police chief is portrayed as incompetent, and the FBI is shown to be indifferent to the lives of the hostages as long as they kill the terrorists. [38][54] Die Hard also features "Christmas in Hollis" by Run-DMC, which would go on to be considered a Christmas classic, in part because of its use in the film. Rating R. Recommended; Description; Reviews; Cast & Crew . This advert backfired as the sight of the airplane caused serious car accidents near the cinema. [37], In Stuart's original script, Die Hard took place over three days, but McTiernan was inspired to have it take place over a single night like Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. [10], Die Hard 2 was the first film to use digitally composited live-action footage with a traditional matte painting that had been photographed and scanned into a computer. Cyber-terrorists hack into computers at the FBI, who had sent McClane to bring in computer hacker Matthew "Matt" Farrell (Justin Long) for questioning. Die Hard has been critically re-evaluated and is now considered one of the greatest action films, and is also often named one of the best Christmas films. Upon its release in July 1988, initial reviews were mixed: criticism focused on its violence, plot, and Willis's performance, while McTiernan's direction and Rickman's charismatic portrayal of the villain Hans Gruber were praised. [37][38] It contained a recreation of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house Fallingwater. [139][192] Stuart and McTiernan did not return for the film; McTiernan was replaced by Renny Harlin. [51] Die Hard was removed from the Fox imprint indefinitely. [175] In 2008, Empire ranked it number 29 on its list of the 500 Greatest Movies of all Time. McClane rushes to the runway and briefly apprehends Esperanza, before Stuart and his men show up to retrieve the general themselves. [6] It was reported at the end of filming that Silver had been relieved of day-to-day producing duties. [133][134], Willis believes that if given the choice, McClane would pass the responsibility of dealing with the terrorists on to anyone else, but he is forced to serve as a reluctant hero. McClane chases after them. A railing knocked over during shooting was never replaced. As scripted, McClane realizes that the American hostage he encounters is Gruber because of the distinctive TAG Heuer watch he observed on the other terrorists; the watches were no longer an established plot point. Scott Tobias wrote this serves as a symbol of his marital commitment. Holly subdues Thornburg with a fellow passenger's stun gun. Writing for The Guardian in 2018, Scott Tobias observed that none of these later films readily captured the complete effectiveness of the Die Hard story. He considered it to be one of his toughest stunts. [28] Newsweek's David Ansen called Willis "the most unpopular actor ever to get $5million for making a movie". Industry executives also had high expectations for the comedies Coming to America and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. - The Loop Die Hard 2: Die Harder is a 1990 film, the second in the Die Hard series. It created a franchise comprising the sequels Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), plus video games, comics, and other merchandise. Willis had taken roles that featured the "Die Hard scenario" or implied its namefellow in a number of direct-to-video movies since the release of DH5 (filmography). As it stands, I expect 'McClane', or Die Hard 6, to release sometime in 2022 or later. Die Hard 2 was followed by Die Hard with a Vengeance in 1995, Live Free or Die Hard in 2007 and A Good Day to Die Hard in 2013. He said he was sure it had already been done. [192][193][194] This sequel also took longer to develop because of the difficulty in scripting an original scenario that had not already been used by one of Die Hard's many imitators. Hans Gruber", "Bruce Willis Personally Picked Bonnie Bedelia As His, "Wesley Snipes Auditioned for Al Powell and More Stories from a, "POP / Interview: The Man Who Gets All The Credits: When The Composer Michael Kamen Gave Us 'Everything I Do', It Hung Around For Months. Grant, Stuart, their men, and Esperanza all rendezvous at an airport hangar where a Boeing 747 they demanded is waiting for them. [12][31] Bedelia was cast at Willis's suggestion after he saw her in the 1983 biographical film Heart Like a Wheel. Farrell tells McClane that the terrorists are actually in the middle of a "fire sale" a crippling cyber-warfare attack on the national infrastructure: power, public utilities, traffic, and other computer-controlled systems. Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson), a shopkeeper from Harlem, saves McClane after the first challenge, and reluctantly continues to help. 8 . It revitalized the action genre, largely due to its depiction of McClane as a vulnerable and fallible protagonist, in contrast to the muscle-bound and invincible heroes of other films of the period. [88] Samuel L. Jackson also received praise for his role in the film. Bruce Willis will look glorious in 4K. [22][159][160][161] On the film's 30th anniversary in 2018, 20th Century Fox stated that it was "the greatest Christmas story ever told", releasing a re-edited Die Hard trailer, that portrays it as a traditional Christmas film. [112][113] It was released on Blu-ray in 2007. [10][11] The studio took story pitches for a so-called "Die Hardest",[12] including those from the public,[13][14] at least one of which would have brought the action to Japan. By defeating them, McClane upholds tradition and defends society. It will be a sequel to A Good Day To Die Hard. Different top-down shooter versions were released for the TurboGrafx-16 and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). McClane responds "so my captain keeps telling me", suggesting that he operates outside of bureaucratically approved procedures. In contrast to their on-screen dynamics, Bedelia and VelJohnson spent most of their time between scenes with Rickman. Published Jun 30, 2021. [177] In 2006, Empire ranked McClane number 12 on its list of its '100 Greatest Movie Characters'; Gruber followed at number 17. Players choose either McClane or secondary character Chris Thompsen to battle through Nakatomi Plaza, defeat terrorists led by White Fang, and rescue the President's daughter. Die Hard 2: Die Harder (CD, 1990) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack NEW! McClane kills one of Stuart's men and gives chase with his gun, but the men escape. Die Hard 2 marks the return of John McClane, a police officer who has the great misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. When Stuart pushes McClane off the wing, McClane uses a cigarette lighter to ignite the fuel trail, exploding the plane and killing everyone on board. [4][136][138] Brody identified this as reflecting American anxieties about foreign powers at a time when Japanese technology firms threatened to dominate the American technology industry. [139] The film's plot pits McClane against Hans Gruber's brother, Simon (Jeremy Irons). We'll keep you updated on Die Hard 6. The larger salaries paid to these stars were based on the built-in audience they could attract to a film's opening week, with good word of mouth supporting the film thereafter, but Willis did not have a built-in audience. [158] De Souza and Stuart support it being a Christmas film, while Willis feels it is not. Read on to find out! For his part, Willis said that he wanted the media to focus on his acting. He kills off the gang and learns their real plan, to steal $640 million in bearer bonds from the building's vault. [37] By December, di Bonaventura handed in yet another draft, this time without input from Willis. [4], The A.V. [38][48] It necessitated the introduction of a heroic scene for Argyle, who gets to stop Theo's escape. McClane escapes but is injured by shattered glass and loses the detonators. There were 8 comic issues produced in the series between September 2009 and April 2010. [86] Kehr called Gruber a classic villain who combined the silliness of actor Claude Rains and the "smiling dementia" of actor George Macready. Batman Begins. He's totally invincible in this, so . [17] As Ellis states, the only difference between the corporate employees and the terrorists is that he uses a pen and Gruber uses a gun. According to De Souza, Silver predicted the film would be played at Christmastime for years. It acts as a short sequel to the Die Hard film series, and sees Bruce Willis, De'voreaux White and Clarence Gilyard reprising their movie roles of John McClane, Argyle and Theo, respectively. [89][90], The fourth film, Live Free or Die Hard, received highly positive reviews. [17] The film had the largest pre-opening, earning $3.7 million from 1,828 theaters. For other uses, see, Kamen used samples from various classic songs and sleigh bells to create a score that highlighted the violence, tenth-highest-grossing film worldwide of 1988, acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, "The Ten Absolute Worst Journalists In The Movies", "The Top 20 Biggest Douchebags In Movie History, Ranked From, "If Willis Gets $5 Million, How Much for Redford? Die Hard 2 (1990) 7.2 325,990. Giles Smith Thinks So". Known mainly for work on television, Willis was paid $5million for his involvement, placing him among Hollywood's highest-paid actors. [84] James Berardinelli called the film "somewhat-muddled but still entertaining". Die Hard 2 is mainly remembered for rehashing the premise of the first one, but it perfectly characterized McClane and has plenty of memorable action. [15][16][17] McTiernan agreed to direct on the condition that the film would have "some joy" and not simply contain "mean, nasty acts", seen in other terrorist films. Irina betrays them to Alik. Assassins hired by terrorist mastermind Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) attempt to kill McClane and Farrell. It will be released to Blu-Ray on November 8, 2021. William Sadler is okay, but no Alan Rickman (or Jeremy Irons in #3). Stuart chose McClane as a "good strong Scottish name", based on his own Celtic heritage. McClane travels to Russia with the intent of helping his apparently feckless son Jack . [53], McTiernan did not like a piece created for the final scene where Karl attempts to kill McClane, and decided to use a temporary track that was already in place: a piece of James Horner's unused score for Aliens (1986). Financial analysis of Die Hard 2 (1990) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. Conversely Vincent Canby said he lacked "toughness". [11] After an argument with his wife, he went for a drive and saw a box in his lane; unable to avoid it, he was forced to drive over it and discovered it to be empty. Die Hard with a Vengeance was adapted from a script called Simon Says by Jonathan Hensleigh, which was also briefly considered to become the script for Lethal Weapon 4. [8][195][198] Although Willis expressed interest in a sixth and final film, plans for a prequel film were cancelled following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2017, and Willis retired from acting in 2022, after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition which affects his ability to communicate. As he falls, McClane opens the fuel hatch on the engine. The film co-stars Bonnie Bedelia, William Sadler, Art Evans, William Atherton, Franco Nero, Dennis Franz, Fred Thompson, John Amos and Reginald VelJohnson. [54][55][52], Kamen initially saw a mostly incomplete version of Die Hard and was unimpressed. [30][66] There were reports that cinema audiences would moan at Willis's appearance in Die Hard trailers, and that a representative from an unnamed theater chain had pulled the trailer in response. He is driven to Nakatomi Plaza by a limo driver, Argyle, who offers to wait for McClane in the garage. In the third film, McClane is back in New York City, separated from his wife, suspended from the police force, and a borderline alcoholic. All John McClane wants for Christmas is to reunite with his estranged family. Meanwhile, Theo retrieves an escape vehicle from the parking garage but is knocked out by Argyle, who has been following events on his car radio. FREE Tracked Shipping on ALL Orders! He delivered the finished screenplay in June 1987. [110][111] It was released separately as a special edition DVD in 2001, including commentary by McTiernan, De Govia, and Edlund, and deleted scenes, trailers and behind-the-scenes images. [65] Defying expectations, sneak previews of the film were well received by audiences,[28] and the week following its release, the advertising began featuring Willis more prominently. McClane kills Thompson and hides in the cockpit of Esperanzas plane, but Stuart and his crew toss grenades inside, forcing McClane to strap himself into the pilots ejector seat and escape the resulting blast by engaging the eject function. Rickman had to fall backward onto the bag, something stuntmen avoid to control their fall. [12] Willis's salary was seen as the peak of the 1980s bidding wars between new and old managers vying for jobs. 's 'Christmas In Hollis' At 30: Darryl McDaniels On Keith Haring, "Weekend Box Office: Audiences Make Eastwood's Weekend", "Weekend Domestic Chart For July 22, 1988", "Weekend Domestic Chart For July 29, 1988", "Top 1988 Movies At The Domestic Box Office", "Top 1988 Movies At The Worldwide Box Office", "Summer Box Office Heats Up: Despite Higher Ticket Prices, Biggest-Grossing Season Since '84 Seen", "Funny Meant Money At The Movies In 1988", "Cinema: Is There Life In Shoot-To-Thrill? ", "Die Hard's John McClane ALMOST Crossed Over With 24's Jack Bauer: With a reported John McClane and Jack Bauer team-up, Die Hard 24/7 might be one of cinema's biggest what-ifs", "Bruce Willis Says He's 'Very Happy' About Story for Next 'Die Hard' Movie! When terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) seize the tower and hold Holly and 30 others hostage, McClane then finds himself the . [13], In a trailer for the film screened during Christmas 1989, the film had a planned release date of June 29, 1990. [153], There has been much debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas film. [143][144] In July 2007, Bruce Willis donated the undershirt worn in the film to the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution. Driving this powerful car will be a hell of a ride! [59], A set was used for the following scene where McClane shoots out a window to re-enter the building. Gruber attempts to shoot McClane but finds the weapon is unloaded, and is saved only by the intervention of other terrorists. Ebert notes the more even-tempered charactersoften African Americanfare better. [129][130][131] Gruber fails because he is isolated, self-interested, and sacrifices his team for his own survival. Tinseltown's 30 Best Christmas-Themed Movies", "It's A Wonderful Life Tops Favourite Christmas Film Poll", "Bruce Willis To Retire From Acting Due To Aphasia Diagnosis", "Bodies, Bullets, and Bad Guys: Elements of the Hardbody Film", "Heroes, Metanarratives, and the Paradox of Masculinity in Contemporary Western Culture", "Gender and the Action Heroine: Hardbodies and the 'Point of No Return', "Willis Wows 'Em In The Action-Packed Exciting, "Third Attempts From Bruce Willis Proves He Is, "Shifting Gears and Paradigms at the Movies: Masculinity, Automobility, and the Rhetorical Dimensions of, "What The Movies Need Are A Few Incredibly Bad Men", "Reinventing Masculinity: The Spectacle of Male Intimacy in the Films of John Woo", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Die_Hard&oldid=1120608288, Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department, Films about terrorism in the United States, Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Films with screenplays by Steven E. de Souza, United States National Film Registry films, IMDb ID (Cite Mojo) different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Use list-defined references from March 2021, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 November 2022, at 22:19.
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