Die Hard (1988)
95%RT Audience Score: 94%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 4 Oscars
8 wins & 6 nominations total
Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic.
Die Hard is the ultimate Christmas movie for those who prefer explosions over eggnog. Bruce Willis brings his A-game as John McClane, a cop who just can’t seem to catch a break. With Alan Rickman as the villainous Hans Gruber, the film is a perfect balance of action and humor. And let’s not forget the iconic catchphrase that still gets quoted to this day. Yippee-ki-yay, indeed. Die Hard is a classic that never gets old, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Production Company(ies)
Twentieth Century Fox, Gordon Company, Silver Pictures,
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Fox Plaza – 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1988
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 11m
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Language(s):English, German, Italian, Japanese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 15, 1988 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 28, 1999
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Alan Rickman, Reginald VelJohnson, Alexander Godunov, Paul Gleason, directed by John McTiernan, written by Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E de Souza, action, R rating, Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver, $81.0M box office, reviewed by Peter Bradshaw, Jay Carr, Chris Chase, Martin Chilton, Peter Travers, Jay Boyar, Brian Eggert, Cory Woodroof, Avaryl Halley, Tom Meek, Detective John McClane, Hans Gruber, Holly Gennero McClane, Sgt Al Powell, Karl, LAPD Deputy Chief Dwayne T Robinson, 20th Century Fox, Dolby Stereo, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby SR, 70mm, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $141,603,197
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $362,566,675
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 421
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 39,538,351
US/Canada gross: $83,844,093
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $214,677,879
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 315
US/Canada opening weekend: $601,851
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $1,541,004
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,229
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $28,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $71,692,357
Production budget ranking: 591
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $38,606,334
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $252,267,984
ROI to date (est.): 229%
ROI ranking: 577
Alan Rickman – Hans Gruber
Bonnie Bedelia – Holly Gennero McClane
Reginald VelJohnson – Sgt. Al Powell
Alexander Godunov – Karl
Paul Gleason – LAPD Deputy Chief Dwayne T. Robinson
Director – John McTiernan
Producers – Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver
Writers – Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza
Director(s)
John McTiernan
Writer(s)
Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza
Producer(s)
Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 4 Oscars
8 wins & 6 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (84) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (79) | Rotten (5)
It’s a glorious scene-stealer for Alan Rickman, though it’s a credit to Willis’s cheeky charisma that his scene is not in fact stolen.
November 29, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Die Hard is film’s equivalent of a terrorist attack on your senses, but Willis’ intensity and presence push it into guilty pleasure territory.
April 27, 2018
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
There are good performances from everyone in this long, often funny, very violent but exciting melodrama.
July 28, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Chris Chase
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Yippee-ki-yay, action fans.
September 28, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
Martin Chilton
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Willis gleefully strips down the action movie to a pretend game for children who like to fire guns and shoot bad guys. Machismo may never be the same.
July 9, 2013
Peter Travers
People Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Die Hard is an action picture with a capital A. In fact, you might as well go ahead and capitalize the whole darn word.
July 9, 2013
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The gold standard for action filmmaking; what action movie tropes Die Hard doesn’t follow, it reinvents or altogether originates, and all of them have yet to be bettered.
March 21, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Give Die Hard a fresh spin this year; it’s the most joyous Christmas film of all!
February 11, 2022
Cory Woodroof
Williamson Home Page
I really appreciated the interpersonal relationship between him and his wife. It wasn’t slow but it was taking its time.
January 21, 2022
Andrew Galdi
Movie Bitches
[It] may be the best action movie EVER.
January 21, 2022
Avaryl Halley
Movie Bitches
It’s another anti-cheer holiday selection, but one that keeps on giving – rewatchable sans saturation…
December 22, 2021
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
Sometimes-more often than not, even- a script with many hands on it becomes a case of too many cooks. With Die Hard, competing experienced creatives produced a film that works on multiple levels.
November 16, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Samuel R. Murrian
Parade Magazine…
Plot
NYPD cop John McClane goes on a Christmas vacation to visit his wife Holly in Los Angeles where she works for the Nakatomi Corporation. While they are at the Nakatomi headquarters for a Christmas party, a group of robbers led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage, with the exception of John, while they plan to perform a lucrative heist. Unable to escape and with no immediate police response, John is forced to take matters into his own hands.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t provide any goofy or funny comments about the film or its cast.
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