| | | 40 Stories of Sheer Adventure!
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, English, Spanish, Dubbed, Subtitled
Bruce Willis stars as New York City Detective John McClane, newly arrived in Los Angeles to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia).But as Mclane waits for his wife's office party to break up, terrorist take control of the building. While the terrorist leader, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), rounds up hostages, McClane slips away unnoticed. Armed with only a service revolver and his cunning, McClane launches his own one-man war. A crackling thriller from beginning to end, Die Hard explodes with heart-stopping suspense!
"Thrilling!" David Ansen, NewsWeek
"...a marvel of engineering, and relentlessly, mercilessly thrilling...masterfully executed effects..." Hal Hinson, Washington Post
"Heartstopping!" Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
"Dynamite action yarn...a perfect part for Willis..." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"High-voltage action thriller...[Rickman] turns in a marvelous performance as the chief bad guy." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
Editor's Note
One of the greatest action movies of the late 1980s, DIE HARD ushered in a new standard for the genre. With the dissolution of the Cold War, both the stereotypical Russian threat (represented in movies such as TOP GUN and RED DAWN) and the destructive egoist (as seen in OCTOPUSSY) became less fearful. With DIE HARD, director John McTiernan introduced Hollywood to a new type of villain: the terrorist entrepreneur. Alan Rickman stars as Hans Gruber, a relentless businessman whose lethal tactics achieve his goals. Unlike most '80s film villains who committed globally dangerous acts for liberty, genocide, or megalomania, DIE HARD's Gruber uses guns, explosives, and cunning to storm the Takagi Corporation's Christmas party and heist millions of dollars from the company. In addition, DIE HARD also saw the development of the clumsy or bad luck hero with John McClane (Bruce Willis), a man in the wrong place at the wrong time who chooses to intervene. Action fans would see this misfit hero archetype again in UNDER SIEGE (Steven Segal) and THE PHANTOM MENACE (Jar Jar Binks). Although DIE HARD contains many action movie cliches (one-liners, pyrotechnics), it also broke new ground in its genre.
Plot Summary
A New York City policeman, John McClane, visiting his estranged wife and two daughters on Christmas Eve, joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon the cop realizes that there's no one to save the hostages -- but him.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Contained In Special Edition Steelbook Packaging! | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 6/5/2007 |
| Running Time: 131 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1988 | | Catalog ID: 2244224 | | UPC: 00024543442226 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Alan Rickman | | Bonnie Bedelia | | Bruce Willis | | Reginald VelJohnson | | Charles Gordon - Executive Producer | | Frank J. Urioste - Editor | | Jackson De Govia - Production Designer | | Jan de Bont - Cinematographer | | Jeb Stuart - Screenplay | | Joel Silver - Producer | | John F. Link - Editor | | John McTiernan - Director | | John R. Jensen - Art Director | | Michael Kamen - Original Music By | | Roderick Thorp - Based On Novel By | | Steven E. de Souza - Screenplay |
| Awards |
Nominee (1989) | | | Oscar, Stephen Hunter Flick, Richard Shorr, Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing | | | Oscar, Richard Edlund, et. al., Best Effects, Visual Effects | | | Oscar, John F. Link, Frank J. Urioste, Best Film Editing | | | Oscar, Don J. Bassman, et. al., Best Sound |
| Memorable Quotes| "Nice suit, it would be a shame to ruin it." ---- Hans to Mr. Takagi (Alan Rickman to James Shigeta) | | "When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer. Benefits of a classical education." ---- Hans to Mr. Takagi (Alan Rickman to James Shigeta) |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
Rating: A- 01/07/2000 pp.71-2New York Times
"...It works....Relentless energy and smashing special-effects extravagance..." 07/15/1988 p.C12 Los Angeles Times
"...A triumph of well-oiled mechanical precision that performs miracles of destruction. As a grand flourish of cinematic technique, it is awesome..." 07/15/1988 p.C1 Total Film
"...DIE HARD is still the definitive action thriller. Alan Rickman delivers a deliciously ruthless Hollywood debut at the eloquent villain..." 06/01/2000 p.88 Premiere
"A seductive mix of machismo and humility, Willis reinvented the reluctant hero for the action age." 04/01/2004 p.64 ReelViews 10 of 10
Die Hard represents the class of modern action pictures and the standard by which they must be judged. Few films falling into the "mindless entertainment" genre have as much going for them as this movie. Not only is it a thrill-a-minute ride, but it has one of the best film villains in recent memory, a hero everyone can relate to, dialogue that crackles with wit, and a lot of very impressive pyrotechnics...Whether Bruce Willis is climbing up an elevator shaft, throwing himself off an exploding building, or racing barefoot across a flood littered with glass shards, his John McClane holds our attention while we hold our breaths. Die Hard isn't motion picture poetry, but it shows the kind of raucous entertainment that the industry is capable of delivering. For what it is, this is the top model -- flash, bang, and witty one-liners all included. Yippee kiyay! - James Berardinelli
DVD Verdict 10 of 10
Die Hard was the start of something new in the action genre. Or, at least that's how it seemed back in 1988. With "Mr. Moonlighting" Bruce Willis starring in his first action film (his first movie, Blind Date, was a flop), Die Hard shot to the top of the box office as it left moviegoers riveted by it's explosive action, suspense and trademark humor. Willis' hard smoking, hard talking John McClane was an everyman hero, and audiences loved him for it. Smelling the great green beast, Willis went on to make two successful sequels, Die Hard 2: Die Harder and Die Hard with a Vengeance...Guys like it when things blow up. It's like some innate reaction that lies deep inside our souls...Henceforth, men are naturally drawn to Die Hard...a fantastically crafted action movie. - Patrick Naugle
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