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Die Hard
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02:22
Die Hard
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- 1988
- John McTiernan
- 126 mins
- 18
Summary
Action thriller starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman. New York cop John McClane gets caught up in a terrorist plot after arriving in Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his estranged wife Holly and his two children. When Holly is taken hostage in the offices of the Japanese corporation she works for, McClane launches a daring rescue attempt.
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IMDB
Review
A star rating of 5 out of 5.
Andrew Collins
This is the action thriller that minted Bruce Willis's career, launched a franchise and still stands as a giant of the genre. Recalling the disaster movies of the 1970s, it places a group of people in peril (office workers at a Christmas party in an otherwise empty Los Angeles skyscraper) when suave Alan Rickman and his Euro-terrorists take them hostage. One man (Willis, naturally) is charged with saving them. Director John McTiernan handles the bravura, vertigo-inducing set pieces with aplomb and the script oozes dry wit, but the star of the show is Willis, as resourceful but world-weary off-duty cop John McClane, who just wants to get home for Christmas dinner.
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8.2/10
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Credits
Cast
rolenameJohn McClaneBruce WillisHans GruberAlan RickmanHolly Gennaro McClaneBonnie BedeliaSergeant Al PowellReginald VelJohnsonDwayne T RobinsonPaul GleasonArgyleDe'Voreaux WhiteThornburgWilliam AthertonHarry EllisHart BochnerTakagiJames ShigetaKarlAlexander GodunovFrancoBruno DoyonTonyAndreas WisniewskiTheoClarence Gilyard JrAlexanderJoey PlewaAgent JohnsonRobert DaviAgent JohnsonGrand L BushUliAl Leong
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Crew
rolenameDirectorJohn McTiernan
Details
Theatrical distributor
20th Century Fox Film Co. Ltd
Released on
2018-12-05
Languages
English | German | Japanese | Italian
Guidance
Violence, swearing, nudity, drug abuse.
Available on
video, DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
News & features about Die Hard
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When is Die Hard on TV this Christmas?
Is the Bruce Willis classic a Christmas movie? The debate continues.
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Die Hard soundtrack: All the songs in the classic Christmas action film
Everyone from Run-DMC to Bing Crosby can be heard in the soundtrack.
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Die Hard ranked a Christmas film in tight Channel 4 poll – as UK region with highest early festive viewing is revealed
The broadcaster has unveiled a roundup of fun facts that reveal how audiences spent their time in front of the screen in 2025.
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Chris Ramsey gives his verdict on whether Die Hard is Christmas film
It's a debate that gets brought up every single year.
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Steven E de Souza on 35 years of Die Hard: "Bruce broke the steroid ceiling"
The screenwriter talks to RadioTimes.com about the actors who turned down the role, writing for Alan Rickman and coining the iconic "yippee-ki-yay" line.
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Top Gun and Die Hard star Clarence Gilyard Jr dies, aged 66
The actor was best known for his role as computer hacker Theo in Die Hard.
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John McTiernan on Die Hard: 'I didn't set out to reinvent the action movie'
McTiernan, director of the 1988 action classic, reflects on improvising classic scenes, "scrapping" with Jan de Bont and turning down the sequel.
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Die Hard is not a Christmas movie, poll finds – but the results are close
Could this settle the debate that's been raging for years?
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15 best Bruce Willis films – from Die Hard to The Sixth Sense
The action star has a more varied set of movies than you might expect.
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Hawkeye director says series is like Die Hard meets Knives Out
The Marvel spin-off boss reveals that the two blockbusters served as inspiration behind the six-part series.
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Die Hard is a Christmas film, director John McTiernan confirms
The director of the original has finally explained how it became a Christmas classic.
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Bruce Willis returns as Die Hard's John McClane... to sell batteries
The Die Hard star reprised his legendary role for an action-packed car battery ad.
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Call of Duty Nakatomi Plaza vault: How to unlock the new Die Hard vault in Warzone
CoD Warzone's Die Hard event adds a new Nakatomi Plaza vault for players to unlock.
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Die Hard fan thinks they've proved it's a Christmas movie once and for all
Does this finally put an end to the debate? Probably not.
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Call of Duty '80s Action Heroes Event: Can you play the Rambo and Die Hard content for free?
"Some heroes die hard. Others draw first blood."
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30 Die Hard facts you may not know about the Christmas classic
We celebrate over 30 years of Die Hard with 30 dead hard facts
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Die Hard Christmas debate is over as super-festive official trailer reminds us it's "The greatest Christmas story ever told"
Is the Bruce Willis film a festive one? Yippee Ki Yes!
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Bruce Willis just confirmed whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not...
A festive film or just one set at Christmas? John McClane has given his verdict
See more about Die Hard
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