Die Hard (franchise)
A police detective survives repeated attempts on his life.
Die Hard is an American action film series and media franchise that began with Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever. The five films center on police detective John McClane, who repeatedly survives crises through a combination of luck and resourcefulness. The franchise has grossed $1.4 billion worldwide, with Bruce Willis appearing in all five installments.
Quick Facts
- Creator
- Roderick Thorp
- Origin
- Nothing Lasts Forever (1979)
- Owner
- 20th Century Studios
- Years
- from 1988
- Novels
- The Detective (1966)
- Nothing Lasts Forever (1979)
- 58 Minutes (1987)
- Comics
- Die Hard: Year One
- A Die Hard Christmas
- A Million Ways to Die Hard
Facts from the source article.
Films
The first film is set in Los Angeles at the fictional Nakatomi Plaza on Christmas Eve, where John McClane arrives to reunite with his separated wife Holly at her company's Christmas party. West German terrorists take the celebrants hostage, but McClane evades capture and kills the gang, learning their true plan to steal $640 million in bearer bonds. He shoots leader Hans Gruber out of a window to his death. Released on July 15, 1988, it grossed $140.8 million worldwide. The second film takes place two years later, again on Christmas Eve, at Washington Dulles International Airport. Mercenaries led by former U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel Stuart seize airport communications, stranding planes including one carrying McClane's wife. Stuart aims to free a captured Latin American dictator. McClane foils the plot and provides a landing signal by exploding the villains' getaway plane. Released on July 4, 1990, it grossed $240 million. In the third film, McClane is a suspended police lieutenant and borderline alcoholic in New York City. A terrorist called Simon threatens to bomb locations unless McClane plays a game of riddles. Zeus Carver, a Harlem shopkeeper, reluctantly assists. Simon is revealed as Hans Gruber's brother, and his revenge is a cover for robbing the New York Federal Reserve. McClane kills Simon by shooting a power line above his helicopter. Released on May 19, 1995, it grossed $366.1 million.
Production
Die Hard was adapted from Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever. Die Hard 2 was adapted from Walter Wager's 1987 novel 58 Minutes. Die Hard with a Vengeance came from a script called Simon Says by Jonathan Hensleigh, briefly considered for Lethal Weapon 4; the hook of a man targeted for revenge by someone whose life he destroyed caught director John McTiernan's attention, and the project came together when Simon became Hans Gruber's brother. It was novelized by Deborah Chiel. Live Free or Die Hard was based on John Carlin's 1997 Wired article "A Farewell to Arms" and drew on a Fox script called "WW3.com" about cyberterrorism, abandoned in 2001 due to similarities to the September 11 attacks. A Good Day to Die Hard was the only film with an original screenplay, written by Skip Woods.
Reception
The first Die Hard is widely regarded as one of the greatest action movies ever made. Pete Croatto called it "a perfect action movie in every detail." James Berardinelli wrote that it "represents the class of modern action pictures." Bruce Willis was praised as "perfect as the wisecracking John McClane," and Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber was called "marvelous" and a "career-making performance." Gruber ranked 46 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains villain list. Entertainment Weekly named Die Hard the greatest action film of all time in 2007. Die Hard 2 received positive but lesser reviews; Roger Ebert gave it three and a half stars and called it "terrific entertainment," while Peter Travers said it "begins to wear thin." Die Hard with a Vengeance initially received mixed reviews. Owen Gleiberman felt the sequences "don't add up to a taut, dread-ridden whole," but James Berardinelli found the action "thrilling." Samuel L. Jackson's performance was praised, with Desson Howe noting his chemistry with Willis. Retrospective reviews have been more positive, with Empire ranking it among the 50 greatest film sequels in 2009 and Screen Rant calling it the best sequel.
Other media
BOOM! Studios published an ongoing comic series Die Hard: Year One, a prequel set in 1976 following John McClane as a rookie NYPD cop, scripted by Howard Chaykin. The first issue was released on September 30, 2009, and eight issues were released through April 12, 2010. In 2018, Insight Comics released the graphic novel A Million Ways to Die Hard, scripted by Frank Tieri with art by Mark Texeira. Numerous video games based on the franchise have been released, including Die Hard for NES and MS-DOS, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Die Hard Arcade, Die Hard Trilogy, Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas, Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza, Die Hard: Vendetta, mobile games for Java and Android, and Die Hard 4.0: The Mobile Game. In October 2020, Advance Auto Parts released a two-minute commercial short film titled DieHard is Back, featuring Bruce Willis, De'voreaux White, and Clarence Gilyard Jr. reprising their roles from the first film. The character John McClane also appears in a comical cameo in the 1993 film Loaded Weapon 1. The Cleveland Show includes episodes parodying the franchise, such as "Die Semi-Hard" and an episode where a character recites a speech referencing the first film.
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