Great pace, great gun battles, great fun.
Die Hard (1988)
Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins
Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Reginald VelJohnson
Screenwriter: Jeb Stuart, Steven E. De Souza
Producer: Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver
Composer: Michael Kamen
DVD Info
Release:
Aug 11, 2008
Blu-ray Disc Features:
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
- Dolby Digital Surround - English
- 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio - English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - French, Spanish
- Subtitles - English, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Audio Commentaries - 1. John McTiernan - Director; Jackson De Govia - Production Designer
- 2. Richard Edlund - Visual Effects Producer (Scene Specific)
- Featurettes
- Trailers - 1. 20th Century Fox Previews
- 2. Trailers (3)
- 3. TV spots (7)
Interactive Features:
- Additional Interactive Features - 1. D-Box
- 2. Interactive Still Gallery
- Personal Scene Selections
- Pop-Ups - Subtitle Commentary Track by Cast and Crew
- Additional Text - 1. Cinefex Interactive Article
- 2. Cinematographer Interactive Article
- Screenplay
Reviews
The granddaddy of a whole genre of action films still remains sharp, tough, and exciting.
Die Hard is as high tech, rock hard and souped up as an action film can be.
A serviceable if rather overextended and overblown adventure thriller.
...remains one of the most entertaining and flat-out thrilling examples of the action genre...
Great escapist action, but it's still nothing more than an action movie %u2013 cinema's version of a nice, tasty hamburger.
The pumped-up, high tech surprise hit of 1988; a triumph of slick direction and lowbrow thrills, marred but not spoiled by a sour aftertaste.
A seminal action film that created an entire subgenre. Super action, but the key to its success is how it effectively pits Willis' common-man hero against Rickman's haughty arch-villain.
Every so often a movie comes along whose concept sparks a flood of imitators. Die Hard is such a movie.
'A landmark film that breathed life and originality into an area of cinema where only formulas were proven reliable.'
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