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Die Hard (film series)

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Die Hard
Created byRoderick Thorp
Original workDie Hard
Print publications
ComicsDie Hard: Year One[1]
Films and television
Film(s)Die Hard
Die Hard 2
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Live Free or Die Hard
A Good Day to Die Hard
Games
Video game(s)Die Hard
Die Hard Arcade
Die Hard Trilogy
Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas
Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza
Die Hard: Vendetta

The Die Hard series is a series of action films beginning with Die Hard in 1988, which was based on the 1979 bestselling novel, Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. All five films are centered around the character of John McClane (portrayed by Bruce Willis), a New York City police detective who finds himself fighting a group of terrorists in each episode. There are also several video games based on the films, as well as a comic book series released in August 2009.

Films

Die Hard (series)
Directed byJohn McTiernan (I, III)
Renny Harlin (II)
Len Wiseman (IV)
John Moore (V)
Written byJonathan Hensleigh (III)
Screenplay byJeb Stuart (I)
Steven E. de Souza (I-II)
Doug Richardson (II)
Mark Bomback (IV)
Skip Woods (V)
Story byMark Bomback (IV)
David Marconi (IV)
StarringBruce Willis
Music byMichael Kamen (I-III)
Marco Beltrami (IV-V)
Distributed by20th Century Fox[2]
Release date
1988 – present
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$298,000,000
Box office$1,130,432,180

Plot summaries

Die Hard (1988)

Main article: Die Hard

The first film begins on Christmas Eve when McClane is traveling to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), who is living in Los Angeles with their two children and using her maiden name. They attend a party at the fictional Nakatomi Plaza. During the party, East German terrorists break into the building and take the partygoers hostage. McClane escapes detection and manages to hide throughout the building, gradually killing off the terrorist gang and learning that their real aim is to steal millions from the building's vault. When McClane meets the terrorist's leader, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), a climactic battle ensues and McClane throws Gruber out of the window.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)

Main article: Die Hard 2

The second film takes place a year after the events of the first film, once again on Christmas Eve. The setting for the film is Washington, D.C., McClane is at Washington Dulles International Airport awaiting the arrival of his wife. Meanwhile a group of mercenaries led by former U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel Stuart (William Sadler), take over the airport's communication systems, stranding several planes in the air, including the one McClane's wife is on. Colonel Stuart's plan is to free a captured Latin American dictator (Franco Nero) who is en route to the airport. McClane discovers the plan, including a conspiracy between Stuart and an Army counter-terrorist unit sent to stop him. He foils their plans and provides a visual landing signal for the circling aircraft by exploding the plane the villains were using for their getaway.

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Main article: Die Hard with a Vengeance

In the third film, McClane is back in New York City, and is now separated from his wife, suspended from the police force, and a borderline alcoholic. A terrorist who goes only by the name "Simon" (Jeremy Irons) threatens to blow up various locations in the city unless McClane will play his twisted version of Simon Says. McClane must solve a number of riddles and challenges in order to keep the bombs from going off. He receives the reluctant help of Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson), a shopkeeper from Harlem who had saved McClane after the first challenge "Simon" had put him through. The FBI finally reveal that "Simon" is in fact Simon Peter Gruber, the brother of Hans Gruber, who is attempting to kill McClane in revenge for his brother's death in the first film. In a subsequent revelation, McClane discovers that revenge is only a timely and clever cover story to conceal the true purpose behind his terrorist activities: the forced depletion of New York's Federal Reserve. With the help of Carver, McClane tracks Simon to the Canadian border. There, in a decisive final confrontation with the latter in a helicopter, McClane puts an end to Simon's plan with a handgun and a power line.

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

Main article: Live Free or Die Hard

The fourth film takes place on Independence Day, over a decade after the events of Die Hard with a Vengeance, with McClane now divorced from his wife and estranged from his daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). A group of cyber-terrorists begin hacking into the computers of the FBI, who send McClane to bring in computer hacker Matthew "Matt" Farrell (Justin Long) to question him about the cyber-attack. In the process, a group of assassins, hired by terrorist mastermind Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), attempt to kill McClane and Farrell. Farrell tells McClane that the terrorists are actually in the middle of performing a crippling cyber-warfare attack on the infrastructure of the country, disrupting all power, public utilities, traffic, and other computer-controlled systems. The terrorists later take Lucy and Farrell hostage. In the end, McClane saves them and foils the terrorists' scheme.

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

Main article: A Good Day to Die Hard

On May 5, 2010, it was announced that X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The A-Team writer Skip Woods were in negotiations to script a fifth Die Hard movie, and that the film will be produced by Alex Young. Bruce Willis will again return as John McClane, and Willis said that he would like to see Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman return[3][4][5] and even wishes to see the story take place outside of the United States, with a tentative title of Die Hard 24/7.

On October 5, 2010, during an MTV interview, Willis announced that a first draft of the script was finished and that shooting should begin in 2011.[6] Regarding a possible Die Hard 6, Bruce Willis told ShowbizSpy, "for me, I want to do Die Hard 5, then one final Die Hard movie—Die Hard 6—before finally hanging that white vest up for good".[7] Noam Murro was set to direct the film scripted by Woods and continue to develop the script,[8] but he left to direct the 300 prequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, instead. Irish-born director John Moore was then signed on to direct.[9] The film was said to involve John McClane and his son heading to Russia.[10]

On October 13, 2011, the studio announced exclusively on The Jim Rome Show that the film would be titled A Good Day to Die Hard and would be released on Valentine's Day 2013.[11] On the same day, sources at FOX Studio's indicated that Patrick Stewart was under strong consideration for the film's main villain, a disgraced Russian general who plots the assassination of the visiting U.S. President.[12] Fox Studio was looking at Liam Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, James Badge Dale and D.J. Cotrona for the part of John McClane Jr. in the film.[13]

Shooting was set to commence in January 2012 in Budapest, Hungary.[14] However filming was pushed back to the last week of April, to accommodate star Bruce Willis. Filming will take place in Budapest and Moscow.[15]

On February 22, 2012, it was announced that Jai Courtney would be portraying John "Jack" McClane, Jr. in the film.[16]

On April 4, 2012, it was announced that Sebastian Koch and Yuliya Snigir would portray Russian villains.[17]

Filming began as planned, on April 23, 2012 in Budapest, Hungary where filming continued until May 14, 2012.[18] After, the production was planned to move to Belgrade, Serbia.

It was reported in the set photos that Amaury Nolasco has joined the cast in an unknown role.[19]

On May 8, 2012, actor Cole Hauser was reported as portraying the supporting role as a villain named Collins.[20]

Development

Die Hard is adapted from the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, by Roderick Thorp. Nothing Lasts Forever is a sequel to the novel The Detective which was also adapted into a film starring Frank Sinatra. Both novels are about a private detective named Joe Leland. Die Hard 2 was adapted from the 1987 novel 58 Minutes, by Walter Wager. Die Hard with a Vengeance was adapted from a script called Simon Says by Jonathan Hensleigh and Live Free or Die Hard was based on the 1997 article "A Farewell to Arms" written for Wired magazine by John Carlin.[21]

Reception

Box office

Film Release date Box office revenue Box office ranking Budget Reference
Domestic Foreign Worldwide All time domestic All time worldwide
Die Hard July 15, 1988 $83,008,852 $57,759,104 $140,767,956 #668 $28,000,000 [22]
Die Hard 2: Die Harder July 6, 1990 $117,540,947 $122,490,147 $240,031,094 #397 #391 $70,000,000 [23]
Die Hard with a Vengeance May 19, 1995 $100,012,499 $266,089,167 $366,101,666 #537 #195 $90,000,000 [24]
Live Free or Die Hard June 27, 2007 $134,529,403 $249,002,061 $383,531,464 #301 #173 $110,000,000 [25]
A Good Day to Die Hard February 14, 2013 $125,000,000 [26]
Total $435,091,701 $695,340,479 $1,130,432,180 $423,000,000

Critical reception

The Die Hard series as a whole has received generally mixed to positive reviews.

The original Die Hard received substantial praise. Pete Croatto of FilmCritic.com called the film "a perfect action movie in every detail, the kind of movie that makes your summer memorable."[27] James Berardinelli wrote that the film "represents the class of modern action pictures and the standard by which they must be judged."[28] Critic Desson Howe wrote that "Willis has found the perfect vehicle to careen wildly onto the crowded L.A. freeway of Lethal Weapons and Beverly Hills Cops."[29] Willis was also called "perfect as the wisecracking John McClane"[28] and "an excellent casting choice as a sardonic action hero."[30] Alan Rickman's portrayal of villain Hans Gruber was described as "marvelous"[31] and "a career-making performance."[32] Gruber also ranked 46 on the villain side of AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly ranked Die Hard the greatest action film of all time.[33]

The first sequel, Die Hard 2, received mixed to positive reviews. Despite only giving the original film two stars, critic Roger Ebert gave this film three and a half stars and called it "terrific entertainment."[34] James Berardinelli called the film "somewhat-muddled but still entertaining."[35]Peter Travers wrote that "however impressively made, Die Hard 2 begins to wear thin."[36]

The third film, Die Hard With a Vengeance, received even more mixed reviews. The action was praised far more than the plot. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly stated that while "McTiernan stages individual sequences with great finesse... they don't add up to a taut, dread-ridden whole."[37] James Berardinelli thought that the explosions and fights were "filmed with consummate skill, and were thrilling in their own right."[38] Samuel L. Jackson also received praise for his role in the film. Desson Howe of the Washington Post thought that "the best thing about the movie was the relationship between McClane and Zeus," saying that Jackson was "almost as good as he was in Pulp Fiction."[39]

The most recent entry in the series, Live Free or Die Hard, has been praised as being as good as the original. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle claimed that the film "is the best in the series, an invigorating return to the style of blockbuster that dominated summers back in the early 1990s."[40] USA Today film critic Claudia Puig said that the film "delivers when it comes to kick-butt, action-packed mayhem," but "as a convincing techno-thriller, it doesn't really work."[41]

The fifth film was panned by critics.

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic (DVD) Yahoo! Movies
Die Hard 94% (50 reviews)[42] 70 (13 reviews)[43] B+ (7 reviews)[44]
Die Hard 2: Die Harder 65% (45 reviews)[45] B- (6 reviews)[46]
Die Hard with a Vengeance 50% (43 reviews)[47] 58 (19 reviews)[48]
Live Free or Die Hard 82% (198 reviews)[49] 69 (34 reviews)[50] B (13 reviews)[51]
Average Rating 73% 66 N/A

Characters

Characters Film
Die Hard Die Hard 2: Die Harder Die Hard with a Vengeance Live Free or Die Hard A Good Day to Die Hard
John McClane Bruce Willis
Holly Gennero Bonnie Bedelia (voice) Bonnie Bedelia (photo)
Al Powell Reginald VelJohnson
Richard Thornburg William Atherton
Lucy Gennero-McClane Taylor Fry (mentioned) Mary Elizabeth Winstead
John "Jack" McClane Jr. Noah Land (mentioned) (mentioned) Jai Courtney
Hans Gruber Alan Rickman Alan Rickman (flashback)
Karl Alexander Godunov
Harry Ellis Hart Bochner
Deputy Dwayne Robinson Paul Gleason
Argyle De'voreaux White
Colonel Stuart William Sadler
Captain Lorenzo Dennis Franz
Major Grant John Amos
General Esperanza Franco Nero
Leslie Barnes Art Evans
Zeus Carver Samuel L. Jackson
Simon Peter Gruber Jeremy Irons
Walter Cobb Larry Bryggman
Joe Lambert Graham Greene
Connie Kowalski Colleen Camp
Matt Farrell Justin Long
Thomas Gabriel Timothy Olyphant
Frederick 'Warlock' Kaludis Kevin Smith
Miguel Bowman Cliff Curtis
Mai Linh Maggie Q
Trey Jonathan Sadowski
Collins Cole Hauser
Komorov Sebastian Koch
Irina Yuliya Snigir

Crew and other

Crew/Detail Film
Die Hard Die Hard 2: Die Harder Die Hard with a Vengeance Live Free or Die Hard A Good Day to Die Hard
Director John McTiernan Renny Harlin John McTiernan Len Wiseman John Moore
Music Michael Kamen Marco Beltrami
Themes:
Michael Kamen
Writer Screenplay:
Steven E. de Souza, Jeb Stuart
Based on:
Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp 		Screenplay:
Steven E. de Souza, Doug Richardson
Based on:
58 Minutes by Walter Wager
Characters by:
Roderick Thorp 		Written by:
Jonathan Hensleigh
Certain original characters by:
Roderick Thorp 		Screenplay:
Mark Bomback
Story by:
Mark Bomback, David Marconi
Based on:
A Farewell to Arms by John Carlin
Characters by:
Roderick Thorp 		Screenplay:
Skip Woods
Characters by:
Roderick Thorp
MPAA Rating R PG-13 R
Running time 131 minutes 124 minutes 139 minutes 129 minutes 97 minutes[52]

Other media

Video games

A number of video games based on the successful movie franchise Die Hard have been released over the years, ranging from beat 'em ups to first-person shooters. While some of the games are based directly on the movies, a few further detail the adventures of John McClane between or after the series.

Titles

Comics

In May 2009, BOOM! Studios announced that they would be releasing an ongoing Die Hard comic series that would serve as a prequel to the first movie. Its story is set in 1976 and follows John McClane as a rookie cop in the NYPD,[1][53][54] and is scripted by Howard Chaykin.[55] The first issue of Die Hard: Year One was released on September 30, 2009. Eight issues have been released, with the eighth released on April 12, 2010.

The official description read:

Every great action hero got started somewhere. Batman Begins. Bond had his Casino Royale. And for John McClane, more than a decade before the first Die Hard movie, he’s just another rookie cop, an East Coast guy working on earning his badge in New York City during 1976s Bicentennial celebration... and the Summer of Sam. Too bad for John McClane, nothing's ever that easy.[53][56]

References

  1. ^ a b "Die Hard comic chronicles goddamn John McClane's first year". Comic Book Resources. July 23, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  2. ^ Except for international rights to the third film, owned by Cinergi Pictures and Touchstone Pictures
  3. ^ "'Die Hard 5' Script in Negotiations". MTV. May 5, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  4. ^ Fresh New Titles for Fox's Die Hard 5 & Fantastic Four Reboot
  5. ^ Billington, Alex (June 9, 2010). "Fresh New Titles for Fox's Die Hard 5 & Fantastic Four Reboot". Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  6. ^ 'Die Hard 5' Script Almost Ready, Bruce Willis Says – MTV Movie News
  7. ^ "Willis Back For Two More Die Hard Movies". MovieHole.com. October 20, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike (February 11, 2011). "Noam Murro To Direct 'Die Hard 5'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  9. ^ "John Moore to Direct Dire Hard 5". IFTN. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  10. ^ Bracken, Mike. "First 'Die Hard 5' Plot Details Emerge: John McClane Goes Global (Updated with Director Shortlist)". Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  11. ^ McClintock, Pamela (October 12, 2011). "Fox Moves Ahead With New 'Die Hard' and 'Percy Jackson' Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  12. ^ Jeffery Racheff (October 14, 2011). "Bruce Willis Signs on For 'Die Hard 5'". LimeLife. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  13. ^ "'Die Hard' Search For Bruce Willis' Son Down To Four Actors". Deadline Hollywood. November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  14. ^ "A Die Hard 5 januártól forog Budapesten". Magyar Távirati Iroda. Index.hu. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  15. ^ "Tom Rothman Goes Indie While Juggling 'Die Hard' Start And 'We Bought A Zoo' Sneak". Mike Fleming. Index.hu. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  16. ^ "'Die Hard 5' casts 'Spartacus' star as John McClane's son". Entertainment Weekly. February 22, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  17. ^ "A Good Day to Die Hard' Finds a Couple of Male and Female Villains". April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "workwww.firstshowing.net" ignored (help)
  18. ^ "Bruce Willis Film Causes Traffic Restrictions in Budapest". April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "workwww.xpatloop.com/" ignored (help)
  19. ^ "A Good Day to Die Hard Set Photos". May 7, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "workwww.movieweb.com/" ignored (help)
  20. ^ "Cole Hauser Joins Bruce Willis in a Good Day To Die Hard". May 8, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "workwww.deadline.com/" ignored (help)
  21. ^ Carlin, John (1997). "A Farewell to Arms". Wired (5.05). Retrieved October 9, 2011. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  22. ^ "Die Hard (1988)". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  23. ^ "Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  24. ^ "Die Hard: With A Vengeance (1995)". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  25. ^ "Live Free or Die Hard (2007)". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  26. ^ "A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  27. ^ Croatto, Pete. "Die Hard". FilmCritic.com. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  28. ^ a b Berardinelli, James. "Die Hard A movie review by James Berardinelli". ReelViews.com. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  29. ^ Howe, Desson (July 15, 1988). "Die Hard". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  30. ^ BBC.co.uk
  31. ^ Eyeforfilm.co.uk
  32. ^ MacReady, Gator. "Eye for Film: Die Hard Movie Review". Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  33. ^ "The Action 25: The Best Rock-'em, Sock-'em Movies of the Past 25 Years". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
  34. ^ Ebert, Roger (July 3, 1990). "Die Hard 2: Die Harder". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  35. ^ Berardinelli, James. "Die Hard 2". ReelViews.
  36. ^ Travers, Peter (February 8, 2001). "Die Hard 2". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  37. ^ Die Hard With a Vengeance – EW.com
  38. ^ Reelviews Movie Review
  39. ^ Howe, Desson (May 19, 1995). "'Die Hard With a Vengeance'". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  40. ^ LaSalle, Mick (June 26, 2007). "Old-school, bare-knuckle action – McClane delivers and then some". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
  41. ^ Puig, Claudia (June 25, 2007). "Techno stuff shuts down the action in 'Die Hard'". USA Today.
  42. ^ "Die Hard Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  43. ^ "Die Hard (1988): Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  44. ^ "Die Hard (1988) – Movie Info – Yahoo! Movies". Yahoo! Movies. July 13, 1998. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  45. ^ "Die Hard 2: Die Harder Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  46. ^ "Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) – Movie Info – Yahoo! Movies". Yahoo! Movies. July 3, 1990. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  47. ^ "Die Hard With a Vengeance Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  48. ^ "Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995): Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  49. ^ "Live Free or Die Hard Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  50. ^ "Live Free or Die Hard (2007): Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  51. ^ "Live Free or Die Hard (2007) – Movie Info – Yahoo! Movies". Yahoo! Movies. June 27, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  52. ^ http://www.amctheatres.com/movies/a-good-day-to-die-hard
  53. ^ a b "Die Hard: Year One — John McClane Prequel Developed as a Comic Book Series | /Film". Slashfilm.com. August 25, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  54. ^ "Movies – News – 'Die Hard' comic prequel planned". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  55. ^ Marshall, Rick (June 29, 2009). "EXCLUSIVE: Die Hard: Year One Writer Talks Prequel Plot, Reveals New Jock & Dave Johnson Covers!". MTV.com. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
  56. ^ "Die Hard Gets A Prequel With Die Hard: Year One". Icon vs. Icon. May 28, 2009. Retrieved 10-06-2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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