Die Hard

The 1988 feature film Die Hard was an action thriller directed by John McTiernan. It was well-received by both critics and fans.

It starred Bruce Willis, for whom it was a successful transition from the small to the big screen.

Die Hard had a very strong supporting cast, including Bonnie Bedilia, Reginald VelJohnson, Alexander Godunov and a delightfully fiendish Alan Rickman as the chief villain, Hans Gruber.

Plot

Willis plays John McClaine, a New York City cop, is visiting his wife Holly (played by Bonnie Bedelia) in Los Angeles for Christmas. He is driven to Nakatomi Plaza, the U.S. offices of the fictional multinational Nakatomi Corporation, where a Christmas party is underway. Shortly after he arrives, a group of twelve terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) storm the building and take the employees hostage. He manages to escape capture.

McClaine attempts to do what he can to undermine the intruders: firstly, by contacting the emergency services using the building fire alarm, fighting back against them directly, and giving information to the police, specifically to Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), a desk sergeant who got caught up in the action on his way home.

Sequels

• Die Hard 2 ("Die Harder") sees McClaine having to take on mercenaries who take control of air traffic control and communication at Dulles airport.
• In Die Hard With A Vengeance, McClaine and Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson) must defuse bombs across New York placed by Hans Gruber's brother.
• Die Hard 4.0 has McClaine trying to stop computer hackers from destroying the complete infrastructure of the United States.
• A fifth Die Hard movie is being produced for release in 2012.