Morgan Truder
Die Hard is now more than 35 years old, which means it’s less “old enough to drink” and more “should probably start Googling pension options”. Time, as ever, waits for no action classic.
Somehow, over the decades, it’s also become a full-blown Christmas institution, despite the fact that people still argue about whether it even counts as a Christmas film. (It does. We can talk about it later.)
If you fancy settling the debate with a festive rewatch, Die Hard is currently streaming on Disney+. And of course, it absolutely holds up. But if you want to go in armed with a little extra knowledge this time around, we’ve got you covered.
Below you’ll find a stash of trivia to level up your viewing: behind-the-scenes stories, odd production quirks and a few narrative nuggets that aren’t immediately obvious when you’re distracted by exploding glass and Alan Rickman chewing scenery.
Consider this your pre-watch warm-up. Here are 20 things you probably didn’t know about Die Hard.
Merry John McClane, everyone.
1. A tall store
Fox Plaza, a 35-storey, Los Angeles skyscraper stood in for the Nakatomi Plaza.
The building has also been the main setting for the rock & roll comedy Airheads, and the lobby is featured in the opening scene of Speed. Fox Plaza was also used as one of the buildings brought down at the end of Fight Club (pictured).
The building is seen in Grand Theft Auto V as Weazel Plaza too, a not so subtle dig at Fox.
2. Building towards something
Fox Plaza was under construction during filming and many of the scenes that show it half-finished were filmed exactly as the building was. Handy, right?
3. Let's be frank
Die Hard is based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, a sequel to his 1966 novel The Detective, which had itself been turned into a 1968 film of the same name starring Frank Sinatra.
That film was a box office success, and when Thorp wrote the sequel, the studio was contractually obliged to offer Sinatra the lead role despite being 73 years old at the time. Thankfully, Sinatra turned it down.
4. All The Gere, No Idea
The script was offered to a variety of action stars including Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford and Don Johnson, all of whom turned it down. Richard Gere, Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds are all also thought to have given the role the big thumbs down.
5. Comman, doh!
Die Hard was originally conceived as a sequel to sweaty gun-fest Commando, but when Arnie declined they, quite rightly, binned the idea.
6. brucey bonus
Willis was largely known for his comedic role on Moonlighting, and the studio was somewhat panicky that he didn't have star appeal. The marketing campaign's initial billboards and posters reflected this, and Willis' face was anything but a focal point. Pee-po, Brucey!
7. every last drop
Rickman himself was dropped 40 feet in the stunt required for Gruber's death scene. It's rumoured the crew dropped Alan Rickman on the count of two when he was expecting a three count, to make him look even more surprised.
In this lovely video, Rickman admits he can't remember whether that was the case, but does say that due to the danger involved, producers made sure it was the last scene Rickman shot. Fortunately, they got it in one take.
8. One night only
In the original script, Die Hard took place over three days, but director John McTiernan was inspired to have it take place over a single night by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. That's sort of where the parallels between the two end, really.
9. Paint it back
A painted backing was wrapped around the 34th-floor set to create the L.A. backdrop. It was 380 feet long and featured animated lights to create day and night effects. It’s still in Fox’s inventory and is sometimes used for other films.
10. pacific heights
The terrorists arrive in a truck that is green with a white top with "Pacific Courier" on the side (top). "Atlantic Courier" (presumably a subsidiary?) was used in Die Hard: With A Vengeance (middle) in which Hans Gruber's brother is the villain. "Pacific Courier" also appears in Speed (bottom). The link between all three? Production designer Jackson De Govia.
11. The right (rick)man for the job
In spring 1987, producer Joel Silver and director McTiernan attended a performance of the play Dangerous Liaisons, in which Alan Rickman played the evil Vicomte de Valmont. Immediately, they knew they had found their Hans Gruber, leading to Rickman's first feature film role.
12. american
The DVD commentary reveals the script did not originally feature the "Bill Clay" scene between McClane and Gruber in which Gruber pretends to be a hostage; it was only written in when it was discovered that Rickman could perform a brilliant American accent.
13. bullet time
McTiernan wanted "exaggerated realism" in the muzzle flashes of the weaponry so blanks were specifically made for maximum visual impact. Special effects coordinator Al Di Sarro said: "In the world of blanks, there are loads that are not so loud and loads that are deafening. These were deafening." Rickman in particular struggled with the volume of the bang. Every time he would pull the trigger, he would flinch, so McTiernan tried to cut away each time Gruber shoots.
14. number two
Amazingly, the late great film critic Roger Ebert wasn't so keen on the film, giving it just two stars. He really didn't like deputy police chief Dwayne T.Robinson saying: "All by himself, he successfully undermines the last half of the movie."
Just goes to show, even the greats can be wrong, from time to time.
15. pearl of wisdom
Nakatomi president Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi has a back story. He served on the Japanese navy ship, Akagi, which was the carrier that transported the bombers of Pearl Harbour in World War II. Hence "Akagi" is the password to the vault.
16. shafted
The scene in which McClane falls down a ventilation shaft and catches himself was an accident on set. A stuntman actually fell attempting to shoot the scene, and it was editor Frank Urioste‘s decision to incorporate the fall into the final film.
17. to heli and back
The scene in which a SWAT Greyhound knocks over a stair railing at the front of Fox Plaza required months of negotiations with Fox. The end helicopter scene took six months of preparation and the production was given only two hours in which to film it. It took three attempts, nine camera crews, and everyone within 500 feet of the line of flight had to be an employee.
18. honey pot
Much of the script was improvised due to the constant screenplay tweaks being made during filming. Perhaps the best improvised line is Bruce Willis's "Hi Honey" at the end.
19. utterly ridiculous
In the DVD commentary John McTiernan rather wonderfully says of the movie: “It’s okay to think this is ridiculous, because the storyteller thinks it’s ridiculous.”
20. shattered glass
The phrase “Die Hard” doesn't really translate in other countries, so it was retitled. In Spain, it’s called The Crystal Jungle, and in Poland, it's called The Glass Trap.
- Hans Gruber is one of our greatest movie villains.
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