About

NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her office, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.

8.2
13k
Directed by

John McTiernan

Written by

Jeb Stuart (Screenplay)
Steven E. de Souza (Screenplay)
Roderick Thorp (Novel)

Runtime

131 minutes

Country

United States of America

Language

English

Tagline

40 Stories. Twelve Terrorists. One Cop.

Cast

Keywords

murder christmas violence based on novel or book fistfight journalist los angeles kidnapping german fbi explosion shootout terrorist heist christmas eve limousine hostage 1980s helicopter s.w.a.t. skyscraper one night one man army glass christmas party elevator shaft action hero vault walkie talkie bearer bonds first part

Photos

Lists

#121 on IMDb top 250 IMDb

#565 on 1,000 greatest films They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?

#29 on Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time Empire

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Steven Jay Schneider

Awards

Oscar nomination for Best Effects, Visual Effects Richard Edlund Al Di Sarro Brent Boates

Oscar nomination for Best Sound Don J. Bassman Richard Overton Kevin F. Cleary

Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing Frank J. Urioste

Oscar nomination for Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing Stephen Hunter Flick