In the Sixties, author Roderick Thorp wrote a novel, The Detective, which was turned into a movie, starring Frank Sinatra in the title role of Joe Leland. A sequel was written, in which Joe becomes trapped in the Claxxon Oil Corporation skyscraper after it is taken over by German terrorists and he has to rescue his daughter and grandchildren. Two decades later, the skyscraper becomes Nakatomi, the daughter becomes the wife, Leland becomes John McClane and the title becomes Die Hard. To say that Die Hard sets new standards for action movies is like calling Bill Gates well off. The movie was so innovative and groundbreaking that dozens of rip-offs followed - Passenger 57, Under Siege, Cliffhanger, Sudden Death, et al.
In the 1960s, Roderick Thorp wrote the novel *The Detective*, which was adapted into a film starring Frank Sinatra as Joe Leland. Thorp later wrote a sequel in which Leland is trapped in the Claxxon Oil Corporation skyscraper after it is seized by German terrorists, forcing him to rescue his daughter and grandchildren. Two decades later, this concept evolved into *Die Hard*, with the skyscraper becoming Nakatomi Plaza, the daughter transformed into the wife, and Joe Leland reimagined as John McClane. *Die Hard* redefined the action genre, setting a benchmark that inspired numerous imitations, such as *Passenger 57*, *Under Siege*, *Cliffhanger*, and *Sudden Death*.
In the 1960s, author Roderick Thorp wrote a novel titled The Detective, which was adapted into a film featuring Frank Sinatra as Joe Leland. A sequel followed, where Joe finds himself trapped in the Claxxon Oil Corporation skyscraper after it is seized by German terrorists, leading him to rescue his daughter and grandchildren. Two decades later, the setting shifted to the Nakatomi Plaza, the character of the daughter was changed to that of a wife, Joe Leland was reimagined as John McClane, and the title became Die Hard. Die Hard established new benchmarks for action films, leading to numerous imitations such as Passenger 57, Under Siege, Cliffhanger, and Sudden Death.
In the 1960s, author Roderick Thorp published a novel called The Detective, which was made into a film starring Frank Sinatra as Joe Leland. A sequel was released, in which Joe is trapped in the Claxxon Oil Corporation skyscraper after it is taken over by German terrorists and must save his daughter and grandchildren. Twenty years later, the location was moved to the Nakatomi Plaza, the daughter was renamed a wife, Joe Leland was renamed John McClane, and the movie was renamed Die Hard. Die Hard set new standards for action movies, and was copied by many other films, including Passenger 57, Under Siege, Cliffhanger, and Sudden Death.
In the 1960s, Roderick Thorp wrote a novel called The Detective, which was made into a movie starring Frank Sinatra as Joe Leland. A sequel came next, in which Joe is imprisoned in the Claxxon Oil Corporation skyscraper after it is taken over by German terrorists, and he must save his daughter and grandchildren. Twenty years later, the location was moved to the Nakatomi Plaza, the daughter was rewritten as a wife, Joe Leland was rewritten as John McClane, and the title was changed to Die Hard. Die Hard set new standards for action movies, and spawned a slew of imitators, including Passenger 57, Under Siege, Cliffhanger, and Sudden Death.