Die Hard Die Hard Die Hard is a 1988 American action thriller film. It was directed by John McTiernan, and written by Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart. It was produced by the Gordon Company and Silver Pictures, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film follows off-duty New York City Police Department officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) who is caught in a Los Angeles skyscraper during a heist led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). It is based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel "Nothing Lasts Forever". Made for $28 million, "Die Hard" grossed over $140 million theatrically worldwide, with the film
Die Hard All Time" list. In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2006, Gruber was listed as the 17th greatest film character by "Empire". John McClane was placed at number 12 on the same list. In the June 22, 2007 issue of "Entertainment Weekly" it was named the best action film of all time. In 2010, "Die Hard" was voted as "The Greatest Christmas Film of All Time" by "Empire". In 2012, IGN listed it at the top spot on their