Die Hard (film series) memorable." James Berardinelli wrote that the film "represents the class of modern action pictures and the standard by which they must be judged." Critic Desson Howe wrote that "Willis has found the perfect vehicle to careen wildly onto the crowded L.A. freeway of "Lethal Weapons" and "Beverly Hills Cops"." Willis was also called "perfect as the wisecracking John McClane" and "an excellent casting choice as a sardonic action hero." Alan Rickman's portrayal of villain Hans Gruber was described as "marvelous" and "a career-making performance." Gruber also ranked 46 on the villain side of AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains. In
Die Hard and feel of how action movies going forward were made, and which further changed with the evolution of CGI effects exemplified by "The Matrix" (1999). Scott Tobias of "The Guardian" observed that none of these following films readily captured the complete effectiveness of the "Die Hard" story. In 2001, "Die Hard" was listed at #39 on AFI's "100 Years... 100 Thrills", a list of America's most heart-pounding films. In 2003, Hans Gruber was listed at #46 on "the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains" list. It was selected by "Empire" magazine as #29 on their "500 Greatest Movies of