John McTiernan’sDie Hardis one of the greatest action movies ever made. Bruce Willis’ flawed everyman John McClane is a quintessential hero, Alan Rickman’s chilling terrorist leader Hans Gruber is a quintessential villain, and the story of one off-duty cop fending off an armed siege during an office Christmas party offers plenty of opportunities for both action-packed spectacle and engaging character work. After a decade of invincible musclebound supermen played by Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, McClane’s relatable flaws provided ‘80s moviegoers with a refreshing change of pace. Whether it’s technically a Christmas film or not,Die Hardis a masterpiece of the action genre.LikeNight of the Living Dead’s tale of survivors holing up in a zombie apocalypse andHalloween’s tale ofa masked serial killer picking off teenagers,Die Hard’s tale of one man thwarting a terrorist siege has become a subgenre of its own. “Die Hardin a…” has become a common way to describe certain action films with their own version of McClane, their own claustrophobic setting, and their own band of armed terrorists.RELATED:Die Hard: What Made John McClane A Breath Of Fresh AirThere are countless examples of action movies that copy theDie Hardscenario.Speedis “Die Hardon a bus,”Under Siegeis “Die Hardon a boat,”Executive Decisionis “Die Hardon a plane,”Air Force Oneis “Die Hardon the President’s plane,”Olympus Has Fallenis “Die Hardin the White House,”The Rockis “Die Hardon Alcatraz,”Cliffhangeris “Die Hardon a mountain,”Sudden Deathis “Die Hardin a hockey stadium” – the list goes on and on and on. Some ofDie Hard’s own sequels have followed this formula:Die Hard 2is “Die Hardin an airport.” By all accounts, theDie Hardscenario should’ve worn out its welcome a long time ago. But it remains one of the most enduring action subgenres.
The Action Genre’s Answer To Slashers
TheDie Hardscenario is like the action genre’s answer to slashers: a familiar story formula that’s simple enough for every filmmaker to put their own unique spin on it. “Buddy cop” moviesfollow theLethal Weaponformulaof mismatched detectives reluctantly teaming up to take down a common enemy, but the specifics of the plot aren’t beholden to genre traditions.Die Hardrip-offs, on the other hand, like slashers, have a series of basic story beats to follow.
The hero is usuallya relatable everyman like McClaneand there tends to be a family member in the mix, like McClane’s estranged wife Holly. The President’s family joins him on his fateful flight inAir Force One. Jean-Claude Van Damme takes his son and daughter to the hockey game inSudden Death. Steven Seagal goes on vacation with his niece inUnder Siege 2: Dark Territory. These family members get taken hostage by the bad guys to add personal stakes to the hero’s quest to bring them to justice. Throughout the movie, the hero picks off the main villain’s goons before eventually facing the main villain themselves in the finale.
Die Hardwill always be the gold standard, but its formula has spawned a handful of other action movie classics.SpeedandThe Raidare often included alongsideDie Harditself in rankings of the genre’s greats – which is a rarity in the rip-off market. The bestDie Hardrip-offs do something to distinguish themselves from the original. InSpeed,Keanu Reeves’ portrayal of Jack Travenas a straight arrow sets the character apart from McClane’s self-loathing and seat-of-his-pants decision-making.
A Fun Sandbox For Screenwriters To Play In
With a single underdog hero,a team of villains, and a finite setting, screenwriters have a clearly defined sandbox to play around in when they sit down to write aDie Hardclone. Setting the whole movie in one location allows writers to have fun with the things that make those locations unique. Movies set on planes likeExecutive DecisionandPassenger 57make extensive use of the cargo hold.Olympus Has FallenandWhite House Downset their fistfights and shootouts against symbols of American democracy. Andthe multitude of henchmeninvolved in the siege means the next action scene is never too far away.
But the juiciest aspect of theDie Hardformula isn’t its self-contained storytelling or rogues’ gallery of goons; it’s the hero. What made McClane such an instant icon in 1988 was that he offered a sharp counterpoint to thehypercompetent action heroesthat audiences had gotten used to. He’s an underdog who wears a grubby vest, gets beaten up by henchmen, and cuts his feet on broken glass. He’s a character that viewers can relate to and root for. It’s no wonder that the next generation of screenwriters picked up on that and set about coming up with their own take on the premise.
