History YMMV / DieHard

* MagnificentBastard: [[WickedCultured Hans Gruber]] is the debonair [[BigBad mastermind]] behind the scheme to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in bearer bonds from the Nakatomi building. Meticulously orchestrating his operation, Hans constantly shows his brilliance by outmaneuvering both the police and federal agents working to stop him, as well as cool charisma both when his initial plot is disrupted and in his ability to negotiate with his hostages. To stop the police forces from catching wind of his true intent, Hans phones their negotiators to demand the release of a list of incarcerated terrorists--casually noting to an underling that he got the name of one such group from the news--thus successfully disguising his actual plan. When confronted by a smug hostage, Hans tricks the man into giving up the name of hero [[BadassUnintentional John [=McClane=]]] and is nearly able to discern the location of the detonators [=McClane=] has been hiding to use against Hans and his men. Later caught unarmed by [=McClane=], Hans effortlessly improvises using an American accent to [[WoundedGazelleGambit pretend he is a hostage]], a tactic which almost earns him the chance to kill the hero. A ruthless, {{greed}}y man, Hans's display of both strategic acumen and charisma nevertheless make him an iconic action film villain who sets the template for countless more to follow.

** ''Die Hard Trilogy'' for the [[UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}} PS1]], UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, and PC is considered to be a great Arcade-styled action game with plenty of variety in the styles chosen for each of the three movies (a third-person shooter for the original film, a first-person rail shooter for ''2'', and a vehicular driving game for ''Vengeance''; each would be SoOkayItsAverage by itself due to the somewhat simplified gameplay, but you get three competently-designed games in three different genres for the price of one). The only real sticking point is the graphics, which are butt-ugly even by 1996 standards.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Apparently, before Creator/BruceWillis was approached to play John [=McClane=], the job had already been turned down by Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, Creator/SylvesterStallone, Creator/BurtReynolds, Creator/RichardGere, Creator/HarrisonFord and Creator/MelGibson, who didn't believe in the script, and Creator/JohnMcTiernan, who would later direct it, even turned down several offers. When his agent delivered the news to Willis, he immediately advised him not to do it, thinking he'd make a complete fool of himself. However, due to the $5 million salary being simply too good to turn down, Willis accepted to play [=McClane=], kicking off his career as one of Hollywood's most popular and well-paid actors. Not to mention how the movie became influential in formula and protagonist type of later movies. It is now virtually impossible to find a ''Best Action Movies'' list that does not contain it, more often than not, at the top of the pile.

** Creator/AlanRickman deserved a ''lot'' of UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominations, but never more so than for this (and in his cinematic debut, no less). Hans Gruber has stood the test of time as one of the silver screen's most iconic villains. ''Empire'' even named Gruber the 17th greatest film ''character'' in 2006. As noted in ''Die Hard: A Complete Visual History,'' Creator/BruceWillis also thought Rickman deserved a nomination.

** And within this sub-genre, it's also this with other [[AnAssKickingChristmas Christmas themed action movies]]. With many fans of ''Film/BatmanReturns'', ''Film/LethalWeapon'', ''Film/JingleAllTheWay'', and many more getting sick of people calling it "The best Christmas action film".

** Nakatomi having over 640 million dollars in bearer bonds ''after'' TEFRA was passed in 1982 has led to speculation that they're up to some pretty shady stuff, including from ''WebVideo/CinemaSins''. This could be a hangover from the original novel, in which the company definitely ''is'' up to no good.

* OnceOriginalNowOverdone: Though the action itself holds up, [[DieHardOnAnX the movie's basic premise and elements being copied so much]] can often lead to people forgetting just how completely unlike anything else it was at the time. Compare it to ''Film/{{Commando}}'', which Schwarzenegger turned down the film to do and a more typical film of the era; a thickly-muscular InvincibleHero globetrotting the world and wiping out an entire terrorist organization singlehandedly in a hail of near-bloodless gunfire as everybody misses him, and realize just how revolutionary a film with a protagonist who's just a somewhat-skilled cop whose feats are mostly realistic, who gets injured and grows tired over the course of the film, with the action kept to a single confined space where every hit is brutal and made to count, would be by comparison.
* QuestionableCasting: Not well remembered, but at the time, putting Bruce Willis on the project was this in ''spades''. The lead role was written for the 72-year old Music/FrankSinatra, and at the time Willis was a ''comedian'' in a downward spiral; internal strife and ShippingBedDeath were destroying ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', and most viewers knew him as "The guy from the Seagram's Wine Coolers commercials." Imagine a modern film built around Creator/TommyLeeJones suddenly swapping his role for Creator/AndySamberg. Better yet, imagine it ''working'', transforming that rubberface into an action hero. What. The. Hell.

* WTHCastingAgency: Not well remembered, but at the time, putting Bruce Willis on the project was this in ''spades''. The lead role was written for the 72-year old Music/FrankSinatra, and at the time Willis was a ''comedian'' in a downward spiral; internal strife and ShippingBedDeath were destroying ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', and most viewers knew him as "The guy from the Seagram's Wine Coolers commercials." Imagine a modern film built around Creator/TommyLeeJones suddenly swapping his role for Creator/AndySamberg. Better yet, imagine it ''working'', transforming that rubberface into an action hero. What. The. Hell.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Though the action itself holds up, the movie's basic premise and elements being copied so much can often lead to people forgetting just how completely unlike anything else it was at the time. Compare it to ''Film/{{Commando}}'', which Schwarzenegger turned down the film to do and a more typical film of the era; a thickly-muscular InvincibleHero globetrotting the world and wiping out an entire terrorist organization singlehandedly in a hail of near-bloodless gunfire as everybody misses him, and realize just how revolutionary a film with a protagonist who's just a somewhat-skilled cop whose feats are mostly realistic, who gets injured and grows tired over the course of the film, with the action kept to a single confined space where every hit is brutal and made to count, would be by comparison.

* EvilIsSexy:
** This trope is pretty much a given when your villain is being played by Creator/AlanRickman.
** Or Creator/JeremyIrons. In a tank top.
** Or Creator/WilliamSadler in the nude in the second film.
** Katja in ''With a Vengeance''.
** Irina in ''Good Day.''
** Maggie Q in ''4.0''.

* MisaimedFandom: John [=McClane=] is often seen as an example by gun rights activists of how "a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun." However, this completely ignores how John spends almost the entire film on the defensive, with his very first move being to run away and try to get help. He also spends a good chunk of the second act simply hiding in a remote part of the building and not confronting the terrorists at all apart from dropping C4 on them.

** Granted, he is shown to feel bad about it, but Powell shooting a kid would likely be punished far more harshly. The film treating Powell as the victim of the whole affair probably doesn't hold up well either.

** Remember Nakatomi Plaza 1988[[labelnote:Explanation]]The terrorist incident that the plot revolves around gets virally spread around on Christmas Eve with various reference such as 9/11 (never forget) or Facebook's Crisis response (Marked safe from Nakatomi Plaza Hostage Crisis[[/labelnote]]

* ValuesResonance: While Ellis' sexual pursuit of Holly may seem like an example of the above trope upon first glance, especially considering he outranks her at the company and knows she's married, its an important character establishing moment for both of them. It demonstrates that Ellis is a selfish, sleazy and unethical person who will disregard the wellbeing of others while he pursues the prize he's after. Holly's response demonstrates that she still respects John and their marriage, even though they're separated and she's returned to using her maiden name for political reasons. It also showcases her ability to maintain her composure while under pressure from an unscrupulous man. It also foreshadows how both characters interact with Hans and John once the chips are down. In Ellis' case, the increasing awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace and the rise of [[=#MeToo=]] in the decades since the film's release make this set up even more effective today at establishing Ellis as a secondary antagonist that [[HateSink the audience dislikes upon first sight]].

** Ellis's sexual pursuit of Holly has ''not'' aged well, especially considering he outranks her at the company and knows she's married. Then again [[HateSink it was likely meant to help establish Ellis as a sleazy person]].

** This trope is pretty much a given when your villain is being played by Alan Rickman.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Harry Ellis. Some people finds him funny, while others can't wait for Hans to shoot him in the head.

* CommonKnowledge: Some are under the impression this was Creator/AlanRickman's screen debut. Theatrically, yes, but his actual screen debut was in a 1978 television adaptation of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.

** ''Die Hard Trilogy'' for the [[UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}} PS1]], UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, and PC is considered to be a great Arcade-styled action game with plenty of variety in the styles chosen for each of the three movies (a third-person shooter for the original film, a first-person rail shooter for ''2'', and a vehicular driving game for ''Vengeance''; each would be SoOkayItsAverage by itself due to the somewhat simplified gameplay, but you get three competently-designed games in three different genres for the price of one). The only real sticking point is the grpahics, which are butt-ugly even by 1996 standards.

** The problems highlighted by critics in the last two entries of the original series, ''Live Free'' and ''A Good Day'', included the abandonment of the DieHardOnAnX conceit in favor of a state-spanning adventure that combined elements of a BuddyCopShow and amped up John's near-superhuman resolve to then-unheard of levels, nevermind the fact that each of them felt like products of their time -- ''Live Free'' leaned heavily into the cybersecurity angle, and ''A Good Day'' provided the SequelGoesForeign angle. The problem is that ''With a Vengeance'' was guilty of all this too -- it felt like any other contemporary '90s action movie, kickstarted the trend of making the BuddyCopShow the focus of the film, and had John doing absurd feats like "surfing" on a dumptruck as it tried to outrun a wave of water, boarding a subway car going at full speed from street level and climbing across a a winched wire to a ship over the Hudson River. The difference is that ''Vengeance'' shook up the formula enough by pivoting from the series "lone man gets the job done" conceit to focus on the relationship between John and Zeus, the latter of which was the straight man to John's antics and provided enough levity to make the film seem more grounded. It also developed a strong supporting cast and made The Big Apple feel like a character in and of itself, in tandem with a strong supporting cast and attention to making the plot feel believable. When ''Live Free'' and ''A Good Day'' did the same without ''With a Vengeance''[='=]s level of craftsmanship, fans were a lot less forgiving and felt that the series had lost its identity.

** One of the FBI Agents ("Big Johnson") is the future voice of [[WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures Ratso]] and [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Rtas 'Vadum]].

* FanonWelding: Some fans like to pretend that Al Powell is also the unnamed police officers that Creator/ReginaldVelJohnson in ''[[Film/Ghostbusters1984 Ghostbusters]]''. Some even stretch this to say that he is Carl Winslow from ''Series/FamilyMatters'' and changed his name after shooting Urkel.

** ''With a Vengeance'' abandoned the DieHardOnAnX conceit and felt more like any other contemporary '90s action movie, but it was a very well-made example of such, and audiences and critics forgave it enough that many of them will easily rank it as the second-best film in the series. When ''Live Free'' and ''A Good Day'' did the same without ''With a Vengeance''[='=]s level of craftsmanship, fans were a lot less forgiving and felt that the series had lost its identity.

* AcceptableEthnicTargets: Hans Gruber is a gleeful send-up of cruel-but-effete Nazi stereotypes (played by an Englishman, obviously) despite that he's a former German communist terrorist (i.e. the Nazis' deadly enemies).

** ''Die Hard Trilogy'' for the [[UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}} PS1]], UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, and PC is considered to be a great Arcade-styled action game with plenty of variety in the styles chosen for each of the three movies (a third-person shooter for the original film, a first-person rail shooter for ''2'', and a vehicular driving game for ''Vengeance''; each would be SoOkayItsAverage by itself due to the somewhat simplified gameplay, but you get three competently-designed games in three different genres for the price of one).

** ''Die Hard Trilogy'' for the [[UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}} PS1]], UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, and PC is considered to be a great Arcade-styled action game with plenty of variety in the styles chosen for each of the three movies.

* AcceptableProfessionalTargets: Unethical news reporters when it comes to Thornburg in the first two films.

* FanonWelding: Some fans like to pretend that Al Powell is also the unnamed police officers that Creator/ReginaldVelJohnson in ''[[Film/Ghostbusters1984 Ghostbusters]]'' and ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork''. Some even stretch this to say that he is Carl Winslow from ''Series/FamilyMatters'' and changed his name after shooting Urkel.