In 1988, Die Hard hit theaters and introduced audiences to the everyman hero John McClane for the first time. Not only did it turn Bruce Willis into one of the most bankable action stars of the decade, but the movie also changed the landscape of action movies forever. Modern action movies owe a lot to Die Hard, and the genre would be very different without it.
But since it was release during the tail end of the ‘80s, it goes without saying that not everything about McClane’s time in The Nakatomi Plaza aged well. None of these outdated elements can reduce the movie’s status as an action-packed masterpiece, but they do offer new points of view to consider. Here are 10 things from Die Hard that did not age well.
The Die Hard Clones
When it first came out, there was nothing like Die Hard in cinemas. So it’s not surprising that every studio wanted its own Die Hard after seeing how much money McClane’s violent Christmas vacation pulled in. This was done by replacing the variable in the simple equation “Die Hard in an X.”
Some of the most noteworthy knock-offs include: Cliffhanger, Passenger 57, Sudden Death, and Under Siege. The imitation game persists even today, as seen in the disposable Lockout, Olympus has Fallen, and Skyscraper. By no fault of its own, Die Hard itself has become a cliché.
The Sequels
The only thing worse than the Die Hard clones are its sequels. While the first two are still enjoyable even if they somewhat diminish the original’s impact and McClane’s everyman status, the fourth and fifth movies tanked the franchise’s reputation beyond repair.
Live Free or Die Hard was a watered down bore that misunderstood everything that made McClane and Die Hard iconic, while A Good Day to Die Hard was just a horrible waste of time. There are rumors about a sixth installment, though whatever good faith the series once had is now gone following the fifth movie’s abysmal reception.
The Director’s Legacy
With Die Hard being only his third movie, director John McTiernan seemed set for cinematic greatness. This would’ve been the case if not for his arrest.
When filming the Rollerball remake, McTiernan hired a private investigator to find some dirt on his producer. This landed him in court, where he was charged for invasion of privacy and perjury. He served a 12-month sentence and was released in 2014 before filing for bankruptcy. McTiernan’s legal problems derailed his career, effectively blacklisting him from Hollywood despite directing classics such as Predator and The Hunt for Red October.
Yippee-ki-yay, Motherf****r
Die Hard would be nothing without Willis’ gloriously improvised line “Yippee-ki-yay, motherf****r.” McClane’s badass catchphrase is something that’s perfectly ‘80s, but it was an outdated reference even back in 1988.
The phrase hails from old-fashioned Western movies, where cowboys would yell it out loud or sing it over a campfire with some friends. Unless they’re directed by Quentin Tarantino, cowboy movies are generally considered passé or niche today. Most newcomers would associate the words “Yippee-ki-yay” to McClane rather than one of the many cowboys John Wayne portrayed.
Hans Gruber
A hallmark of American action movies from the ‘80s is the classy villain, preferably of European descent. Hans Gruber isn’t the first but he may very well be the template for the nefarious European who pulls the strings in these kinds of movies.
Cunning, cultured, and educated, Hans represents the smug elite that the blue-collar hero McClane must bring back to Earth by either punching him or dropping him off a building. Hans isn’t a bad villain by any measure, but copying his style today could date a movie by almost 40 years.
Argyle & Theo
There was a time when all African American characters talked in the same hyperactive and exaggerated manner, littering sentences with slang and using curses or slurs as punctuation marks. Die Hard is guilty of implementing this stereotype not once but twice, doing so through McClane’s driver Argyle and Hans’ tech wizard Theo.
Though both characters have their own moments beyond harmless comic relief, they share the same talkative shtick and job of annoying their bosses. If Die Hard were a radio play, the two would almost be indistinguishable from one another.
Richard Thornburg
In ‘80s media starring law enforcement, the press is usually more immoral than the terrorists and mass murderers. The exploitative and self-absorbed TV anchor Richard Thornburg fulfills this role in Die Hard, arguably getting worse in the sequel.
Since Die Hard was made during a culturally conservative time when the idea of law and order was put on a pedestal, it’s unsurprising that investigative journalism – which provides checks and balances – is depicted in such a negative light. Say what you will about the media, but Thornburg’s outdated characterization is both flat and mean-spirited.
Holly Gennero
Every ‘80s action hero needs a love interest, and McClane has his ex-wife Holly. As expected of her role, she chides the male lead for being too manly before falling for the same traits later. Long story short, she still needs a man despite her self-proclaimed independence.
While Holly’s role as the mediator between the hostages and terrorists did age well, she doesn’t do much else besides praise McClane when he’s off killing bad guys. Granted she is a hostage but this only reinforces the readings that view her as a glorified damsel in distress.
John McClane
Like the cowboys Hans compared him to, McClane is a hero who belongs in a bygone era. The cowboy cop is an obvious male power fantasy, but what’s more interesting are the aged conservative values McClane represents.
McClane validates older men who refuse to get with the times, scoffing at modernity and solving problems through practical old-school know-how. Additionally, he embodies the heroic father figure who protects his defenseless flock. A patriarch who, curiously, only seems to find purpose in times of crisis. McClane’s example aged so poorly that the only innovation made was giving aggressively protective dads a beard.
Al Powell’s Backstory
McClane’s only ally is the unlucky but dutiful cop Al Powell, who feels guilty for shooting a kid after mistaking a toy gun for the real thing. Al’s arc concludes when he pulls the trigger again, getting over his rookie mistake instead of realizing the gravity of killing a child.
While not really Die Hard’s fault, Al’s backstory aged the worst because of today’s many similar shooting incidents and authorities’ inaction. The case of Tamir Rice from 2014 is the same as the kid in Al’s story but with none of the histronics, as Tamir’s death was tragically senseless.
