A film widely hailed as one of the greatest action movies of all time will be airing on TV screens tonight. Though it may only be June, millions of people will consider it to be at the top of their Christmas movies list. And tonight, Monday, 15 June, Die Hard will be available to watch on Film4.
The 1988 movie stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov and Bonnie Bedelia. Based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, it follows New York City police detective John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) who becomes involved in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper. Set during a Christmas Eve party while John is visiting his estranged wife, the festive event turns into a one-man battle to save hostages.
Since first airing, Die Hard has become a cult classic, with one fan reviewing on Rotten Tomatoes: “One of the greatest action movies ever made. Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber gives an outstanding performance as the villain and Bruce Willis can’t fail at giving us a new action hero that we all love to quote from to this day.” Another said: “Arguably the greatest Christmas movie ever,” while a third wrote: “What a masterpiece! Timeless and entertaining, it survives to this day. The characters are captivating, the protagonist was made for the role, and the villain is simply unbelievable thanks to Alan Rickman's incredible performance. It's an action classic.”
Another agreed: “Without question, the Greatest Christmas film ever made!” as someone else said: “This movie is a masterpiece.” Yet another said: “An absolute classic. Best Christmas movie, best action movie.” Someone else wrote: “I watched Die Hard last night and honestly, this movie blew me away. It’s not just an old-school action flick—it’s intense, funny, and way smarter than I expected,” as another fan added: “Classic, must see in your lifetime. Great Christmas film.”
Die Hard returned in 1990 with a sequel, with Bruce reprising his role as John McClane, and once again set during the Christmas period. This time, John, while waiting for his wife Holly to land at the airport, is forced to stop terrorists taking over the air traffic control system and save all those on incoming flights. Three more films followed, with a sixth once rumoured to be taking place, before later being cancelled.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed back in 2021: “Yeah, no, It’s not happening. But what was really interesting was we actually came up with an idea to do it. It was a project that wasn’t Die Hard that then, eventually, shifted over to Die Hard.” Lorenzo continued: “What was interesting about our idea was it allowed you the ability to meet the young John McClane and use Bruce. So it was really interesting in that way. So you sort of got to see both versions of him. A bit [like The Godfather Part 2].”
Die Hard airs Monday, June 15 at 9pm on Film4.
