Every single movie in the beloved Die Hard franchise has found a new streaming home on Hulu. First released in 1988, Die Hard is one of the most influential action movies of the 80s (and one of the best Christmas movies of all-time – discuss!). Starring Bruce Willis as Officer John McClane, Die Hard sees Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his crew raid the Nagasaki Tower, taking everyone, except a sneaky McClane, hostage. When the police cannot enter the building under threat of losing hostages, McClane is forced to single-handedly take them out, all while trying to revive his dead relationship with his ex-wife Holly Gennero (Bonnie Bedelia).
Die Hard helped to cement Bruce Willis as a bona-fide action star, leading him to major roles in Pulp Fiction, The Fifth Element, Twelve Monkeys, and, most importantly, the rest of the Die Hard series. Despite some duds, Die Hard is among the greatest action franchises of all-time. Die Hard 2, released in 1990, sees history repeat itself, as John McClane is forced to take out a terrorist group, led by Col. Stuart (William Sadler), who are trying to intercept the imprisonment of a drug lord at an airport. Die Hard 2 repeats the formula, giving us more John McClane ass-kicking action, whilst adding further layers to its core cast of characters.
The best sequel in the franchise is undoubtedly Die Hard with a Vengeance. Co-starring Samuel L. Jackson, the threequel sees John McClane at his lowest point; a full-blown alcoholic and suspended from the NYPD. But when a terrorist asks for McClane by name, he’s forced to race across New York, solving puzzles whilst attempting to figure out the location of the terrorist. Die Hard with a Vengeance is followed by Die Hard 4.0, which was maligned by audiences and critics upon release, but has since developed a cult following — thanks in large part to John McClane driving a car off a ramp into a helicopter – you know, the usual. The franchise is rounded out by A Good Day to Die Hard, co-starring Jai Courtney as John’s son, Jack McClane. It is by far the weakest entry in the franchise, but is nonetheless worth a watch by even the most casual of Die Hard fans.
Die Hard’s Influence on Pop Culture
The Die Hard franchise’s influence on pop-culture is inescapable. The movie’s premise: one man takes down an entire group of terrorists with no back-up, has been rinsed and repeated countless times, from serious imitators like Under Siege and Passenger 57, to comedic spoofs like Paul Blart: Mall Cop and even Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
One of the most influential aspects of Die Hard is John McClane’s numerous catchphrases. Everyone knows “Yippy ki-yay mother f*ckers,” thanks to it being incessantly repeated across countless shows, like The Simpsons and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (almost every aspect of Jake Peralta is inspired by John McClane). But perhaps Die Hard‘s biggest influence on pop-culture is the genre-defining question it spawned: is it a Christmas movie? Because it is set on Christmas Eve, some fans take that to mean Die Hard classes as a Christmas movie. However, it lacks almost all the usual trappings of a Christmas film, and swaps them out for Uzis, Bruce Willis in a bloodied white vest, and Alan Rickman playing one of the most iconic villains in cinema. That is a debate that will be once again making its annual visit in just a few months’ time.
The entire
Die Hard
franchise is available to stream on Hulu.