page_title: Die Hard
section_title: Thematic analysis
hierarchical_section_title: Die Hard / Post-release / Thematic analysis
caption_attribution_description: English: A monument to the working and supporting classes along Market Street in the heart of San Francisco's Financial District, home to tens-of-thousands of professional and managerial middle class workers each day.
context_page_description: Die Hard is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, and Bonnie Bedelia. Based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, Die Hard follows New York City police detective John McClane who is caught up in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper while visiting his estranged wife. The film features Reginald Veljohnson, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, and Hart Bochner in supporting roles.
  Desperate for work, Stuart was offered the job of adapting Thorp's novel into a screenplay. His finished draft was greenlit immediately by 20th Century Fox, which was eager for a summer blockbuster for the following year. Finding a star proved difficult: the role of McClane was offered to a host of the decade's top stars, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, all of whom turned it down. Willis, who was known mainly for his TV work, was not the studio's first choice for the role. He was paid $5 million for the role, an unheard-of figure at the time. Filming began in November 1987 on a $25 million–$35 million budget.
context_section_description: Die Hard can be thought of as a story about obtaining redemption through violence. McClane comes to Los Angeles to save his marriage, but immediately makes the same mistakes that drove his wife, Holly, away. It is only after he defeats the terrorists, often using extreme violence, that McClane is able to reconcile with his wife. Similarly, Powell is haunted by his mistaken shooting of a child and has been unable to use his police gun since the tragedy. He finds redemption by drawing his gun and shooting Karl to save his friend McClane. Several male characters who are driven by rage or ego suffer for it including the FBI agents, Karl or Ellis and even McClane who nearly loses Holly by showing off after shooting Gruber. The more even-tempered characters—often African American—fare better: Powell who supports McClane, Argyle whose heroic moment is stopping Theo's escape and Theo, who survives the events. McClane identifies himself as a Roman Catholic, a religion that requires penance to earn redemption. He is forced to endure physical punishment, including his feet being cut by shards of glass, a "stigmata" that causes him to leave a trail of blood behind him. In making these sacrifices, he salvages his family. In this sense, McClane can be seen as a modern, working class Christ-like figure. 
  In Willis' own view, if given the choice, McClane would pass the responsibility of dealing with the terrorists on to anyone else, but he is forced to serve as a reluctant hero. When the character is introduced, he is wearing his wedding ring. This serves as a symbol of his commitment to his marriage. When viewers are introduced to Holly, she is the opposite; she has returned to using her maiden name and is not wearing her wedding ring. Instead, she is gifted a Rolex watch by her employers, serving as both a symbol of her commitment to her job and the division between she and her husband. When McClane unclasps the watch at the film's end to free Holly from Gruber's grasp, the totem of their separation is broken, and they appear to have reconciled.
  Die Hard has elements that are anti-government, anti-bureaucracy and anti-corporation. A terrorist asserts that McClane cannot harm him because there are rules for policemen, rules he is aware of and intends to exploit. McClane responds "so my captain keeps telling me", suggesting that he operates outside of bureaucratically approved procedures. The police often present a bigger obstacle than the terrorists. They repeatedly try to deter McClane from interfering and let them handle events, unaware that the terrorists have already anticipated their every action. The police chief is portrayed as incompetent, and the FBI is shown to be ruthless and uncaring, indifferent to the lives of the hostages as long as they kill the terrorists. McClane is an everyman fighting against terrorists who are dressed like elite big-city workers, while being hampered by people outside who are not risking their lives, including the police, the FBI, and an intrusive journalist. Each is punished for standing in McClane's way.
  The film can also be seen as xenophobic. Alongside the mainly German group of terrorists, Nakatomi Plaza is owned by a Japanese corporation; at the time Japanese technology firms threatened to dominate the American technology industry. The hostages who need saving are American. When McClane prevails, the building remains Japanese property, but the inference is that American ingenuity will prevail. Germany and Japan are America's enemies and are portrayed as having forsaken their integrity in the pursuit of financial gain. David Kehr said the film embodies a resentful 1980s "blue-collar rage" against feminists, Yuppies, the media, the authorities and foreign nationals. Even so, it can be seen as a progressive piece—African American actors like Veljohnson, Gilyard, and White are featured in prominent and important roles.
  The A.V. Club noted that unlike many other 1980s films, Die Hard does not contain any allusions to the Vietnam war. The film mocks the idea when one FBI agent remarks that their he
caption: A monument to the working class pictured in 2006. Film critic David Kehr said that the film represented a blue-collar or working class "rage" against feminists, Yuppies, the media, the government, and foreigners
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