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The Rewatchables ·

Die Hard

year 1988decade 80sdirector John McTiernangenre Action
host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Jason Concepcionhost Sean Fennessey
All 15 categories

Most Rewatchable Scene · 34:08

Ellis getting a Coke (two votes)

Chris Ryan: McClane crossing broken glass barefoot is nominated for its immediate physical vulnerability.

Hans interrogating Takagi is nominated as the first full display of his charm and ruthlessness.

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie · 1:20:12

“Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker”

“Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker” is selected as the unsurpassable iconic line.

The film

Die Hard (1988)

Directed by John McTiernan · Action

132 minutes

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Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Bruce Willis John McClane
Alan Rickman Hans Gruber
Bonnie Bedelia Holly Gennaro-McClane
Paul Gleason Dwayne T. Robinson
William Atherton Richard Thornburg
Hart Bochner Harry Ellis

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

34:08

Most Rewatchable Scene

Ellis getting a Coke (two votes); the roof/fire-hose escape; Hans posing as a hostage

Ellis getting a Coke (two votes); the roof/fire-hose escape; Hans posing as a hostage

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:08Read transcript
  • McClane crossing broken glass barefoot is nominated for its immediate physical vulnerability. — Chris Ryan
  • Hans interrogating Takagi is nominated as the first full display of his charm and ruthlessness.
  • Ellis drinking Coke while trying to negotiate with Hans is nominated and later chosen by two participants.
  • McClane’s improvised attempts to attract Al Powell, culminating in dropping a body on the police car, are nominated.
  • The SWAT assault and Theo’s “Night Before Christmas” narration are nominated. — Chris Ryan
  • McClane leaping from the roof with a fire hose and barely surviving the swing into the building are nominated; one participant selects this sequence.
  • Hans pretending to be an escaped hostage, accepting a cigarette, and receiving an unloaded gun are nominated; one participant selects it.
  • McClane’s fight with Karl, every FBI appearance, and the under-table shooting are additional nominations.
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37:59

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Hart Bochner’s full Ellis performance

Hart Bochner’s full Ellis performance

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:59Read transcript
  • The performance is compared to a Dennis Miller imitation and praised for making Ellis simultaneously the movie’s worst and most entertaining figure.
  • The panel debates whether Bochner invented the broad performance on set or developed it with John McTiernan.
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47:18

What’s Aged the Best?

The title, Jan de Bont’s cinematography, McTiernan’s spatial clarity, McClane’s character-rooted one-liners, and the ...

The title, Jan de Bont’s cinematography, McTiernan’s spatial clarity, McClane’s character-rooted one-liners, and the widescreen renaissance

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:18Read transcript
  • The title “Die Hard” is praised as compact, memorable, and descriptive. — Bill Simmons
  • The incompetent 1980s LAPD, a surprisingly diverse villain crew, and distinctive minor henchmen are appreciated as period texture.
  • John McTiernan, Jan de Bont, Michael Kamen, the cast, and the production team provide unusually coherent and sophisticated action filmmaking.
  • McClane’s one-liners work because Willis underplays them and they arise organically from his personality. — Bill Simmons
  • Modern widescreen televisions restored the intended compositions and created a home-viewing renaissance after cropped television broadcasts. — Bill Simmons
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51:36

What’s Aged the Worst?

The jokes and anxieties about Japanese power

The jokes and anxieties about Japanese power

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:36Read transcript
  • The Pearl Harbor joke and the era’s fear that Japanese companies were buying America are judged dated and offensive, though Takagi remains a comparatively substantial character. — Jason Concepcion
  • Visible guns and pervasive smoking on airplanes and in airports mark a vanished era. — Bill Simmons
  • Holly’s late-1980s perm and the apparent effort to expose more cleavage late in the film are criticized. — Bill Simmons
  • Hans’s practical-effects fall is questioned, then strongly defended as an ideal villain send-off.
  • The 131-minute runtime is judged roughly twelve minutes too long by one participant, while others defend the setup.
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55:07

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Hart Bochner

Hart Bochner

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:07Read transcript
  • Hart Bochner’s eleven minutes are compared to a high-scoring, high-turnover basketball performance and he is treated as the winner.
  • Argyle is presented as the closest rival.
  • William Atherton’s Richard Thornburg extends his specialty in bureaucratic antagonists and carries into the sequel.
  • Paul Gleason’s deputy police chief continues his run of authoritative jerks and receives extended praise.
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57:24

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Paul Gleason

Paul Gleason

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:24Read transcript
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59:16

Apex Mountain

Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, 1980s action movies, Argyle, and John McTiernan

Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, 1980s action movies, Argyle, and John McTiernan

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:16Read transcript
  • Bruce Willis is accepted despite the later Pulp Fiction revival because Die Hard created the action-star track that enabled the rest of his career. — Sean Fennessey
  • John McTiernan is accepted by one participant, while another prefers The Hunt for Red October.
  • Alan Rickman is accepted for the career-making Hans Gruber debut.
  • The film is accepted as a plausible Apex Mountain for 1980s action movies. — Jason Concepcion
  • Argyle is accepted as reaching his apex here. — Jason Concepcion
  • Bonnie Bedelia is rejected in favor of Presumed Innocent or Heart Like a Wheel.
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1:21:19

Is This Movie Better With…?

Michael K. Williams

Michael K. Williams

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:19Read transcript
  • All three named performers are judged able to fit into the multinational henchman crew.
  • Michael K. Williams is selected as the best fit. — Bill Simmons
  • The category prompts an unresolved question about how Hans recruited the team.
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1:22:56

Who Won the Movie?

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:56Read transcript
  • Bruce Willis receives the first explicit vote because the movie created the action-star career that supported his more adventurous work.
  • John McTiernan is proposed for raising the craft expectations of action filmmaking and sustaining an unusually interesting career.
  • A second explicit decision says Bruce Willis definitely won.
  • Alan Rickman is identified as the other half of the central two-person race, though no final explicit vote for him is captured.
Podcast choices
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Bruce Willis
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Bruce Willis
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