“Die Hard On A…”: A History of Die Hard Rip-Offs

Few films are so influential that they are used to describe a host of other pictures that followed it, but 1988’s Die Hard belongs in that category. I listed it in my top ten movies of all time and put it #1 when it comes to action flicks.

For younger moviegoers, they may ask, “What’s the big deal about Die Hard?”

The answer is plenty. Die Hard moved the action hero protagonist in a different direction. The hero of Die Hard, John McClane (Bruce Willis), is a sh*t talker and he’s sarcastic. This is different from what audiences were accustomed to in the 1980s with action stars like Stallone and Schwarzenegger.

For me, though, the influence of Die Hard is clearest with its main villain, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). In many earlier action titles, the antagonist was not as important as the hero… or as interesting. This is not the case with Die Hard. The character of Gruber is stylish and smart. He seems like an even match for McClane. Gruber would influence countless villains that followed him.

Action movies would never be the same after Die Hard and the picture was copied in many ways. This led to the common description of future films as “Die Hard on a…”

For example, 1992’s Passenger 57 with Wesley Snipes? “Die Hard on a plane”…

Or wait… isn’t 1997’s Air Force One the same? I guess that’s “Die Hard on the President’s plane…”

What about that same year’s Con Air? “Die Hard on a plane full on convicts…”

Let us not forget our waterways because 1992’s Under Siege is “Die Hard on a ship…”

And 1997’s Speed 2: Cruise Control? “Die Hard on a cruise ship”…

Its predecessor, 1994’s Speed, is “Die Hard on a bus…”

There’s “Die Hard in the mountains…” (1993’s Cliffhanger)

“Die Hard at a hockey arena…” (1995’s Sudden Death)

“Die Hard on a train…” (1995’s Under Siege 2: Dark Territory)

“Die Hard at a boarding school…” (1991’s Toy Soldiers)

And, of course, there’s the four Die Hard sequels.

The brand has been talked about just this week as Olympus Has Fallen has opened and is being described as “Die Hard at the White House…”

There is no question this trend will continue into the future. People copy from the best. And when it comes to action flicks, Die Hard is just that.