Die Hard (1988)

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Wikidata Q105598, film, IMDb tt0095016, TMDB 562: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by the only film by that title; 9 more episodes agree.

What a model would be handed about it, for corpus:ask.

In the store as #574, Die Hard (1988).

The Rewatchables' awards

Picked in other episodes

Who talked about it

Blank Check with Griffin & David

Blank Check — Patreon

The Big Picture

The Rewatchables

Came from

What the speakers say it drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

The Detective: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. lineage (legal sequel): The Detective ⇒ Die Hard (the host's read). Sinatra's rights deal on The Detective gave him first refusal on follow-ups, so Die Hard had to be offered to him.
    “something in the deal for when Sinatra had bought the rights to the detective, gave him right of 1st refusal on any of the follow-ups”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 0:14:30 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)

Led to

What the speakers say drew on it, marked the same way.

Resident Evil: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. lineage (homage): Die Hard ⇒ Resident Evil (the host's read). The shoes-melting beat is called a Die Hard nod (walking on broken glass).
    “You have that wonderful diehard nod where his shoes are starting to melt and he has to take his shoes off.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Resident Evil’ Absolutely Rips! · 1:00:42 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)

Connected to

Paths of Glory: 2 lines theme ×1 contrast ×1

  1. theme (theme): Paths of Glory → Die Hard. The FBI men in Die Hard accept losing 25 percent of the hostages, the same numbers-game thinking as the generals.
    “the FBI are like, yeah, we're going to lose 25% of the hostages, but like, that's pretty good for us.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 0:30:13 · Sarah Marshall (0.60 sure it was them)

Resident Evil: 2 lines theme ×1 lineage ×1

  1. theme (character comp): Resident Evil → Die Hard. Abrams's Brian reminded the speaker of John McClane, with humor built from the experience; the elevator shoe-melting is a Die Hard nod.
    “He's not as cool and he's not as accomplished with a gun, but he kind of reminded me a little John McClain at times.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Resident Evil’ Absolutely Rips! · 0:29:24 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)

Working Girl: 2 lines contrast ×1 theme ×1

  1. theme (theme): Working Girl → Die Hard. Another absurd-premise movie that works; used to defend Working Girl's far-fetched merger plot.
    “So is Die Hard.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Working Girl’ With Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins, and Joanna Robinson · 1:20:17 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

Alan Rickman: 1 line what-if ×1

  1. what-if (casting what-if): Alan Rickman → Die Hard. Bill's recast pick for Rooney; Hans Gruber as Shermer High assistant principal.
    “Hans Gruber, as the Shermer High assistant principal, whatever, I also would have voted for Alan Richmond.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:10:06 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Alien: 1 line industry ×1

  1. industry (industry): Alien → Die Hard. Alien will be remade without its original star the way Die Hard will without Bruce Willis; the xenomorph design is too powerful to leave dormant.
    “In the same way, they'll make another diehard without Bruce Willis.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:52:06 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)

Die Hard 2: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. lineage (sequel contrast): Die Hard 2 → Die Hard. Ryan says the first and third Die Hard are baked into their locations, while this one is more generic action movie-ish.
    “the 1st Die Hard and the 3rd Die Hard are characterized by their, like, this is really baked in.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:15:44 · Chris Ryan (0.80 sure it was them)

Do the Right Thing: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (pop answer): Do the Right Thing → Die Hard. Die Hard is the pop answer to best American movie of the 80s but would not make Wesley's top ten.
    “I wouldn't put die hard in my top 10.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Do The Right Thing’ With Sean Fennessey and Wesley Morris · 0:32:50 · Wesley Morris (0.60 sure it was them)

Eddie Murphy: 1 line what-if ×1

  1. what-if (what-if): Die Hard → Eddie Murphy. Die Hard would be an Eddie Murphy movie in the what-if game.
    “I mean, Diehard is an Eddie Murphy movie.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ With Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:12:32 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Harrison Ford: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): Harrison Ford → Die Hard. Ford's Indiana Jones is a definitive movie-star performance, like Bruce Willis in Die Hard and John Wayne in Stagecoach.
    “kind of like Bruce Willis and Die Hard.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 0:06:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Heat: 1 line industry ×1

  1. industry (industry): Heat → Die Hard. Bearer bonds: the tax-lawyer listener accepts them in post-82 movies like Beverly Hills Cop and maybe Die Hard but not in Heat or Panic Room.
    “he can look past it for some post 82 movies like Beverly Hills cop, maybe even die hard.”
    The Rewatchables · A CR Month Mailbag! · 1:13:18 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

Jan de Bont: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): Jan de Bont → Die Hard. De Bont as cool DP turned maker of accessible action films was a model of who filmmakers wanted to be.
    “Cool ass DP that comes from doing that and makes these awesome, ridiculously accessible action films”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Twister’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:27:13 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)

John McTiernan: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): John McTiernan → Die Hard. McTiernan's quiet genius is dialogue scenes as exciting as action; the best-cited Die Hard moments are not action.
    “So much of what we, you know, all the great moments from Die Hard are actually not even the action”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The 13th Warrior with David Lowery (Ad-Free) · 1:37:52 · unknown (0.55 sure it was them)

Kim Malin: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): Kim Malin → Die Hard. The piano girl's second credit is the Die Hard hostage found with a goon.
    “she's the hostage that Hans Gruber's Goon find having sex back in the office”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Weird Science’ With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt · 0:53:36 · Kyle Brandt (0.45 sure it was them)

Panic Room: 1 line theme ×1

  1. theme (theme): Panic Room → Die Hard. Bearer bonds as plot device: not since Die Hard has there been 25 minutes on bearer bonds.
    “Not since Die Hard have we spent 25 minutes on bear bonds.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:58:14 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Raiders of the Lost Ark: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): Raiders of the Lost Ark → Die Hard. The hero who is capable but visibly working it out is what the imitators miss; same as John McClane.
    “it's the same thing that works about John McLean in the 1st Die Hard.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:45:06 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

The Detective: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. lineage (legal sequel): The Detective → Die Hard. Sinatra's rights deal on The Detective gave him first refusal on follow-ups, so Die Hard had to be offered to him.
    “something in the deal for when Sinatra had bought the rights to the detective, gave him right of 1st refusal on any of the follow-ups”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 0:14:30 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)

Where it came up

What was said about it, by kind

career (2)

  1. career (career): Harrison Ford → Die Hard. Ford's Indiana Jones is a definitive movie-star performance, like Bruce Willis in Die Hard and John Wayne in Stagecoach.
    “kind of like Bruce Willis and Die Hard.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 0:06:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): Kim Malin → Die Hard. The piano girl's second credit is the Die Hard hostage found with a goon.
    “she's the hostage that Hans Gruber's Goon find having sex back in the office”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Weird Science’ With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt · 0:53:36 · Kyle Brandt (0.45 sure it was them)

contrast (2)

  1. contrast (contrast): Working Girl → Die Hard. Die Hard would not be nominated the way Working Girl was with six Oscar nominations.
    “Die Hard's not going to get nominated for something, but working girl is such an improbable.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Working Girl’ With Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins, and Joanna Robinson · 0:48:40 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. contrast (contrast): Paths of Glory → Die Hard. Die Hard asks how much good one good guy can do and answers all of it; Paths of Glory answers none of it.
    “the whole premise of Die Hard is like, how much good can like one good guy manage to get done?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 0:31:40 · Sarah Marshall (0.50 sure it was them)

craft (3)

  1. craft (craft): Raiders of the Lost Ark → Die Hard. The hero who is capable but visibly working it out is what the imitators miss; same as John McClane.
    “it's the same thing that works about John McLean in the 1st Die Hard.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:45:06 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft): Jan de Bont → Die Hard. De Bont as cool DP turned maker of accessible action films was a model of who filmmakers wanted to be.
    “Cool ass DP that comes from doing that and makes these awesome, ridiculously accessible action films”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Twister’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:27:13 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. craft (craft): John McTiernan → Die Hard. McTiernan's quiet genius is dialogue scenes as exciting as action; the best-cited Die Hard moments are not action.
    “So much of what we, you know, all the great moments from Die Hard are actually not even the action”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The 13th Warrior with David Lowery (Ad-Free) · 1:37:52 · unknown (0.55 sure it was them)

industry (2)

  1. industry (industry): Heat → Die Hard. Bearer bonds: the tax-lawyer listener accepts them in post-82 movies like Beverly Hills Cop and maybe Die Hard but not in Heat or Panic Room.
    “he can look past it for some post 82 movies like Beverly Hills cop, maybe even die hard.”
    The Rewatchables · A CR Month Mailbag! · 1:13:18 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. industry (industry): Alien → Die Hard. Alien will be remade without its original star the way Die Hard will without Bruce Willis; the xenomorph design is too powerful to leave dormant.
    “In the same way, they'll make another diehard without Bruce Willis.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:52:06 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)

lineage (3)

  1. lineage (sequel contrast): Die Hard 2 → Die Hard. Ryan says the first and third Die Hard are baked into their locations, while this one is more generic action movie-ish.
    “the 1st Die Hard and the 3rd Die Hard are characterized by their, like, this is really baked in.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:15:44 · Chris Ryan (0.80 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (homage): Resident Evil → Die Hard. The shoes-melting beat is called a Die Hard nod (walking on broken glass).
    “You have that wonderful diehard nod where his shoes are starting to melt and he has to take his shoes off.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Resident Evil’ Absolutely Rips! · 1:00:42 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. lineage (legal sequel): The Detective → Die Hard. Sinatra's rights deal on The Detective gave him first refusal on follow-ups, so Die Hard had to be offered to him.
    “something in the deal for when Sinatra had bought the rights to the detective, gave him right of 1st refusal on any of the follow-ups”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 0:14:30 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)

theme (4)

  1. theme (theme): Working Girl → Die Hard. Another absurd-premise movie that works; used to defend Working Girl's far-fetched merger plot.
    “So is Die Hard.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Working Girl’ With Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins, and Joanna Robinson · 1:20:17 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. theme (theme): Panic Room → Die Hard. Bearer bonds as plot device: not since Die Hard has there been 25 minutes on bearer bonds.
    “Not since Die Hard have we spent 25 minutes on bear bonds.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:58:14 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. theme (character comp): Resident Evil → Die Hard. Abrams's Brian reminded the speaker of John McClane, with humor built from the experience; the elevator shoe-melting is a Die Hard nod.
    “He's not as cool and he's not as accomplished with a gun, but he kind of reminded me a little John McClain at times.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Resident Evil’ Absolutely Rips! · 0:29:24 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
  4. theme (theme): Paths of Glory → Die Hard. The FBI men in Die Hard accept losing 25 percent of the hostages, the same numbers-game thinking as the generals.
    “the FBI are like, yeah, we're going to lose 25% of the hostages, but like, that's pretty good for us.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 0:30:13 · Sarah Marshall (0.60 sure it was them)

unmapped (1)

  1. unmapped (pop answer): Do the Right Thing → Die Hard. Die Hard is the pop answer to best American movie of the 80s but would not make Wesley's top ten.
    “I wouldn't put die hard in my top 10.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Do The Right Thing’ With Sean Fennessey and Wesley Morris · 0:32:50 · Wesley Morris (0.60 sure it was them)

what-if (2)

  1. what-if (casting what-if): Alan Rickman → Die Hard. Bill's recast pick for Rooney; Hans Gruber as Shermer High assistant principal.
    “Hans Gruber, as the Shermer High assistant principal, whatever, I also would have voted for Alan Richmond.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:10:06 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. what-if (what-if): Die Hard → Eddie Murphy. Die Hard would be an Eddie Murphy movie in the what-if game.
    “I mean, Diehard is an Eddie Murphy movie.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ With Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:12:32 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Fun items about it

  1. fun, about Die Hard: Die Hard's FBI agents: one says it reminds him of Nam, the other says he was too young.
    “this reminds me of Nam. And the other guy's like, I wasn't in Nam, man.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 0:30:59 · Sarah Marshall (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Die Hard: Sinatra's Detective rights gave him first refusal on follow-ups, so Fox had to offer Die Hard to him first; the speaker pictures the call.
    “I just like imagining whoever the Fox exec was who was like, hey, Frank, I'm just calling so you can tell me to fuck off.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 0:15:04 · Griffin Newman (0.45 sure it was them)

Who the speakers said made it

As said on the shows, not checked against the real credits.