Have you read About page on Brands & Films? Among other things it says: my favorite movie is Die Hard. Sounds funny? It probably is, but the movie is sooo good and at the same time perfectly represents the VCR era around 1990. During that period I’ve seen several hundred movies: good and bad, classics and total crap, but at the end of the day one movie stood out: Die Hard.
Die Hard opened in limited release twenty-five years ago this week with the production budget of $28 million. According to BoxOfficeMojo it grossed $140 million worldwide.
The movie started Bruce Willis’ career and today he’s considered one of the biggest action stars of all time. I won’t analyze the movie or go into detail about why I like it so much. I will rather watch it again, but first of all a bit of trivia :)
Did you know that the undershirt Bruce wore in the first Die Hard is now in the Smithsonian museum in Washington? Willis visited the Smithsonian in 2007 and donated his undershirt to the National Museum of American History.
Smithsonian magazine asked Willis if John McClane is a quintessentially American character? He replied:
“I think so. What I’ve been saying about the character for a long time is that he loves his country, loves his family. He has a very American sense of humor. This character, in all four films, has always had zero tolerance for anyone trying to hurt or do harm to innocent people.”
Did you know that Die Hard was Alan Rickman’s first proper movie? His role of the main villain Hans Gruber is perfect and he was listed at #8 in a list of the 100 Greatest Movie Heroes & Villains by Total Film Magazine earlier this year.
Hans Gruber’s most famous quotes:
“And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.” Benefits of a classical education.
Nice suit. John Phillips, London. I have two myself. Rumor has it Arafat buys his there.
You can read more about Die Hard trivia in the article 10 Things You Might Not Know About ‘Die Hard’, but I suggest you read brilliant piece by Bilge Ebiri The 25 Best Action Movies Since Die Hard. You might disagree with his list, but you have to give the man a credit. His list is great and includes some of the best action movies ever made.
As I said I think I’ll watch it again, but this time I’ll be focused on brands and possible product placement. Stay tuned for updates :)
Let’s watch it again, yeah!