Die Hard (Widescreen Edition)

by 20th Century Fox

$14.98
74% off
buy from amazon.com
Average Rating: * * * * half star
Sales Rank:39642 (lower is better)
Price as of:01/05/2009 9:07:57 PM MST
Price Used:$1.23
Shipping:Free Shipping on most orders over $25*
Availability:
Director:John McTiernan
Release Date:2004-09-07
Label:20th Century Fox
UPC:024543133490
Binding:DVD
Published By:20th Century Fox
ASIN:B0002B15WE
Category:DVD

Actors and Actresses

Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions

Description

Bruce Willi stars as New York City Detective John McClane, newly arrived in Los Angeles to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia). But as Mclane waits for his wife's office party to break up, terrorist take control of the building. While the terrorist leader, Hans gruber (Alexander Godunov) round up hostages, McClane slips away unnoticed. Armed with only a service revolver and his cunning, McClane launches his own one-man war. A crackling thriller from beginning to end, Die Hard explodes with heart-stopping suspense.
Amazon.com essential video

This seminal 1988 thriller made Bruce Willis a star and established a new template for action stories: "Terrorists take over a (blank), and a lone hero, unknown to the villains, is trapped with them." In Die Hard, those bad guys, led by the velvet-voiced Alan Rickman, assume control of a Los Angeles high-rise with Willis's visiting New York cop inside. The attraction of the film has as much to do with the sight of a barefoot mortal running around the guts of a modern office tower as it has to do with the plentiful fight sequences and the bond the hero establishes with an LA beat cop. Bonnie Bedelia plays Willis's wife, Hart Bochner is good as a brash hostage who tries negotiating his way to freedom, Alexander Godunov makes for a believable killer with lethal feet, and William Atherton is slimy as a busybody reporter. Exceptionally well directed by John McTiernan. --Tom Keogh
Amazon.com

This seminal 1988 thriller made Bruce Willis a star and established a new template for action stories: "Terrorists take over a (blank), and a lone hero, unknown to the villains, is trapped with them." In Die Hard, those bad guys, led by the velvet-voiced Alan Rickman, assume control of a Los Angeles high-rise with Willis's visiting New York cop inside. The attraction of the film has as much to do with the sight of a barefoot mortal running around the guts of a modern office tower as it has to do with the plentiful fight sequences and the bond the hero establishes with an LA beat cop. Bonnie Bedelia plays Willis's wife, Hart Bochner is good as a brash hostage who tries negotiating his way to freedom, Alexander Godunov makes for a believable killer with lethal feet, and William Atherton is slimy as a busybody reporter. Exceptionally well directed by John McTiernan. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Holds up well for an older movie-entertaining, fair Blu-Ray quality - Reviewed on 2008-12-24
* * * *
1 customer found this review helpful.

The film was watched on a 50" Panasonic Plasma, and LG BH200 Blu-Ray player. The PQ was a 3.5/5 and AQ a 5/5.

The film holds up well for the time period, and the premise of the couple on the fritz caught up in an unlikely and dangerous terrorist plot, adds an edge that is still relatable in terms of realism. Bruce Willis plays one of his, if not his best known, role well and entertains with his diligence and "Boyscout" ingenuity. We enjoyed this film, but I could not give it 5 stars, due to its lacking Blu-Ray transfer.

This is one of Fox's better transfers for an older film, but the picture is not as sharp as it could have been. The sound however, was powerful and thrust the action forward with a crystal clear and thunderous soundtrack. I have not seen all of these parts of Die Hard, but look forward to watching them in succession over the next few months. If you're a fan of the central character and the premise, pick these up for your collection. They're action staples.
One of my favorite movies of all time - Reviewed on 2008-12-20
* * * * *
1 customer found this review helpful.

I was very happy to see this come out in blu-ray. The video quality isn't as good as I would have liked. The audio codec is better than standard dvd but I would have liked more LFE. It still is a movie I'll continue to watch over and over especially now on blu-ray making it even more enjoyable.
If this is their idea of Christmas, I *gotta* be here for New Year's. - Reviewed on 2008-11-26
* * * * *

In case you've never seen this one--and it's really a classic, so unless you don't watch action movies at all, you really should see it--Bruce Willis is John McClane, a NYC cop in LA to spend Christmas with his kids and estranged wife. At her office Christmas party in a big office building, he's freshening up in the bathroom when terrorists, led by Alan Rickman's character, take over.

Since hardly anyone knows he's there, it's up to McClane to save the day. Tons of action, a good dose of humor, and even some realistic emotional stuff. This movie doesn't miss a beat.

Most action movies... heck, most movies period... skimp somewhere. They'll focus on the action scenes and neglect the plot, or the emotional stuff will be tacked on as an afterthought, or any one of a number of other complaints. This one doesn't do that. Everything's well balanced and logical and just sucks you right in.

From the walking-on-glass scene that I can never watch (ouch, ouch, ouch) to the good-hearted but not terribly gung-ho beat cop to the dozens of great quotes, there's too much I like about this movie to list it all.

I was impressed with the portrayal of Holly, John's wife (played by Bonnie Bedelia). I don't like her in the beginning, but later on, she shows her character, and you can see what John sees in her. This is highly unusual in action movies--mostly, the women are inexplicable.

And the terrorists. I loved the terrorists. That doesn't sound right. I loved that they were thieves, not ideologues. It was such a great twist, and so very believable. And Alan Rickman does evil so well.

And of course, it's got both Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman from my short list. I'd probably enjoy this even if it wasn't such a good movie.
Great Classis that is only better on Blu-ray - Reviewed on 2008-11-23
* * * *

I bought this Blu-ray when it went on sale. Best blind buy ever. I had never seen the movie before, so I took a long shot and ordered it anyways. Great action, great storyline, great picture quality, and great audio quality. I was so happy with my purchase, that now I want all the Die Hard's.

So go ahead take a chance, Die Hard on Blu-ray is a must see.
Great movie experience - Reviewed on 2008-11-16
* * * * *
1 customer found this review helpful.

Die Hard is written in history as one of the greatest action movies of all time and viewing it on Blu-ray just makes the experience even better. The picture has been cleaned up and looks sharp, much better than I've ever seen it. More impressive is the sound quality; Everything was very clear, from the dialogue to explosions to gunshots. The surround sound is a GREAT mix. I highly recomend this for any fans of quality action films.
Read More Customer Reviews »
Go To Amazon Product Page

* - See Amazon Product Page for shipping and pricing details.


Book Subjects