John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) is an ordinary New York cop with an unlucky talent for finding himself in deadly situations and killing bad guys. His no-nonsense attitude rarely makes him friends, but he’s the kind of man you need when everything else has gone wrong. So far, there have been five films in the franchise. Here’s how all the Die Hard movies rank against one another.
5. A Good Day to Die Hard
This one is a mess from start to finish. McClane travels to Russia to find his wayward son. The plotting is all over the place, the action is passable at best, and the characters feel flat. None of the rising tension of the other films is present. Instead, we’re just left with Bruce Willis running around dark buildings shooting at cardboard-cut-out Russian mobster villains. It’s a gruesomely poor entry in the franchise, and none of the actors look to be enjoying themselves. Plus, it feels like a cheap cash-in and, unlike the other films, barely gets beyond the 90 minutes mark. For these reasons, A Good Day to Die Hard deservedly ranks the lowest on this list.
4. Die Hard 4.0
Made 12 years after the third installment, Die Hard 4.0 sees an older John McClane going up against a band of ruthless cyber-terrorists (led by Timothy Olyphant). They place Washington D.C. under siege, threatening to destroy the city’s infrastructure. With plenty of edge-of-your-seat action (including a scene where John destroys a helicopter with a car), Die Hard 4.0 packs a punch and is worth a watch. It doesn’t quite have the same rising tension as the first films, but it is still well worth taking the time out to see.
3. Die Hard: With A Vengeance
Teaming up Bruce Willis with Samuel L. Jackson paid off big time in Die Hard: With A Vengeance. McClane is going through a messy time with his wife and has become alcohol-dependent. To make matters worse, the psychotic brother of the villain John killed in the first film is out for blood, and determined to make John’s day a living hell. With several bombs planted in the city, McClane joins forces with Zeus (Jackson) to play a deadly game of Simon Says across the city.
Excellent supporting work from veteran British actor Jeremy Irons and Samuel L. Jackson make Die Hard: With A Vengeance a solid entry in the franchise.
2. Die Hard 2
“How can the same **** happen to the same guy twice?”
John McClane, already known as the hero of the Nakatomi Plaza hostage crisis, finds himself in a snowy New York airport on one of the busiest days of the Christmas season. Naturally, things go awry, and a group of professional terrorists take over parts of the airport and threaten to crash passenger planes into the runway. McClane’s wife Holly just happens to be on one of those planes circling above. John proceeds to go on a one-man war against the terrorists, surviving escalator fights, grenade blasts, and a brawl with an ice pick. Through it all, he displays his regular obstructive attitude. McClane is just a cop having another really bad day.
1. Die Hard
“Come out to the coast. We’ll get together. Have a few laughs…”
While it isn’t as action-heavy as the others (John’s kill count doesn’t go beyond 10), the first film really is the best. The enclosed atmosphere of a skyscraper under siege gives the film a level of tension beyond the others. The stakes are high and personal for McClane — his wife Holly is taken hostage by a highly trained band of killers. Led by the murderous Hans Gruber (brilliantly played by Alan Rickman), McClane eliminates the terrorists one thug at a time. Each time John encounters an enemy, we really feel the pressure. But somehow, he gets the job done with a combination of luck and sheer guts. Giving rise to several classic lines, Die Hard also made vests ridiculously popular for a time. The ultimate Christmas movie ranks number one on this list.
