Die Hard (1988) poster
1988 · action

Die Hard

Directed by John McTiernan2h 12m1988
ElsewhereIMDb8.21.0MRT94%Metacritic72TMDB7.812k
  • kinetic
  • intense
  • redemptive
Movie DNA

Neutral, breathless, measured action, grounded in texture. Redemptive, mid-stakes, measured.

How every film is hand-scored →

High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. One man has manages to escape... An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired... and the only chance anyone has got.

Our read · Die Hard (1988) reads as a neutral, breathless, grounded action entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, measured in temperature, redemptive in outlook.

Where the cast leads
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The shape of Die Hard

Tonight, this looks like

What watching it is actually like.

You want to be gripped by a cop fighting terrorists alone in a skyscraper.

ends triumphantyou’ll be fine aftergrabs you earlygrips by minute 8attention 3/5earns its length
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around
Heads-upgraphic violencejump scaresgorenudity

Skip it tonightYou dislike nonstop 80s action violence and strong language.

DNA · twelve axes

The reading.

Each axis is hand-scored — not derived from votes or genre averages. The marker shows where this film sits; the gradient fill uses the film's own cinematography palette.

Mood · HeavyCosy
Pacing · Slow-burnKinetic
Intensity · GentleExtreme
Weirdness · ConventionalSurreal
Hope · NihilisticRedemptive
Stakes · IntimateEpic
Humour · NoneBroad
Reality · GroundedFantastical
Density · SparseTwisty
Warmth · ColdTender
Auteur · TransparentSignature
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