History Film / DieHard

* BlackAndNerdy: Theo is black, wears glasses, and has no combat skills. He's the computer whiz responsible for shutting down the building and hacking through the vault's control system.

* ClosedCircle: 90 percent of the movie takes place in or around the Nakatomi Plaza, with Hans first goal to lock down the exits and trap everyone inside. All of the running through conference rooms, maintenance hallways, unfinished floors and climbing through [[AirVentPassageway air vents]] made the tension ramp up continuously as the film progressed. This is the reason they call it DieHardOnAnX.

* {{Paparazzi}}: Dick Thornburg, who forces his way into the Gennaro house, leading Hans to discover Holly could serve as bargaining against John. No wonder once it's all done, Holly punches him in the face.

* FriendOrFoe: After [=McClane=] [[FiringInTheAirALot fires into the air]] to convince the hostages to flee the roof, the trigger-happy FBI Agents Johnson and Johnson immediately take the excuse to start firing on [=McClane=] from their helicopter. John is very unhappy about this.
-->'''John [=McClane=]:''' I'm on YOUR side, you assholes!

** Sgt. Powell, halfway through the movie, manages to drive backward at high spees after a body gets dropped on his car, smashing the windshield and half the roof. [=McClane=] compliments him on his driving before learning about his AccidentalChildKillerBackstory.

* CarFu: [[spoiler:Argyle, the limousine driver]], is oblivious to the hostage situation for half of the movie and useless for most of the rest, [[spoiler:but in the last 15 minutes or so, he slams his limo into the getaway vehicle, trapping it against the wall of the garage and preventing Theo from escaping.]]

* GondorCallsForAid: [=McClane=] tries to call for help by triggering a fire alarm. Unfortunately, Hans and his men are savvy enough to convince the firemen it was a false alarm.

* AccidentalChildKillerBackstory: Police officer Al Powell once shot a kid who he thought was armed. The guilt was so overwhelming that Powell took a desk job rather than continue to use his gun.

** The crooks are out to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in "Bearer Bonds", financial vouchers issued in the period redeemable for cash (eventually banned because of their use in money laundering and drug dealing).

-->'''John''': [[PreMortemOneLiner Germonimo, motherfucker]]!

--->'''Holly:''' After all your posturing, all your little speeches, you're nothing but a common thief.
--->'''Hans:''' I am an ''exceptional'' thief, Mrs. [=McClane=]. And since I'm moving up to kidnapping, you should be more polite.

* FalseFalseAlarm: One of the first things Detective John [=McClane=] does to thwart the terrorists that have seized control of the Nakatomi Tower is set off a fire alarm, knowing it will bring both firemen and police to the scene. Villainous mastermind Hans Gruber simply phones the [=LAFD=] to report a false alarm at the site. It disheartens [=McClane=] to see the approaching fire trucks suddenly kill their lights and sirens before turning back.

** There's a poster of a topless woman on the [=35th=] floor's fuse box, which John uses to figure out where he is.

* ForeignCussWord: Hans snarls... something in German during the shootout on the [=33rd=] floor when he dives onto the floor to grab Franco's gun. One of his foot soldiers also mutters "Scheissen!" when a missile he's wheeling over to the window in order to deal with the incoming ARV falls off the cart (well-armed though the robbers may be, a fast-moving SWAT vehicle isn't something to be taken lightly, so they're hauling ass).

** One of the terrorists gives another terrorist a "clenched fist" signal just before the [=SWAT=] attack begins.

* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Tony does this ''twice'' when promising John not to hurt him. Just before he says it, he does the HK Slap on his submachine gun (i.e. makes it ready to fire) quite loudly, and then immediately after, he opens fire on what he thinks is John's position.

* StockholmSyndrome: Discussed, averted, and the setup to a joke.

** There seems to be some confusion as to which floor the vault and the office party are on. The kiosk at the receptionist's desk and the elevator floor number indicators state that Holly's office (and by extension the party) are on the [=30th=] floor while the vault is one floor up, accessible via a staircase where Eddie sees the hostages running back down from the roof. However, Ginny tells John that Holly was taken to the vault on the [=30th=] floor, which suggests the party was on the [=29th=] floor.

The movie was adapted into several video games, including ''VideoGame/DynamiteCop'' (where it is completely different apart from the premise, with one of the players is based on John [=McClane=], barefoot and all that) and ''VideoGame/DieHardNakatomiPlaza'' (a direct adaptation).

The movie was adapted into several video games, including ''VideoGame/DynamiteCop'' (where one of the players is John [=McClane=], barefoot and all that) and ''VideoGame/DieHardNakatomiPlaza'' (a frame-by-frame adaptation).

** Police officers are allowed to carry firearms (concealed carry) because of their state-issued law enforcement licenses. Police officers are allowed to operate only within the borders of their own states. [=McClane=] is on a plane traveling from New York to Los Angeles, taking him out of the state, meaning that his police license is would not be applicable. This also negates his right to carry his weapon. Federal agents and state and local law enforcement officers are allowed to carry on commercial flights but only on official police business (e.g., prisoner or VIP escort). Proper paperwork and verified identification would be required for such official business.

** In an amusing mixup/TakeThat against media pundits and anchors, the author of a book on the subject refers to it as "Helsinki Syndrome," suggesting that he either got his facts wrong or he is ripping off Stockholm Syndrome. The male newsreader tries to clarify to the viewers that he's referring to "Helsinki, Sweden." Then the shot cuts to a frustrated cameraman rolling his eyes and {{facepalm}}ing in exasperation at the newsreader's GlobalIgnorance. It's made even funnier considering that the anchor in his blatant mistake is a bit more accurate than the so-called expert (obliquely, as in Sweden = half-right). He is, however, immediately corrected by the 'expert'; "...Finland."

* WritersCannotDoMath: The film is inconsistent with how many terrorists there are, as is the promotional material. Al mentions to the FBI that John is the reason why there are seven terrorists instead of 12, which is incorrect; there are 13 terrorists. Of course, the police's count is from John's report, and he could have miscounted (Eddie spent most of the siege in the lobby, where John couldn't see and count him).

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Gruber's ultimate plan is to kill all the hostages with an explosion and escape in the confusion, but in the meantime, he is unwilling to inflict unnecessary cruelty on them. When Holly points out that one of the hostages is a pregnant woman and that they will all need bathroom breaks, Hans quickly compromises with her on both points. It is also notable that after murdering [[spoiler:Ellis]], Hans (in frustration) threatens to kill more hostages unless [=McClane=] surrenders, but never follows through on this threat.

* {{Hammerspace}}: Hans' group has an ambulance hidden in their courier truck as a getaway vehicle. However, when they arrive, we see that the group takes up almost all the space inside, leaving no room for a getaway vehicle.

--->'''John:''' So that's what this is all about? A fucking robbery? (...) Why'd you have to uke the whole building, Hans?
* DisneyVillainDeath: Hans Gruber attempts to drag Holly down with him by grabbing her watch after he is shot, but [=McClane=] unclasps it, and Hans plummets to his death.

* EvilPlan: One of the best in Hollywood action movie history: Invade the Nakatomi building and take hostages under the guise of being terrorists and then pull Mr. Takagi aside to make him divulge the access codes to the vault with the $640 million bearer bonds inside. If he doesn't cooperate, then kill him and break into the vault yourself both through computer savvy, careful drilling and manipulating the authorities through their own standard operating procedures to make that possible. When the robbery is finished, put the hostages on the roof, then blow it up to fake the gang's deaths and get away in an ambulance you took along in the truck. Unfortunately, Gruber didn't count on John [=McClane=] interfering.

** When Holly finds out about Hans' EvilPlan:
--->'''Holly Gennero [=McClane=]:''' After all your posturing, all your little speeches, you're nothing but a common thief.
--->'''Hans Gruber:''' I am an ''exceptional'' thief, Mrs. [=McClane=]. And since I'm moving up to kidnapping, you should be more polite.
** During the climactic showdown, John has a similar reaction, although he's stalling for time.
--->'''John:''' So that's what this is all about? A fucking robbery?

* AlwaysABiggerFish: Or a more sophisticated arm of law enforcement, enforced by a bigger {{Jerkass}}. [[CommanderContrarian Deputy Chief Dwayne]] takes over the operation from [[OnlySaneMan Officer Al Powell]], and in turn loses authority when [[CowboyCop Special Agents Johnson and Johnson]], FBI, appear on the scene.

** The biggest difference comes in their respective protagonists, Snake Plissken and John [=McClane=]. Snake's backstory is that of an archetypal RatedMForManly HollywoodActionHero, a [[EyepatchOfPower one-eyed]] ex-Special Forces operative turned bank robber who was on his way to prison before being recruited for his mission. Creator/KurtRussell may not have the HeroicBuild of someone like Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, but everything else about his performance tells the viewer that he can kick ass, take names, and get the job done. He goes into the Manhattan prison island on the orders of the good guys (well, as good as the [[OppressiveStatesOfAmerica pseudo-fascist American government]] of [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 1997]] can be said to be) to rescue the President in exchange for having his sentence commuted, and the only reason he cares about his mission is because of the ExplosiveLeash they implanted in his neck. John [=McClane=], on the other hand, is an ordinary police officer who was thrust into harm's way unprepared by the bad guys when they took over Nakatomi Plaza, and despite his genuinely badass feats, he winds up more an ActionSurvivor than anything, ending the film in terrible shape and grateful that it's over. His motivations for fighting them are personal: they're threatening his wife, who, marital problems aside, he still loves and cherishes. In short, while Snake is an AntiHero who happens to be the perfect man for the mission, [=McClane=] is a conventionally heroic figure who was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and is out of his element.

* BatmanGambit: When the authorities are alerted to the hostage situation Hans' even remarks that this was expected and part of the plan. It's further revealed that his master goal depended on the FBI cutting electrical power (per standard procedure), which disables the magnetic lock on the Nakatomi Plaza vault. The plan falls apart, however, because John was able to evacuate the roof before it blew up and prevent their escape plans.

* WritersCannotDoMath: The film is inconsistent with how many terrorists there are, as is the promotional material. Al mentions to the FBI that John is the reason why there are seven terrorists instead of 12, which is incorrect; there are 13 terrorists. For a rundown of who is who, see ThirteenIsUnlucky above. Of course, the police's count is from John's report, and he could have miscounted (Eddie spent most of the siege in the lobby, where John couldn't see and count him).