Die Hard

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.

Initial critical opinion was genuinely split: action and direction drew real praise, but Willis's performance divided reviewers sharply and the film's relentless violence struck many serious critics as a cynical trade-off of intelligence for spectacle. Audiences embraced it far more warmly than critics did, and retrospective reputation has moved decisively toward the audience verdict.