Common Sense Media Review
Bruce Willis' breakout film has guns, violence, stereotypes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Die Hard
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 31 parent reviews
Parents say this film is a classic action movie that remains entertaining, combining humor and suspense with a solid performance from Bruce Willis. However, many reviews caution against its suitability for younger viewers due to its heavy violence, strong language, and sexual content, recommending it for mature teens and adults instead.
- classic action film
- contains strong language
- heavy violence
- not for children
- great for teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 226 kid reviews
Kids say that this movie, while entertaining and filled with iconic moments, contains extensive violence, strong language, and brief nudity, making it unsuitable for younger viewers. Many recommend it for older teens and adults, praising the thrilling action and memorable characters, but note the high levels of gore and profanity throughout.
- strong language
- intense violence
- brief nudity
- not for kids
- recommended for teens
- iconic moments
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In DIE HARD, New York police officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) hoped to spend Christmas with his estranged wife and children in Los Angeles. What he gets instead is a bone-crunching, foot-cutting, guns-blaring battle to the death with a band of German terrorists. Planning to raid highly secure vaults with a high-tech, high-powered ambush, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his posse hijack John's wife's company Christmas party. Despite the "help" of the LAPD and FBI, McClane must scrap his way through the melee, free the hostages, and maybe even repair his troubled marriage.
Is It Any Good?
Although this iconic action movie is quite entertaining, some might find parts of it dated and offensive. Released near the end of Ronald Reagan's presidency of rah-rah Americanism, Die Hard takes full advantage of German stereotypes with gigantic, creepy Aryan villains and positioning good ol' American cops as unquestionable heroes. After the movie became a mega hit, Willis -- known mainly at this point for his work on television's Moonlighting -- was reborn as a bona fide action star.
Excellent supporting actors deserve kudos along with Willis and the film's special effects. Rickman's (Galaxy Quest, the Harry Potter movies) slickly evil portrayal of Hans is on the mark, and Reginald VelJohnson (Papa Winslow from Family Matters) gives an excellent performance as the only LAPD officer who's helpful to McLane. Viewers may also recognize 1980s baddies Paul Gleason (The Breakfast Club) as the less-than-helpful Deputy Chief, and William Atherton (Ghostbusters, Real Genius) as an opportunist news reporter.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stereotyping and vigilante justice in Die Hard. Are John's actions -- blowing things up, killing, etc. -- warranted by the situation? Should he have taken alternate measures to deal with the situation?
The film uses a number of stereotypes in the development of its villains. What characteristics unite people like Hans and Karl? Are such generalizations problematic? How do films today approach this subject?
All of the film's active characters -- John, Al, Hans, and his helpers -- are men. Can you think of more recent action films that feature women as main characters?
Talk about cops using violence as a means to an end. With news stories about cops using violence against Black citizens, how does this portrayal affect the way we look at the effectiveness of violence?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 15, 1988
- On DVD or streaming : March 9, 1999
- Cast : Alan Rickman , Bruce Willis , Reginald VelJohnson
- Director : John McTiernan
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories , Holidays ( Christmas ) , Sports ( Martial arts ) , Travel
- Run time : 132 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong violence and pervasive strong language
- Last updated : December 15, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate