There are lots of great movies out there, but only a few can claim to have created their own genre. John McTiernan’s action classic “Die Hard” is one of them. Sure, it didn’t come from out of nowhere — the premise of villains taking hostages, and a hero taking them down from within dates back at least as far as the Oscar-winning John Huston thriller “Key Largo,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall — but it put all the pieces together in one lucrative, easy to copy framework. And boy, did Hollywood copy it. Over and over and over again.
Yes, in the wake of “Die Hard” there have been borderline countless riffs on the same basic premise: Bad guys take over a thingy, a good guy just happens to be at the thingy, the good guy foils all the bad guys’ plans. Just change the thingy, and/or change the heroes/villains, and you’ve got a recipe for a “Die Hard” clone. Similar enough to attract the same core audience, different enough to avoid a lawsuit. That’s the Hollywood way!
Anyhow, not all “Die Hard” clones are good — or even competent (sorry, “Bride Hard”) — but some are action movie classics. Or at least they should be. These are the best “Die Hard” knockoffs ever made… so far.
‘The Aggression Scale’ (2012)
It’s “Die Hard“ in a house, but John McClane is a young serial killer!
Most ‘Die Hard’ knockoffs try to play up the spectacle, but “The Aggression Scale” keeps the action intimate, and keeps it very creepy. The film stars Ryan Hartwig as Owen, a troubled boy who has all the early warning signs of a serial killer. When his parents are abducted in a home invasion, Owen is finally unleashed, seeking violent revenge against their attackers and stopping at nothing to protect his sister. A twisted take on the familiar premise from director Steven C. Miller, and as a little treat, it’s also a mini-“Twin Peaks” reunion for Ray Wise and Dana Ashbrook, who play the film’s lead villains!
‘Air Force One’ (1997)
It’s “Die Hard” on Air Force One, but John McClane is the President!
One of the reasons “Die Hard” was such a big deal was that it was a big, explosive action movie where the hero was just a guy. Sure, John McClane was a cop but he wasn’t a supercop, he was a regular working class stiff who was in way over his head. Wolfgang Peterson’s slick knockoff “Air Force One” puts a twist on the formula by making the hero the President of the United States, a former soldier who refuses to evacuate the presidential plane when terrorists — led by Gary Oldman — take over, and rescues the hostages himself. Harrison Ford is, perhaps, the only Hollywood star who could pull off this material, and he makes his role iconic.
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‘Blood Red Sky’ (2021)
It’s “Die Hard” on an airplane, but John McClane is a vampire!
Netflix’s tragically overlooked horror-action hybrid stars Peri Baumeister as Nadja, a German widow trying to transport her son to America. She looks ill, but when the plane is hijacked — by “Legends of Tomorrow” star Dominic Purcell — they find out, to their horror, that she’s a vampire… and she’s going to kill them all. One hell of a premise, strikingly told, with Baumeister turning out to be one of the greatest John McClane knockoff heroes of them all.
‘Cliffhanger’ (1993)
It’s “Die Hard” on a mountain!
Sylvester Stallone stars in and co-wrote this 1993 blockbuster, directed by “Die Hard 2” filmmaker Renny Harlin, so he knew what he was doing. After a breathtaking mid-air heist, giant bags of money plummet into the Rocky Mountains, so the villains — led by John Lithgow, clearly enjoying himself — call the mountain rescue rangers for assistance. When they arrive, they’re taken hostage and forced to guide these murderers to the stolen money. The stunning stunts in “Cliffhanger” could still give an audience vertigo, but it’s the impressive screenplay full of memorable characters that make this one of the top tier “Die Hard” riffs.
‘Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever’ (2014)
It’s “Die Hard” in a mall, but John McClane is Grumpy Cat!
Don’t laugh. Actually, do laugh. “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever” is a Lifetime Original Movie “Die Hard” knockoff, where the perpetually sour puss — voiced, hilariously, by Aubrey Plaza — teams up with a lonely young girl to save a shopping mall from do-badders trying to dognap a prized pooch. It sounds like a joke, because it absolutely is a joke. But it’s an unexpectedly funny joke from Tim Hill, the director of “Muppets from Space” and “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.” Don’t expect big action. Just expect to chuckle in spite of yourself.
‘The Princess’ (2022)
It’s “Die Hard” in a medieval castle, but John McClane is the damsel in distress!
Joey King kicks a staggering amount of ass in Le-Van Kiet’s clever “Die Hard” subversion, where the princess doesn’t just save herself, she practically kills an entire army single-handed. When medieval thugs take over the castle — led by Dominic Cooper — they get more than they bargained for, because King’s lady fair has been training in martial arts her whole life, and has been waiting for a chance to unleash her fury. It’s a little one-note, perhaps, but King is a convincing action hero, the fight choreography is exciting as hell, and at a spry 94 minutes the novelty never has a chance to wear off.
‘The River Wild’ (1994)
It’s “Die Hard” on the rapids, but John McClane is Meryl Streep!
Before he won an Oscar for “L.A. Confidential,” Curtis Hanson directed a series of high end thrillers that were way better than they sounded on paper. “The River Wild” is one of the best, and that’s saying something. Meryl Streep and David Strathairn take their son on a white water rafting trip, where they’re taken hostage by escaped criminals Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly. The river is too treacherous to navigate with a professional guide, so it’s up to street to keep them all alive, when she’s not trying to escape or kill their captors. Bracing, intelligent, exciting entertainment from a top flight cast and a superlative director.
‘The Rock’ (1996)
It’s “Die Hard” on Alcatraz, but John McClane is a science geek… who teams up with James Bond!
Michael Bay’s outlandish and wildly amusing “Die Hard” knockoff stars Nicolas Cage as an FBI chemist who teams up with a British secret agent, who has been in American custody for years after stealing top secret files from J. Edgar Hoover, and is the only person who successfully escaped the island prison. The villains are ex-U.S. soldiers — led by Ed Harris, taking his role 100% seriously — who are trying to force the government to atone for their wrongs. Completely over the top in all the best possible ways, and Connery and Cage prove to be a truly dynamic duo.
‘Snakes on a Plane’ (2006)
It’s “Die Hard” on a plane, and the villains are all poisonous snakes!
When David R. Ellis’s “Snakes on a Plane” came out the internet was giddy with the fact that a movie this silly not only existed, but it starred Samuel L. Jackson was debuting in actual, honest to goodness theaters instead of the Sci-Fi Channel. Mainstream audiences weren’t nearly as jazzed, and the film quickly vanished from both multiplexes and the public consciousness, but it’s an absolute hoot that deserves to be reappraised. Jackson plays an FBI agent transporting a key witness from Hawaii to Los Angeles, but instead of just trying to have the witness murdered the old-fashioned way, the evil mob boss decides to get creative and sneak a staggering number of venomous snakes onto the plane and let nature, if you can call it that, take its course. Glorious tongue-in-cheek b-movie entertainment, and Samuel L. Jackson’s “I have had it with these motherfcking snakes on this motherfcking plane” speech — which started as an online joke — is one of the best examples of a reshoot exponentially improving a film.
‘Speed’ (1994)
It’s “Die Hard” on a speeding bus!
Jan De Bont’s breakout blockbuster “Speed” has influences that pre-date “Die Hard,” including the 1964 TV movie “The Doomsday Flight” (about a passenger jet that would explode if it dipped below 4,000 feet) and 1975 Japanese disaster movie “The Bullet Train.” But as far as Hollywood concerned, it was “Die Hard” on a bus. Keanu Reeves stars as an explosives expert who pisses off a mad bomber — played by Dennis Hopper — who rigs a bus to explode if it goes slower than 50mph. Sandra Bullock co-stars, in the role that made her a superstar, as a civilian who winds up having to drive the thing through chaotic Los Angeles traffic. Clever, unpredictable, smarter than it has any right to be, with dialogue as quotable as… well, “Die Hard.”
‘Sudden Death’ (1995)
It’s “Die Hard” in a hockey arena!
One of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s best, but often overlooked films is the “Die Hard” riff “Sudden Death,” where bad guys — led by the amazing Powers Boothe — take the Vice President hostage and hide bombs around a hockey arena. None of the fans have any idea they’re in danger, so it’s up to Van Damme’s fire marshal hero to sneak around and disarm the explosives, and buy himself extra time by keeping the game going by any means necessary, even if that means strapping on some skates himself. It’s not a comedy but it’s got a good sense of humor: the bit where JCVD fights the Pittsburg Penguins mascot to the death is one of the most memorable scenes in his entire cinematic oeuvre.
‘Under Siege’ (1992)
It’s “Die Hard” on a battleship!
Steven Seagal sucks for many, many reasons, but he made a few unexpectedly good “Die Hard” knockoffs. In some ways the most memorable is “Executive Decision,” since he unexpectedly dies in the first act, but Andrew Davis’s “Under Siege” is the best. Seagal plays a lowly cook on a U.S. battleship, which gets hijacked by villains — led by Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey — who impersonate a rock band playing the Captain’s birthday party. It’s up to the secretly-a-badass Casey Ryback to take back to the ship, with only a former Playboy playmate — played by Erika Eleniak — to watch his back. Expertly crafted action cinema, and Tommy Lee Jones appears to be having the time of his life.
‘Under Siege 2: Dark Territory’ (1995)
It’s “Die Hard” on a train!
Critics were surprised when Steven Seagal, who already wasn’t known for starring in great movies, headlined the action classic “Under Siege.” But they were outright shocked when the sequel, “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory,” also turned out to be a genuine blast. Casey Ryback is (ry)back, and this time he’s escorting his niece — played by a young Katherine Heigl — on a train that gets taken over by evildoers — led by, of all people, Eric Bogosian. A lot more absurd than the original, with a laugh-out-loud scene where Seagal outruns (well, out-trots) an exploding train crash, but all in good, ridiculous fun. If you can stomach watching a Seagal film these days — and no one will blame you if you can’t — this is one of the better ones.
‘White House Down’ (2013)
It’s “Die Hard” in the White House.
Yes, you’re reading this article correctly and no, you haven’t skipped a section by accident. Of the two “Die Hard in the White House” movies that were released in 2013, “Olympus Has Fallen” was the one that made money and spawned a franchise, but “White House Down” has been the good one all this time. Channing Tatum stars as a down-on-his-luck divorced dad applying for a job with the Secret Service, but when an evil conservative — played by James Woods (yup!) — takes over the White House, he’s the only one who can save the President, played by Jamie Foxx as kinda-sorta Barack Obama. Roland Emmerich films the devastation in “White House Down” with his robust, painterly eye, and his often ridiculous sense of humor is on full display. It’s a liberal fever dream of the highest caliber, a politically-charged thrill ride full of the same over the top action and characters that made the late-era “Fast & Furious” films giant blockbusters, even though critics and audiences inexplicably rejected that very same tone here.
‘You’re Next’ (2011)
It’s “Die Hard” in a slasher movie!
Before he was cranking out ridiculous (but awesome) “Godzilla vs. Kong” movies, Adam Wingard blew critics away with his smart, scary action-horror hybrid “You’re Next.” Sharni Vinson stars as a working class girl who travels with her wealthy boyfriend to a family gathering, where the house gets besieged by killers in creepy animal masks. It should be a straight-up slaughter, but nobody knew that Vinson’s character grew up in a survivalist cult, and knows exactly how to handle this situation, turning the tables on all their attackers. A great twist on an old formula, a scary movie with a badass action hero in the lead, and a cult classic if ever there was one.
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