Yippee-ki-yay, It’s a John McClane Breakdown
Happy Christmas in July, motherf*cker–John McClane doesn’t like having to stop terrorists every five minutes, but somehow here we are.
It’s halfway to Christmas time and that means it’s time for our favorite holiday argument, is Die Hard a Christmas movie? We don’t have the answer. But we can tell you all about the infamous anti-hero of the movie series, John McClane.
Basic Info
John McClane Sr. was a detective lieutenant with the New York City Police Department. Born in 1955 he joined the police department at twenty-two in 1977. He worked as a beat cop for five years before being promoted to detective and then again to lieutenant. Before becoming a cop, McClane served time with the Marines in Vietnam.
McClane is married to Holly Gennero McClane, but by the events of Die Hard, she began going by her maiden name. She had moved to Las Angeles in pursuit of a job that John thought would fail. This lack of faith in his wife and her move lead to their separation. John and Holly have two children, Lucy and John Jr.
Aside from McClane’s marriage, which is seemingly always moments away from collapse, he barely maintains strained friendships and likely has some substance abuse issues. He is a chain smoker and is described by Inspector Cobb as being “two steps away from becoming a full-blown alcoholic.”
Dying Hard
There have been five Die Hard films since 1988, and McClane has also made a cameo appearance in 1993’s Loaded Weapon.
In the first film, McClane travels from New York to Los Angeles to attend the Christmas Eve party at Nakatomi Plaza with a recently separated Holly and their two children. Shortly after the building is attacked by a group led by Hans Gruber intent on stealing $640 million in bearer bonds. Throughout the course of this movie, McClane slowly kills off members of Hans’ group, and eventually foils their plot and saves the hostages from the party.
After this, he transfers to the LA Police Department and rises to fame as a hero. Though McClane hates the new attention. Unfortunately, he must singlehandedly take on a terrorist organization once more. Now one that has taken control of the Washington Dulles International Airport.
Dying Harder – The Hardening
At some point after McClane separates from Holly again and moves back to New York to work for the NYPD. Only to be suspended, likely due to his alcohol abuse. He is forced to foil yet another terrorist plot, this time at the hands of Simon Peter Gruber. That’s right, the brother of Hans Gruber from the original Die Hard.
Thirteen years later in Live Free or Die Hard, McClane must save his estranged daughter, Lucy. She is kidnapped by yet another terrorist, Thomas Gabriel.
The final movie, A Good Day To Die Hard follows John McClane Sr. following John “Jack” Jr. to Russia after he is arrested while undercover with the CIA.
The Legacy of John McClane
John McClane is your quinisential 80s and 90s action dude. He’s messy, rude, and deeply out of touch with his own feelings. McClane is an archetypical antihero – not someone you want your kids to look up to, but you gotta respect him. He’s good at shooting and has a fun catchphrase. And sometimes that’s all you want in a fun action movie.
What is John McClane’s Famous Line?
John McClane has quite a few fun, funny, memorable, or quotable lines throughout the Die Hard series, but his most famous is “Yippee ki yay, motherf**ker.”
Who is John McClane Based On?
McClane is based on the also fictional detective Joe Leland from the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. In fact, the entire movie is based on this novel and despite not following the source material very closely, there are numerous similarities between the two.
Who Turned Down the Role of John McClane?
Bruce Willis is iconic in Die Hard and it is hard to imagine anybody else playing the role of John McClane. But before Willis was the face of Christmas-time action movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were both considered for the role and both turned it down. Even Frank Sinatra was offered the part. But this was an offer made of contractual obligation more than genuine interest as Sinatra starred in 1968’s film The Detective which was the prequel for Nothing Lasts Forever. In the end Bruce Willis was chosen for the part despite being known for Moonlighting and not be considered an “action guy” up until that point.
Where Did They Film Die Hard?
Die Hard was filmed in Los Angeles. While Nakatomi Plaza is a fictional building, Fox Plaza (now known as 2121 Avenue of the Stars) in LA is a real location and served as the film’s primary filming location.
Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?
Director John McTiernan didn’t intend for Die Hard to be a Christmas movie nor for it to have a huge fan discourse around its holiday movie status. But that doesn’t mean it’s not. Fans are split on whether or not Die Hard is a holiday film, and there isn’t an official answer. So basically, yes… if you want it to be. But also no, if you don’t want it to be.
So what do you think? Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Have you seen all of the movies in the series? Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Happy adventuring!
