Image: TMDB
About This Quiz
"Die Hard" transformed Bruce Willis from a comedic actor to one of the biggest action stars in the business, and the franchise is still going strong more than 25 years after it began. Take our quiz to see how much you know about this classic!
What's the name of our hero, played by Bruce Willis?
Michael Ward
John McClane
Willis plays John McClane, a NYPD detective with an uncanny ability for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And, of course, for taking out bad guys.
Steve Walker
John Wayne
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Who plays villain Hans Gruber in the film?
Danny Trejo
Dennis Hopper
Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman stars as Hans Gruber, who leads a gang of robbers masquerading as terrorists as they take over the building. As always, Rickman is perfect for his role.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
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What valuables are the thieves after in "Die Hard?"
jewels
cash
bonds
The gang of bad guys launches a would-be terrorist attack to disguise their real goal -- stealing $640 million worth of bearer bonds from Nakatomi.
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What does McClane drop onto Powell's car to get his attention?
an explosive
his wallet
a body
To keep Powell from leaving the scene, McClane drops Marco's body onto his cruiser, which successfully alerts the officer that something is wrong.
his gun
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What is the name of the LAPD officer sent to investigate the attack?
Det. Errol James
Sgt. Al Powell
Sgt. Al Powell is the first officer on the scene, but he initially doesn't spot a disturbance.
Capt. Wes Larson
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What is Sgt Powell buying at a gas station when we first see him?
Gasoline
Coffee
Twinkies
Powell says the Twinkies are for his wife. According to the sign outside, a gallon of gasoline cost 74.9 cents.
Newspaper
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What does McClane say after dropping the body on Sgt Powell's car?
"Welcome to the party, pal."
McClane's just getting started with the quips, while simultaneously raining down a hail of bullets in Sgt Powell's general vicinity to underscore the urgency of the situation.
"The weather outside is frightful, alright."
"Happy trails, Hans."
"Yippe-ki-yay, officer."
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What's the first setback McClane experiences in trying to reunite with his wife at the party?
She's having a liaison in a back conference room
She's using a different name
Holly, played by Bonnie Bedelia, has been using her maiden name - Gennero - in her professional life at Nakatomi Corporation. McClane doesn't discover this until he has to use the building directory to find her floor. Particularly observant Die Hard fans have even noticed a typo in her name, "Gennaro," which briefly appears onscreen.
The security guard won't let him in with a gun
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What does Holly request for the hostages?
A sofa and supervised trips to the bathroom
One of the hostages is pregnant, is the reason given for the sofa request, while the rest of the hostages are allowed to use the restrooms to keep things from getting "messy."
Access to the company liquor cabinet
A phone to contact their families
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What's the message McClane leaves on the body of the first bad guy to bite the dust?
"Happy Trails, Hans"
"Now I Have a Machine Gun, Ho Ho Ho"
Tony is the first villain to attack McClane, who uses the bad guy to break his fall as they both tumble down the stairs. McClane then uses Tony's radio to call the LAPD and borrows his machine gun, leaving him with a Santa hat and a note to taunt Hans.
"Naughty, Not Nice"
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What holiday serves as the setting for "Die Hard"?
Independence Day
Christmas Eve
McClane heads to Los Angeles to attend his wife Holly's company party on Christmas Eve. Many consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie, and therefore the best Christmas movie of the 1980s...or even all time.
Easter
New Year's Eve
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What does Gruber demand from the FBI?
a helicopter
Gruber demands a helicopter, which the FBI believes he will use to escape -- though Gruber and his gang have other plans.
a million dollars
a pizza
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What does a reporter accidentally reveal to Gruber?
The identify of McClane's wife
As if we needed another reason to dislike the annoying reporter character, Richard Thornburg, he inadvertently reveals to Gruber that Holly, one of the hostages, is also McClane's wife.
McClane's location
The SWAT team's position
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Who does McClane give a gun to, thinking that the man is a hostage?
Argyle
Gruber
When Gruber pretends to be a hostage, McClane gives him a gun for protection. Gruber tries to shoot McClane, but fortunately, the gun is unloaded.
Eddie
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Who is McClane's favorite cowboy, according to what he tells Hans, because of his "sequined shirts"?
John Wayne
Rambo
Marshal Dillon
Roy Rogers
Hans suggests McClane is "another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he's John Wayne...Rambo...Marshal Dillon." McClane says he was "always partial to Roy Rogers," deadpanning, "I really dug those sequined shirts." Thus the most famous line of Bruce Willis' career was born: "Yipee-ki-ay, m*********."
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Why is McClane barefoot during most of the movie?
He was changing his shoes when the terrorists took over
Following the advice of a fellow plane passenger, while changing into his clothes for the party, McClane has his shoes and socks off to try a relaxation exercise recommended for avoiding jet lag.
He took his shoes off so his steps wouldn't make noise
He forgot to pack shoes
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How does McClane escape from the roof as it explodes?
Fire hose
As he's tying the hose around his waist, he swears he'll never go into a tall building again if he lives through the jump.
Elevator shaft
Helicopter
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Besides English, what language do the terrorists speak in?
German
Hans Gruber and Co. are German.
Russian
Serbian
Arabic
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Who is Argyle?
McClane's limo driver
Argyle becomes much more than a driver when he is trapped during the siege. He ends up taking down Theo and escaping from the garage at the end of the film. "This is my first time driving a limo," he says at the beginning of the movie. "That's okay. This is my first time riding in one," is McClane's response.
An annoying reporter
The Nakatomi CEO
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Who cuts the power to the building?
LAPD
FBI
Hoping to take the bad guys by surprise, the FBI cuts the power, which leaves the vault holding the bearer bonds completely unprotected.
McClane
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Who punches Thornburg for his aggressive and dangerous reporting?
McClane
Holly
After finally escaping the building, Holly socks Thornburg when he tries to interview her and McClane.
Argyle
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Who tries to negotiate between Gruber and McClane over the detonators?
Sgt Powell
Argyle
Ellis, a coworker
Holly's co-worker Harry Ellis is killed as he tries to negotiate with McClane to return the detonators to Gruber.
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Why do the police initially decide to enter Nakatomi Plaza instead of waiting for the FBI?
They doubt McClane's story
With no ransom or other demands, SWAT Captain Mitchell says the terrorist plot isn't quite adding up, that the dead body could just be a "stockbroker" who committed suicide, and that the gunfire could have been fired by the "flake" named "Roy" who's been communicating with them over the radio.
They can hear the terrorists starting to kill hostages
One of the hostages is the captain's daughter
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Who does McClane use his last two bullets to shoot?
himself and Holly
Karl and Marco
Hans and Eddie
McClane uses his last two bullets to kill Eddie and shoot Gruber through the shoulder.
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What does Gruber hang onto to avoid falling from the building?
McClane's hand
Holly's watch
Gruber makes a last-ditch effort to survive by holding onto Holly's watch, but McClane removes the watch and Gruber falls to his death.
a gargoyle
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What does McClane trade for Holly's life?
machine gun
McClane hands over his machine gun to save Holly's life but manages to keep a small pistol concealed behind his back during the exchange.
the helicopter
the code to the vault
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Who does Powell kill to save Holly and McClane?
Karl
Sgt. Powell shoots the last-surviving villain, Karl, after he attempts to kill McClane and Holly when they exit the building.
Hans
Marco
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What year did "Die Hard" hit theaters?
1988
The film, which was directed by John McTiernan, came out in 1988 and has remained a favorite for fans of action flicks.
1993
1980
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Which of the following is NOT a title of one of the five movies in the Die Hard series?
Die Harder
The second film in the franchise, Die Hard 2, was released in 1990 and takes place at Dulles Airport in Washington DC, also on Christmas Eve. But many fans consider the original and the third film, Die Hard with a Vengeance, to be the best of the series.
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Live Free or Die Hard
A Good Day to Die Hard
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Besides the machine gun, what else does McClane take from one of the deceased bad guys?
Zippo lighter
Later, this comes in handy during one of the film's most iconic scenes, which takes place in a very dark HVAC duct.
Cigarettes
Smartphone
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What book is the movie "Die Hard" based on?
"The Vanishing"
"Nothing Lasts Forever"
The film was inspired by the 1979 Roderick Thorpe novel "Nothing Lasts Forever." Thorpe's earlier novel "The Detective" was made into an action film in the '60s.
"A Man and a Gun"
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True or False: The role of John McClane was initially offered to Frank Sinatra.
True
Contractual obligations forced the studio to offer the film to an aging Sinatra. When he turned it down, it was offered to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and other action stars before Bruce Willis finally landed the role.
False
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You Got:
/32
