The Playlist

Survive Hard: All The Times John McClane Should Have Died In The ‘Die Hard’ Series

  • By The Playlist Staff
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  • February 13, 2013 12:58 PM
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  • 5 Comments
In 1988, when the first "Die Hard" was released, Bruce Willis' everyday action hero John McClane was something of an anomaly. This was the era of the invincible action superstar – people like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, who would waltz through action movies firing machine guns, surviving explosions with the casualness of someone doing laundry or putting up wallpaper. With "Die Hard," McClane was a new kind of hero -- a New York City cop who is afraid of flying, who's deeply insecure about his marriage and who, once bank-robbing terrorists seize a Los Angeles skyscraper, forgets his shoes, embodied by an actor most knew from a primetime comedy. And while there are plenty of instances where he survives against all odds, he also gets cut, bleeds, and screws up – things that these Reagan-era he-men rarely (if ever) did. As the series progressed, things became more and more cartoon-y for John McClane, until, by the fourth film, he was just as undefeatable as the heroes he was once such a refreshing antithesis to.

'Die Hard,' 'The Rock,' 'Full Metal Jacket' & More: 5 Films Arnold Schwarzenegger Could Have Starred In

  • By Edward Davis
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  • October 8, 2012 2:34 PM
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  • 15 Comments
The latest issue of Empire is simply overflowing with great material if you're a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. There's a major interview, "Working With Arnie"; a feature about his weapons of choice and one-liners; "Exploring Predator" an awesome in-depth play-by-play about his seminal alien-in-the-jungle picture; "Surviving Commando" a movie that the magazine calls his most off-the-chain; and "Arnie Killed Me," a column tracking down all the bit-actors who were offed by Arnie in his various films. If you are at all a Schwarzenegger fan, the issue is a must.

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