The great Bruce Willis changed the face of the action genre when he superbly portrayed the wise-cracking John McClane in the epic Die Hard franchise. Having first achieved recognition as private detective David Addison on the dramedy series Moonlighting, the charismatic performer was catapulted to widespread fame with his star-making role as McClane in the blockbuster 1988 action staple Die Hard. The overwhelming success and popularity of the pictures helped establish Willis as a bona fide movie star and endearing American action hero, with the role serving as a pivotal moment in his dazzling career.

The triumph of the original Die Hard installment led to four highly-anticipated, lucrative follow-up films, with the entire franchise going on to gross a combined worldwide total of $1.4 billion. Fans everywhere couldn’t get enough of the foul-mouthed NYC detective John McClane, who iconic Die Hard villain Hans Gruber famously described as “just another American…who thinks he’s John Wayne.” Throughout the course of 25 years, a very weary McClane went head-to-head against a slew of sinister foes and terrifying terrorists, proving numerous times that, despite his no-nonsense attitude, he will do anything to protect innocent civilians and the people he cares about.

With the unfortunate announcement that Willis is stepping away from acting, it’s probable that we will never see another Die Hard movie. Fortunately, there are five of them (all available on Hulu), three of which are genuinely excellent and two that are solid action flicks. The chronological order of the Die Hard movies is the exact same as its order by release date.

Die Hard Movies in Chronological Order and By Release Date

  • Die Hard - 15 July 1988 Die Hard 2 - 4 July 1990 Die Hard with a Vengeance - 19 May 1995 Live Free or Die Hard - 27 June 2007 A Good Day to Die Hard - 14 February 2013

Die Hard

     20th Century Fox

On July 15, 1988, the cinematic world was first introduced to the foul-mouthed, flippant NYPD Detective John McClane in the blockbuster action flick Die Hard, with the dynamite Bruce Willis tackling the role of the iconic reluctant hero. The groundbreaking ‘80s staple follows the authority-loathing, sardonic McClane as he unwittingly finds himself at the center of a terrorist plot at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, commanded by German radical Hans Gruber and his menacing henchmen.

The late and great Alan Rickman delivered a masterful performance as the ruthless leader Gruber, who holds the skyscraper hostage in order to steal $640 million in negotiable bonds. The vicious villain is considered one of the greatest bad guys in action movie history, with the role being lauded as one of Rickman’s best performances; the diabolical character was such a hit that his estranged brother Simon sought revenge in the third installment.

Many high-profile actors were offered the notorious role of John McClane, with stars like Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger being considered for the exciting part. The casting of Willis, however, helped redefine the action genre, with the character presenting a somewhat ’normal,’ everyday man as opposed to the invincible, gigantic, muscle-bound heroes previously depicted. The comedic talent of Bruce Willis also changed the game, perfecting the idea of sarcastic quips and witty one-liners in action flicks. John McClane is a relatable and wary protagonist, and Die Hard helped establish Willis as a sarcastic superstar known worldwide, raising the actor’s status from television performer to a high-profile cinematic presence.

Die Hard was a massive hit upon its release, grossing over $140 million ($340 million adjusted for inflation today) on a roughly $30 million budget, earning five Academy Award nominations while cementing Willis’ status as a prominent leading man and granting Rickman celebrity status in Hollywood. The big-screen extravaganza has been heavily lauded as arguably the best action movie of the ’80s (if not all time), and launched a lucrative franchise that spawned four successful sequels, beginning with 1990’s Die Hard 2. In the highly-anticipated follow-up, the always unruly John McClane once again finds himself having to save the world from nefarious terrorists who have taken over the air traffic control system at an airport.

Die Hard 2 (Die Harder)

Like its critically-acclaimed predecessor, the 1990 action-thriller Die Hard 2 (also known as Die Harder) takes place on Christmas Eve and focuses on Mr. Congeniality himself John McClane as he arrives at the Dulles International Airport to pick up his wife Holly. While awaiting her incoming flight, the now LAPD lieutenant makes the shocking discovery that rogue military operatives have seized power over the air traffic control system. McClane must once again contend with malicious terrorists as well as a disgruntled military commander and airport authorities to save not only his wife but the lives of countless others from a devastating plane crash. In the second installment of the gripping franchise, McClane begrudgingly decides to once again enlist the help of his friend, Sergeant Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) to stop the terrifying attack.

The main villain of the picture is disgraced former Colonel William Stuart who, along with his ex-military sympathizers, plan to rescue drug lord Ramon Esperanza from impending justice by holding the airport and its occupants hostage. McClane must act fast if he wants to rescue the incoming airplanes (and his wife) from a fiery inferno, as Stuart hacked into the electrical equipment controlling the planes and cut off power to the airport. The screenplay of the adrenaline-pumping movie was adapted from the book 58 Minutes, with its villains being based on those involved in the Iran-Contra affair, a political scandal that occurred during the Reagan Administration in the 1980s.

Bruce Willis once again headlined the epic flick, with Bonnie Bedelia (Holly), Reginald VelJohnson (Powell), and William Atherton (reporter Richard Thornburg) reprising their roles from the original; Franco Nero, William Sadler, and John Amos were introduced as the primary bad guys in the winning sequel. Despite the film being an even bigger hit with audiences at the box office (grossing $240 million worldwide), Willis himself was not a huge fan, having retrospectively expressed, “The second was my least favorite and the least fun. Far too self-referentially precious, the story was all over the place, and suffered from severe un-claustrophobic-ness.” The action legend would later find satisfaction with the 1995 follow-up, as Die Hard with a Vengeance is widely regarded as the best sequel of the franchise.

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Die Hard with a Vengeance

John McTiernan (director of the first installment) returned to helm the 1995 action-thriller Die Hard with a Vengeance, with the electrifying sequel finding a down-on-his-luck John McClane joining forces with Harlem shopkeeper Zeus Carver in an effort to stop German terrorist Simon (Hans Gruber’s brother) from blowing up popular attractions in New York City and extracting revenge. The iconic Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Irons joined the Die Hard franchise as Zeus and Simon, respectively, with the mysterious villain forcing McClane to play a disturbing and twisted version of Simon Says while presenting dangerous challenges and riddles. Jackson appears as the hesitant store owner Zeus, who saves McClane from Simon’s first violent challenge and teams up with the Lieutenant to thwart the bad guy’s corrupt scheme.

In the third installment of the series, McClane has seen better days, as the caustic hero is separated from his wife Holly, battling alcoholism, and has been suspended from the police force; he is called back to duty when Simon specifically requests his appearance, or else he’ll continue wreaking havoc on the city and its civilians. Once again, McClane is forced to fight against a conniving criminal, but this time he has a partner to rely on with Zeus hesitantly aiding him along the way. Irons’ Simon Gruber is a formidable foe in Die Hard with a Vengeance, using his anger over his brother’s death as a cover-up to rob the Federal Reserve Building.

Die Hard with a Vengeance was both a critical and commercial hit, earning over $366 million and becoming the highest-grossing film of the year, with the action stunts and performances by Willis, Irons, and Jackson being lauded. Since its initial release, the flick has amassed a large cult following and has been considered by reviewers and fans alike as the best sequel of the stimulating series. Esteemed critic Roger Ebert gave a glowing analysis of the picture, calling it a “wind-up action toy, cleverly made, and delivered with high energy. It delivers just what it advertises, with a vengeance.” The overwhelming success of the Die Hard installment surprisingly didn’t spawn another sequel right away, with audiences having to wait 12 years to see 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard.

Live Free or Die Hard

After a 12-year absence from the big-screen, everyone’s favorite wise-cracking hero John McClane made a rousing return to the cinema in 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard, with the NYPD detective this time being forced to work with a savvy young hacker to combat an elite cyber-terrorist hacking into the government and computers at the FBI. Loosely based on John Carlin’s article “A Farewell to Arms” written for Wired magazine, the lively film introduces exciting new talent to the celebrated franchise, with Justin Long appearing as hacker-turned-white-hat Matt Farrell and a thrilling Timothy Olyphant joining as terrorist mastermind Thomas Gabriel. Other big names such as Maggie Q, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Kevin Smith co-star, appearing as both friends and foes of the resilient McClane.

Despite the film studio being eager to once again capitalize on the money-making franchise, Live Free or Die Hard went through development hell even with the cyber-terrorism premise being greenlit. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the fourth film was stalled indefinitely until talks once again resumed in 2005. In the latest action-packed outing, McClane learns that the villain Thomas Gabriel and his fellow terrorists are in the midst of a “fire sale” via their cyber-warfare hacking, targeting the national infrastructure in a coordinate attack. His crusade to stop the deplorable criminals takes a personal turn when his estranged daughter Lucy and computer whiz Matt are captured by the dangerous terrorists.

Live Free or Die Hard was praised by fans and critics, with many commending the picture as an outstanding return to form for the franchise (and the film retaining an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Earning over $388 million worldwide, it is the highest-grossing installment of the Die Hard series and the only one to receive a PG-13 rating, much to Bruce Willis’ initial dismay; the actor worried viewers would miss the colorful usage of profanity and edginess but the film’s thrilling action sequences and biting humor ultimately made up for the lack of f-bombs.

Regardless, the seasoned star was thrilled with the final results of the picture, telling NewsBlaze it’s a throwback to the original and saying, “I would put this one-two with the first film. And it’s an interesting thing now, over 20 years, to have four films that are bookended by two really great episodes in the storyline.” Willis would return for a fifth and final Die Hard six years later, with 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard.

A Good Day to Die Hard

For his final act as the no-nonsense John McClane, Bruce Willis leaves behind the streets of New York City to rescue his estranged son John “Jack” McClane Jr. after the young man is arrested in Moscow for murder in 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard. Jai Courtney joins the franchise as Jack, McClane’s aforementioned child who is actually an undercover CIA agent and is who is less-than-pleased at the arrival of his father John. The duo set aside their differences in order to takedown underworld forces and protect a Russian government whistleblower Jack has been tasked with keeping safe. Sebastian Koch appears as the film’s main antagonist Yuri Komarov, portraying the double-crossing villain Jack was initially supposed to protect at all costs.

On what ended up becoming the actor’s last on-screen portrayal of McClane, Willis expressed in a 2013 interview, “I have a warm spot in my heart for Die Hard….. it’s just the sheer novelty of being able to play the same character over 25 years and still be asked back is fun. It’s much more challenging to have to do a film again and try to compete with myself, which is what I do in Die Hard. I try to improve my work every time." Though Willis was eager for the chance of doing a sixth and final film and properly retiring the iconic character, the star’s desire was thwarted due to his decision to step away from Hollywood and retiire after his aphasia diagnosis.

Though perhaps not the note the legendary performer would have liked to go out on with John McClane, A Good Day to Die Hard still demonstrated Willis’ and the reluctant hero’s box office draw, with the final installment earning over $300 million despite mainly negative reviews. The Die Hard films are undoubtedly some cinema’s most outstanding action flicks, with McClane landing on numerous lists as one of the greatest movie characters and heroes of all time.

When Willis was first cast as the flippant famed detective, the BBC accurately called the decision “an excellent casting choice as a sardonic action hero.” Willis would only prove that sentiment right time and time again over the course of 25 years playing McClane, proving that you don’t need a fancy cape or bulging Schwarzenegger muscles to be a respected and endearing big screen champion to the masses.