Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History

by James Mottram, David S. Cohen, John McTiernan (Foreword)

Thirty years after the release of the groundbreaking action classic, Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History takes an in-depth look at the entire Die Hard saga, from the original movie through to the hit sequels, comics, video games, and other extensions of hero John McClane’s story.

Loosely based on Roderick Thorp’s novel Nothing Lasts Forever, Die Hard, released in 1988, saw Moonlighting star Bruce Willis seamlessly make the transition from TV success to movie stardom in a film so taut, explosive, and full of suspense that it would come to define the action movie genre for decades to come. Directed by John McTiernan (Predator), Die Hard also starred revered British stage actor Alan Rickman who turned lead villain Hans Gruber into a presence so deliciously malevolent that audiences didn’t know whether to love him or hate him.

For the first time, Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History tells the complete story of the making of Die Hard and its sequels, through exclusive interviews with the cast and crew of each film and a wealth of rare and unseen imagery, including set photography and concept art. Also exploring the Die Hard comics, video games, and other merchandise, this book tells the full story of the saga and its remarkable thirty-year legacy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Media Tie In

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 20, 2018

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this book has kept me going for a while although I will admit I have fallen behind on keeping my records up to date decently.

This book is a true monster in the Ultimate Visual History series - however it does seem to suffer from the same curse as the other titles - that being that the first instalment takes the lion share of the pages with every subsequent film taking almost a percentage less. So as you can imagine when you get to the last film in the franchise there are only a few dozen pages.

However this is a minor thing - since and I know this will be contentious - the later films are not as good as the original so of course we all want to know about that one the most.

And this book is a true mine of details, secrets and insight in to the film from the people who worked on it - the state of films in general at the time it was being made and released. There is a lot of film making politics for example explored in this book from the interaction of the crew to the evolution of the language used in the films.

This is one of those books you need to go back to time and time again - often after watching the films themselves if nothing else to spot the little gems being revealed in the book. This was a great read and I hope they release more in the visual history series - I just wonder what their next focus will be.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and detailed look at making the original Die Hard movie made in 1988 as well as a look at the making of each of the sequels (much less detail on these movies). I've always loved the original Die Hard movie it was such a ground breaking event back in 1988. Its also the first time we see Alan Rickman on the big screen - and in such an iconic role too -If you are a fan of these movies this is a must buy book filled with little goodies like pages out of early scripts, drawings for scenes all glued to pages or tucked away in pockets. A fun and interesting book in short.

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first third of the book, which focuses on the first Die Hard film. It has a ton of cool tidbits from all of the various creators of Die Hard and basically goes through the entire creation of the film, starting from the birth of the script through till post production. All along the way you get great interviews and the how and why certain scenes were created on film (things like what book it was based off of, why Willis was cast and got paid so much, how they found out about Rickman's American accent, getting use of the Fox building and blowing it up, Gruber's falling stunt). The remaining chapters each focus on the other four films and, although informative, just didn't peak my interest since the film series got less interesting to me as it went on (so 4 starts instead of 5). Overall, the book has some truly gorgeous photos and diagrams and is filled with quality interviews sprinkled throughout detailing more than you'd ever need to know about Die Hard. In conclusion, this makes for an outstanding coffee table book for any Die Hard fan --so highly recommended. Also, an awesome documentary episode that should be watched after you read the book, is the Die Hard episode of "The Movies That Made Us does" (Currently on Netflix).

[Chris Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally geeked out on one of my favourite movie franchises with this Die Hard Ultimate Visual History. Big and glossy and chock-full of behind-the-scenes information about each film's production, even long-time fans will likely learn something new. The book also has a cool, unexpected feature: inserts are sprinkled throughout the book --snippets of script, concept art, set design drawings, even trading card-like pics from on set tucked in little pockets glued to the book's pages. Plenty of details on how locations were scouted, costumes were made, and stunts were created, as well as a glimpse at the many script changes that didn't make it into the final films.

I give the book five stars based on my overall enjoyment, but one quibble: the text is often printed over a distracting pattern rather than black type on white background, so reading the type was often a challenge.

[Andrew Shapter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t not seek and obtain this volume. My shelves needed this and I wasn’t disappointed with the content.

[Liam Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a must own for a Die Hard Fan like myself.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book about the Die Hard series. One of my fave coffee table books.