FAQ

Probably a few hundred thousand to a million dollars by 1980's standards.

Ellis was high on cocaine the entire film. John actually saw him do it in Holly's office. LA was out of his jurisdiction so John probably didn't have the authority nor the inclination to arrest him. However, he decided to tease him by saying "you missed some", referring to the cocaine that was still around his nose.

Any sworn member of US law enforcement is allowed to carry their firearm concealed to any jurisdiction that allows it under LEOSA, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. Many departments encourage carry of firearm even while on vacation for officer safety. This is also mentioned in the film Beverly Hills Cop.

As they were riding in a helicopter, with rifles to attack the enemy, Johnson likely was simply saying it reminded him of his service during the Vietnam war, where armed soldiers were often sent in to battle on a helicopter like the one they were flying in, a Bell UH-1 or "Huey", which was instrumental in combat in Vietnam.

Because he got quite workout, sweating in the shirt while hiding and fighting with Hans' men but also from crawling around in the air ducts, which were dusty. Even though we didn't see how dirty they were, aluminum ductwork like that gets full of dust very quickly, plus there were several floors still being constructed which would produce a lot of debris.

NYC cop John McClane (Bruce Willis), newly arrived in Los Angeles on Christmas vacation, stops to visit with his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) at the Nakatomi Plaza where she works. While the Nakatomi employees are reveling on the 30th floor at their company's Christmas party and John is in the bathroom freshening up, a group of heavily armed thieves pretending to be terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), stage a siege, taking all of the employees, including Holly, as hostages, leaving John to launch a one-man war in an attempt to stop them and save the hostages.

Die Hard is based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever (1979) by American writer Roderick Thorp. The novel was adapted for the movie by American screenwriters Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart. Die Hard was followed by Die Hard 2 (1990) (1990), Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) (1995), Die Hard 4.0 (2007) (2007) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) (2013).

Bearer bonds are official documents with monetary value. Normally when bonds are issued it is to a specific person or company. This is beneficial to the recipient so that if the bond is ever lost, stolen, or destroyed, it can be replaced by the issuer at no loss. Bearer bonds are not issued to anyone in particular and are therefore more like blank checks. If they are lost or stolen there is no recovery possible, as there is no record kept of the original owner. Anyone who has physical possession of a bearer bond is free to redeem it, which makes them very tempting targets for thieves. In the early 1980s, the U.S. Government made issuance of bearer bonds illegal, as their use made it much easier for drug lords and organized crime to conduct their illegal activity, hide their assets, and avoid paying their taxes.

The bearer bonds in the vault in Nakatomi Tower were worth over $600 million.

Yes, Karl is German. He just wonders why Hans would give him an order like that. That's why Hans repeats the order aloud after Karl hesitates, and he does so in English so the audience could understand-making the moment a bit more dramatic. While they were locked in the gunfight with McClane, Karl probably didn't know that John didn't have any boots or footwear on his feet, which is why Hans gives him the order: covering the floor with broken glass might prevent John from escaping.

Another possibility is that Karl did not realize immediately what his order was, i.e., the gunfire and shattering glass either distracted Karl or it prevented him from being able to clearly hear Hans.

When Hans asks John if he was a child who thought of himself as John Wayne, Rambo, or Marshall Dillon, John replies, "I was always partial to Roy Rogers actually". Hans then says, "Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr Cowboy?" to which John responds with "Yippee ki-yay!" The reference is to a song on Roy Rogers' TV show about being a cowboy. The chorus is expressed something like "Yippee-ki-yay..ki-yay, yippee ki-yo, he's the toughest critter west of the Alamo."

The Beretta 92F, a common handgun also used by the US Armed Forces since 1985. This was never issued to the NYPD, so McClane must have bought it privately and then registered it in his precinct to be his official sidearm. He continues using the Beretta in the next two Die Hard films and changes to a SIG Sauer P220R for Live Free or Die Hard.

Hans uses a Heckler and Koch P7 pistol whilst Karl uses a Walther PPK with a suppressor (silencer). Heinrich uses the same firearm as McClane, a Beretta 92F pistol (which is presumably where McClane gets his spare magazines from after killing him). All the other terrorists use Heckler and Koch MP5 submachineguns except for Karl who uses the futuristic looking Steyr AUG assault rifle. James uses a recoilless rifle against the police armoured vehicle and an M60 machine gun to shoot up Powell's car and take out the spotlights. They also use C4 plastic explosives and Karl makes use of stun grenades (the little hockey puck-like things he slides on the floor). Most of their weapons are of German origin like the terrorists themselves.

The Extended Special Edition runs approximately 62 seconds longer and includes a further plot scene. As a result, some minor plotholes disappear.

While not originally released at Christmas, it does indeed take place at Christmas and has very a Christmas-themed score. So while the debate has raged on for over 30 years since the movie released, the bottom line is; if you consider it a Christmas movie - it is. If you don't consider it a Christmas movie - it isn't. Don't worry about other people's opinions. Just enjoy the movie whenever you choose to watch it.