The iconic Die Hard was a movie that changed the action genre forever and inspired many imitators. It also kick-started its own franchise with five movies to date. While none of the sequels match the perfection of the first film, and at least one is downright awful, it remains an exceptional action series.

It can be a lot of fun following police officer John McClane as he continues to find himself in increasingly dangerous situations. From the action sequences to the memorable lines, the Die Hard films have a lot to offer. Here are the most iconic moments from the franchise.

10 Meeting Zeus (Die Hard With A Vengeance)

While McClane has always worked well as a one-man army, partnering him with Zeus Carver in the third film was a fun way to shake things up. Zeus is a Harlem store owner who is concerned with protecting his community and his family.

McClane and Zeus cross paths when a terrorist forces McClane to wear a sign with a racial slur in a Harlem neighborhood. As soon as these two start talking it’s clear they are going to be a lot of fun to watch together. They become an unlikely yet thrilling buddy cop team.

9 Car Versus Helicopter (Live Free Or Die Hard)

Live Free or Die Hard was the first PG-13 film in the series yet fans seem to agree that the movie was still able to deliver some solid action scenes. One of the standout moments comes when McClane is being chased by bad guys in a helicopter.

McClane takes cover in a tunnel but the bad guys are waiting outside when he emerges. Never one to back down from a fight, McClane drives the car out of the tunnel and launches it right into the chopper, taking it down.

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8 Icicle Kill (Die Hard 2)

Die Hard 2 maintains the Christmas setting of the original film but substitutes the sunny weather of California with the snowy weather of Washington. This makes for some interesting sequences, including perhaps the franchise’s most unique kill.

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McClane finds himself fighting a bad guy while rolling around in the snow. As his foe pulls a knife, McClane takes the only weapon he can reach; he grabs a giant icicle and stabs it into the bad guy’s eye. It might not be plausible but it is effective.

7 Welcome To The Party (Die Hard)

A lot about what makes John McClane such a compelling hero in the first film is how desperate he is. He is not a guy who is eager to take on a gang of terrorists all by himself and would rather call for help instead. His increasing frustration at being unable to get any makes for an engrossing first act.

McClane’s frustration boils over in this darkly funny moment. Seeing a cop sent to investigate the building about to leave in his cruiser, McClane takes the body of a dead terrorist and throws it out the window at the cop car. It shows that McClane is clever and a little deranged.

6 Sending Hans Out The Window (Die Hard)

One aspect of the first film that none of the sequels have been able to match is the villain. Hans Gruber is a phenomenal bad guy for McClane to take on, and Alan Rickman’s performance is a big reason the character works so well.

The two men come face-to-face for the last time at the end of the film. As McClane surprises Hans with a gun taped to his back, he shoots him and sends the well-dressed villain out the window, falling a few dozen stories to his death. It’s a memorable end for a memorable character.

5 Taking Down A Plane (Die Hard 2)

Die Hard 2 finds McClane taking on a group of terrorists at an airport as they threaten to crash several planes. In the end, the bad guys look to make their getaway on a plane of their own. Of course, McClane has other plans.

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He fights the leader of the group on the wing of the plane as it prepares to take off and gets his butt kicked. Just before he is thrown off the wing, McClane leaks the fuel. He then lights the trail of gas which leads up to the airplane and blows up all the terrorists on board.

4 Yippee-Kay-Yay (Die Hard)

As much of a blast as it is seeing McClane fight the bad guys, it’s just as much fun simply watching him talk trash to them. McClane loves to mess with his foes, insulting them, annoying them and making them lose their minds.

The first film depicts this side of McClane the best as he taunts Hans over the radio. When Hans refers to him as a cowboy who watches too many Westerns, McClane gives the series its most iconic line, “Yippee-kay-yay, mother**ker.”

3 Central Park Shortcut (Die Hard With A Vengeance)

McClane is one of those entertaining movie cops who will save the day but will cause a lot of damage doing it. This is especially the case in Die Hard with a Vengeance as McClane and his new partner Zeus are forced to run around New York City, playing a game set up by a madman.

As time runs out for the heroes to reach their next checkpoint, McClane takes a shortcut through Central Park. It makes for a wild and fun action sequence that feels different from what this franchise usually does.

2 Off The Roof (Die Hard)

Though he is not the strongest cinematic hero or even the smartest, McClane shows time and time again that his secret weapon is his undying dedication. While the scene where he walks barefoot across broken glass showcases this, his big moment is jumping from the roof of the skyscraper.

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As a police helicopter tries to take him out and knowing that the roof is rigged to explode, McClane ties a fire hose around his waist and jumps just as the roof blows. The stunt is impressive but it’s most memorable because of how scared McClane is the whole time.

1 Christmas Greeting (Die Hard)

For some reason, the Christmas aspect of the first Die Hard just adds such a fun mix to the whole story. It also adds to possibly the most memorable moment in the entire series of films when McClane sends a holiday greeting to the bad guys.

After killing one of the goons, McClane dresses the villain up in a Santa hat and sends him down the elevator to his buddies. He also includes a message McClane wrote on his shirt: “Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho.” It shows the most fascinating aspects of McClane as a character. He is bold, taunting and a little deranged.

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About The Author


Colin McCormick
(2030 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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