72
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliNot only is it a thrill-a-minute ride, but it has one of the best film villains in recent memory, a hero everyone can relate to, dialogue that crackles with wit, and a lot of very impressive pyrotechnics.
- 88USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkThe result is a foot-stomping rouser. Where else can you get a cop in his underwear boogalooing with skyscraper terrorists? [15 July 1988, Life, p.4D]
- 80Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonA firepowered, blood-drenched action picture that doesn't let up.
- 75San Francisco ChroniclePeter StackSan Francisco ChroniclePeter StackSlick, glossy, overblown, implausible. [15 July 1988, Daily Notebook, p.E1]
- 75Chicago TribuneDave KehrChicago TribuneDave KehrHas everything but a personality. [15 July 1988, Friday, p.A]
- 70The New York TimesThe New York TimesHas to be the most excessive film around. It piles every known element of the action genre onto the flimsy story. [15 July 1988]
- 60TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineA triumph of slick direction and lowbrow thrills, marred but not spoiled by a sour aftertaste.
- 60Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasAs a grand flourish of cinematic technique, it is awesome; as a human drama, it is disgusting and silly, a mindless depiction of carnage on an epic scale. [15 July 1988, Calendar, p.6-1]
- 50TimeRichard SchickelTimeRichard SchickelWhat Willis proves in Die Hard is that it is not one you can ease through, especially if your preparation runs more to body building than to character building. [July 25, 1988]
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOn a technical level, there's a lot to be said for Die Hard. It's when we get to some of the unnecessary adornments of the script that the movie shoots itself in the foot.