More than three decades after its release, Die Hard is still considered by many to be the best action movie of all time. It introduced the world to the badass modern action hero John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, and its tense and confined premise inspired an entire subgenre of action films.
The franchise itself has had its ups and downs with some of the sequels continuing the fun and others falling flat. And like most action movies, the franchise sometimes focuses on the action more than logical storytelling which can cause some moments that make no sense at all.
Tank Top
John McClane has become an icon of the action movies genre, so much so that his distinct look is instantly recognizable. In the first film, the poor guy is forced to fight off terrorists and bad guys wearing his tight white tank top.
The top doesn't stay white for long as it gets grim and blood on it as McClane fights to save the day. But then suddenly, it completely changes color halfway through the film and becomes dark green. That seems like a continuity mistake more people should have picked up on.
Airport Takeover
In Die Hard 2, McClane is once again minding his own business when he finds himself in the middle of a terrorist plot. As he waits at the Dulles International Airport for his wife's plane to land, terrorists seize control of the runway and communication to the pilots, threatening to crash the planes circling above.
There are so many things about this evil scheme that are just not feasible. It would have had to be planned long in advance, so the bad guy couldn't have known there would be a snowstorm — without the storm, the planes could have landed fine. Likewise, just turning off the lights of the runway would hardly be a problem; the airport would have so many contingencies for such an issue.
Dumb Cops
McClane is such an easy hero to cheer for because he is one man fighting against the odds. However, in order for him to be all on his own, that means that the other cops who are called into the situation are made to be cartoonishly stupid.
In the first film, the commanding officer, Robinson, comes up with the most idiotic conclusions about the situation, like assuming a terrorist who was thrown from the building was probably just a depressed accountant. In Die Hard 2, the airport security man, Lorenzo, is more concerned with giving McClane a hard time than stopping the terrorists.
John's Son
In the first Die Hard, we see McClane has two young kids at home. They are not seen or really mentioned for the next two movies until John's young adult daughter, Lucy, is featured prominently in the fourth film.
Still, no mention is made of John's son, Jack. It's like the franchise decided to pretend he doesn't exist. Then he suddenly reappears in the fifth film and it is revealed he is a government agent. How is that not a detail that has come up before in the franchise?
Christmas
Fans have long debated whether or not Die Hard actually counts as a Christmas movie. Though it is much more violent than the average Yuletide flick, it literally takes place at a Christmas party and the holiday is featured heavily throughout the film.
Die Hard 2 decided Christmas was a key element to the franchise and set the story during the holidays once again, which felt a bit forced. Even stranger, the rest of the franchise decided to ignore that established trend and Christmas is not mentioned again.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
What made John McClane so interesting in the first film, and what the later sequels seemed to forget, is that he would rather not be the guy who has to save the day. He just finds himself in the middle of a bad situation and he is forced to step up.
But how much bad luck can one man have? Again and again, McClane finds himself in the middle of trouble by mere happenstance. If it happened twice it would be a strange coincidence; five times feels beyond belief.
Holly Gennaro
At the beginning of Die Hard, McClane and his wife, Holly, are separated and going through a rough patch. Over the course of the movie, McClane comes to realize that he was being hard-headed and it was his fault things didn't work out. This realization brings them together in the end and they are still together in Die Hard 2. That is the last we see of her in the franchise.
In Die Hard With a Vengeance, we learn the two broke up again and it seems to remain that way. While McClane would be a hard guy to get along with, it seems like his whole arc in the first film is lost if he just went back to being a bad husband.
McClane Isn't A Huge Celebrity
Die Hard 2 makes the interesting and logical decision of giving McClane some notoriety based on the first film. After single-handedly saving a group of hostages and thwarting a gang of international thieves, of course, people would know who he is.
McClane goes on to save the day again and again, but his celebrity just seems to disappear. He even saves the entire United States in the fourth film but that doesn't seem to raise his profile at all. At this point, McClane is basically a superhero; everyone should know his name.
How Has McClane Not Been Arrested?
Action movies always end before the hero faces the consequences of their actions. Yes, McClane saved the day on multiple occasions, but he did so in incredibly reckless, dangerous, and illegal ways.
He might be a cop but he basically acts as a vigilante, shooting bad guys, blowing stuff up, and driving cars through crowded areas. He puts people in danger and causes as much damage as he prevents. At the end of the first film, the chief of police even tells him that he has a lot to answer for, but McClane just ignores him and goes on to enjoy his Christmas.
No Shoes
The charm of McClane in the first film is that he is caught off-guard and completely unprepared to take on a gang of bad guys. He doesn't even have time to put on his shoes, which adds a nice vulnerability to him in the rest of the movie.
After the first bad guy he kills, McClane wisely tries to take the man's shoes but discovers they are too small. However, that's the last time he attempts to acquire more shoes, despite killing a lot more guys. He might not find the perfect fit, but it would still be a lot better than being barefoot.