markmtz's review against another edition
5.0
Yippee ki-yay, m*****f*****r! Die Hard is another movie I've seen over and over again without reading the book it was based on. Well, the book is as hard charging as the movie. Former detective Joe Leland has more baggage than John McClane and things don't go as well for everyone in the prose version, but it's definitely a good read.
rormore's review
1.0
i completely understand why this is told the way it is but it is difficult to fall in love with a book written in this style. made one hell of a movie though. one of the very few examples where the movie is infinitely better than the book.
aussiereadsbooks's review
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
empresscoffee's review against another edition
2.0
In most cases the book is better than the movie but in this case the movie is leaps and bounds BETTER than the book. If you're a fan of the first "Die Hard" like I am you can easily see what the filmmakers took, discarded and improved upon from this novel. I'm sure you can read about the plot details from other reviews here so I'll just jot down some random thoughts about the book I have.
The prose is at times difficult to read because the action is described down to the smallest detail and goes on FOREVER to the point of headache. There are also breaks in the action where Joe Leland goes on tangents to reminisce about his deceased ex-wife, his daughter as a child and other events in his past. There's also ham-fisted tangents where Joe gets preachy about the state of the world as he sees it. Joe also has heavy assumptions and judgments about his daughter and her co-workers that are never confirmed.
As for the villains of the book, because the story is told from Joe's perspective, they are little more than cardboard cut out communists/terrorists and not terribly interesting. Anton "Little Tony the Red" Gruber isn't a patch on his movie counterpart. He's only heard through the walkie talkie communications or through closed doors and seen by Joe at the final confrontation.
If you're a fan of "Die Hard" I do recommend the book be read at least once so you could appreciate the film even more.
The prose is at times difficult to read because the action is described down to the smallest detail and goes on FOREVER to the point of headache. There are also breaks in the action where Joe Leland goes on tangents to reminisce about his deceased ex-wife, his daughter as a child and other events in his past. There's also ham-fisted tangents where Joe gets preachy about the state of the world as he sees it. Joe also has heavy assumptions and judgments about his daughter and her co-workers that are never confirmed.
As for the villains of the book, because the story is told from Joe's perspective, they are little more than cardboard cut out communists/terrorists and not terribly interesting. Anton "Little Tony the Red" Gruber isn't a patch on his movie counterpart. He's only heard through the walkie talkie communications or through closed doors and seen by Joe at the final confrontation.
If you're a fan of "Die Hard" I do recommend the book be read at least once so you could appreciate the film even more.
verkisto's review
3.0
It's the basis for Die Hard! I decided to read this after watching that episode from The Movies That Made Us.
I was a little surprised at how much of the movie came from this book. Die Hard feels like a modern movie (even now), and for a book from the 1970s, I expected it to be more dated. I figured the producers did a lot of updating to the story. There are definitely differences, but some of the key scenes are straight from the book.
I challenge anyone to read this book and not picture the cast of the movie in your head.
(The movie's better.)
I was a little surprised at how much of the movie came from this book. Die Hard feels like a modern movie (even now), and for a book from the 1970s, I expected it to be more dated. I figured the producers did a lot of updating to the story. There are definitely differences, but some of the key scenes are straight from the book.
I challenge anyone to read this book and not picture the cast of the movie in your head.
(The movie's better.)
redsmooth's review
3.0
So this is the book that the movie, “Die Hard” was based on. A lot of things were lifted from this book, so having seen the movie many times saddled me down in reading this. Without having seen the movie, I’m not sure if this book would have received three stars. One big part of ending deviates vastly from the movie and shifts the tone of this book. I will say this a very basic action thriller. Read if you are curious, but it doesn’t get my recommendation.
wholelottaotto's review
4.0
OK the last time I read this was in 6th grade, so I make no claims for the actual value of this book. I do know that I read this one 2-3 times back to back, something I'd never done before and have never done since then (with the exception of 'No Country for Old Men.') I remember being mightily entertained, though, and will probably pick up a cheap copy of this for a trip to the beach or the airport.
lootsfoz's review
3.0
This is the book that inspired the movie Diehard. A rare example of Hollywood taking a book and making it better.
brfc222's review
2.0
This book is basically dreadful - the narrative is disjointed and it was genuinely difficult to follow at times, which was a remarkable effort considering both how mindless the story is, and how familiar the story is from its Hollywood adaptation. However, it would be remiss to give a book that spawned Die Hard the dreaded 1 star, so I'll give it 2 stars. And we can go on believing that all good things in life really do come from books.