Die Hard Poster Analysis

Title: Die Hard

Genre: Action / Thriller

Lead Actor: Bruce Willis

Target Audience: 18 - 50 Male

Catchphrase: “Twelve terrorists. One Cop. The odds are against John McClane… That’s just the way he likes it.”

Apart from this being a very cheesy and low quality catchphrase, it does give a relatively detailed insight into the plot. We instantly know the main character’s full name which goes on to be a huge iconic feature within the entire franchise, as well as his occupation (police officer), character (violent), and what he is up against during the film (the 12 terrorists). 

Colour: The poster is dark and mysterious with low exposure and lots of shadowed areas. The main colour scheme is a mix of reds and yellow - the reds giving a sense of blood and therefore violence and death, as well as yellow which, like gold, gives a sense of glory and victory. The words DIE HARD are in bold red letters, while the rest of the text is in a smaller bold white font.

Gesture: John McClane (Bruce Willis) is holding a hand gun in a position ready to point and fire. This shows he is on edge and in possible danger. His facial expression shows a severity to his situation, while his eyes are wide and staring aggressively at something. His lips are clenched showing tension and slight fear, as well as aggression..

Costume/Makeup: McClane is wearing a dirty roughed up white vest and his hair looks dirty and greasy, showing us he’s been “in the wars”. He has dirt patches on his hands, chest, shoulders and face which suggests he has been on the floor a lot and maybe even outside on the ground.

Background:  A backdrop of a city’s horizon at night suggests that the film is set in an urban area, most likely in a building/sky-scraper of New York. As well as this, the film is most likely set during the night time leading to darkness and therefore more danger.

Mies-En-Scene:  John McClane is in the foreground instantly telling us he is the main character. It is a closeup shot of him showing his chest upward, including his hands holding the gun at head height. He is placed right in the centre of the poster, with the city backdrop and red sunset behind him, and then two sections of text, above and below him. The catchphrase is placed above the shot, which personally looks very out of place. The Title and the actors name (Bruce Willis) are positioned below the shot, swell as the production and release information and dates below that. The poster is set out so that the serious face of Bruce Willis (who is already quite an iconic actor at this point with a rather well known face) catches the public’s eye and draws them in to read the impactful title DIE HARD in bold red writing.

Finally, this poster is very iconic and is of a very professional standard when compared to other film posters of its time.