10 Most Influential Action Movies Ever Made

2. Die Hard

Die Hard John McClane
20th Century Fox

It only seems logical that the greatest action movie ever made would also be one of the most influential. As well as signalling a shift away from the indestructible musclebound heroes that typified the 1980s towards more relatable everyman characters that audiences could identify with, Die Hard also inadvertently created an entire sub-genre.

The 'Die Hard on a *Insert Location/Mode of Transport Here*' has spawned dozens upon dozens of movies, which run the entire spectrum from brilliant to b*llocks. We've had Die Hard on a plane (Air Force One, Passenger 57, Executive Decision), a bus (Speed), a boat (Under Siege, Speed 2), on Alcatraz (The Rock, Half Past Dead), a mountain (Cliffhanger), during a flood (Hard Rain), in the White House (Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down) and even in space (Lockout). Hell, even Die Hard 2 was the exact same premise except in an airport.

While some of these movies have become genre classics in their own right, none of them can hold a candle to the original. It stands as a testament to the enduring popularity and influence of Die Hard that almost 30 years later new projects are still being pitched by name-dropping John McTiernan's timeless action flick.

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