18 Scripts Wannabe Screenwriters Should Read Right Now

12. Die Hard (1988)

The Script: "John McClane, officer of the NYPD, tries to save wife Holly Gennaro and several others, taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles." - IMDb What You'll Learn: Without a doubt, one of the most accomplished and downright thrilling action scripts ever written, Die Hard is absolutely essential for anybody who wants to learn how to pace and write an explosive blockbuster that still manages to cling to an actually developed central protagonist. This script is a triumph in the way it establishes a tense and brilliantly funny relationship between its hero and villain, handles in subplots, and still leaves room for a non-cliche romance plot, interesting secondary characters, and genuinely organic set-pieces. You can read Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart's script for Die Hard here.