Hans Gruber

{{Short description|Character in Die Hard, played by Alan Rickman}}

{{Infobox character

| name = Hans Gruber

| series = Die Hard

| image = HansGruber.jpeg

| caption = Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber in Die Hard

| first_major = Die Hard

| first_date = 1988

| last_major = Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza

| last_date = 2002

| creator = {{ubl|Jeb Stuart|Steven E. de Souza}}

| based_on = {{based on|Anton Gruber|Roderick Thorp}}

| portrayer = Alan Rickman

| alias = Bill Clay

| occupation = Criminal

| family = Simon Gruber (brother)

| children = Piet Gruber (son)

| nationality = West German

| affiliation = Volksfrei Movement (based on Red Army Faction)
(formerly)

| weapon = Heckler & Koch P7

}}

Hans Gruber is a fictional character and the main villain of the 1988 action movie Die Hard. He is portrayed by Alan Rickman.

Gruber is a thief and criminal mastermind from West Germany who holds an office building hostage to steal $640 million in negotiable bearer bonds. His plan is foiled by New York police officer John McClane (played by Bruce Willis).

Gruber is considered one of the most iconic villains in film history, and the character has influenced many subsequent film villains. The character was Rickman's first film role.

Production

Die Hard was adapted from Roderick Thorp's 1979 thriller Nothing Lasts Forever, and the character Anton Gruber is the basis for the film villain.{{cite web |last=Mark |first=Jon |date=January 15, 2016 |title=Alan Rickman Brought Hans Gruber's Real Origins To Life |url=https://www.inquisitr.com/2708736/alan-rickman-brought-hans-grubers-real-origins-to-life/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223013212/http://www.inquisitr.com/2708736/alan-rickman-brought-hans-grubers-real-origins-to-life/ |archive-date=February 23, 2017 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=Inquisitr |language=en}} Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza wrote the screenplay with the mindset of Gruber being the protagonist.{{cite web |last=Frazier |first=Dan |date=August 24, 2015 |title="There is no such thing as an action movie." Steven E. de Souza on Screenwriting |url=http://creativescreenwriting.com/there-is-no-such-thing-as-an-action-movie-steven-e-de-souza-on-screenwriting/ |accessdate=December 27, 2024 |publisher=Creative Screenwriting}}{{Cite web |last=Pleines |first=Miyako |date=April 7, 2022 |title=If You Ask The Writer, Bruce Willis Was Never Die Hard's Protagonist |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/825504/if-you-ask-the-writer-bruce-willis-was-never-die-hards-protagonist/ |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=/Film}}

Gruber was Alan Rickman's first film role, and he was cast after producer Joel Silver saw him during a Broadway run of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.{{cite web |last=Power |first=Ed |date=November 26, 2018 |title=Die Hard at 30: How the every-dude action movie defied expectations and turned Bruce Willis into a star |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/die-hard-at-30-anniversary-bruce-willis-john-mcclane-action-movie-christmas-john-mctiernan-a8642466.html |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=The Independent |language=en}} Rickman was initially reluctant to take the role; once cast, Rickman made suggestions about the character to Silver, such as Gruber wearing a suit rather than terrorist garb.{{cite web |last=Ritman |first=Alex |date=April 16, 2015 |title=Alan Rickman on 'Die Hard' Role: "It's Shocking How Thrilling It Is to Shoot a Machine Gun" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/alan-rickman-die-hard-role-789252 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en}} Gruber was conceived as a mercenary, and Rickman's casting required the filmmakers to re-think the character and make on-set rewrites.{{cite web |last=George |first=Tim |date=December 13, 2019 |title=Why Hans Gruber remains the greatest action movie villain of all time |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/hans-gruber/45752/why-hans-gruber-remains-the-greatest-action-movie-villain-of-all-time |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=Den of Geek |language=en}} One such addition is the scene where Gruber pretends to be an escaped hostage, which was added when the production crew discovered Rickman could speak with a convincing American accent. Rickman did not see Gruber as a villain, saying he was "just playing someone who wants certain things in life, has made certain choices, and goes after them." Rickman was nervous filming scenes in which Gruber fires a gun.

A blue screen effect was used for Gruber's death scene, compositing the shot of Rickman falling about {{Convert|20|ft}} against a background plate of the plaza surrounding the building. According to visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund, director John McTiernan had to convince Rickman to perform the stunt. They recorded the fall twice and used the first take. Edlund said Rickman's look of fear is genuine: even though he knew he would be dropped, the fall was still frightening.{{cite web |last=Failes |first=Ian |date=August 13, 2018 |title=The Science Project That Resulted in 'Die Hard's Most Killer Stunt |url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/die-hard-30th-anniversary |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=Thrillist |language=en}} Some accounts state Rickman was dropped a few seconds sooner than he anticipated, intensifying the look of fear and surprise on the actor's face.{{Cite web |last=McCormick |first=Colin |last2=Elvy |first2=Craig |date=April 21, 2024 |title=Why Hans Gruber's Die Hard Death Scene Aged So Well |url=https://screenrant.com/die-hard-hans-gruber-alan-rickman-death-scene/ |access-date=December 28, 2024 |website=Screen Rant |language=en}}

Reception and legacy

Gruber was Rickman's breakthrough role,{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Michael |date=January 14, 2016 |title=Alan Rickman never disappeared into a role. But that's what made him great |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/alan-rickman-never-disappeared-into-a-role-but-thats-what-made-him-great/2016/01/14/fe56e078-baf5-11e5-b682-4bb4dd403c7d_story.html |access-date=December 27, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en}} and Die Hard's success "imbued overnight fame." People pointed out the layers of Rickman's portrayal: "an Englishman playing a German who spends a not-insignificant part of his screen time speaking with an American accent." People also highlighted Gruber beginning the film "totally in control" and Rickman's chemistry with co-star Bruce Willis.{{cite web |last=Heigl |first=Alex |date=January 14, 2016 |title=An Ode to Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber, Possibly the Greatest Screen Villain Ever |url=https://people.com/celebrity/alan-rickman-as-hans-gruber-in-die-hard-best-villain-ever/ |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=People |language=en}} The New Yorker described Gruber as "oddly contained, seemingly bored by the very mayhem he's set in motion."{{Cite news |last=Crouch |first=Ian |date=January 14, 2016 |title=The Unforgettable Villainy of Alan Rickman in “Die Hard” |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-unforgettable-villainy-of-alan-rickman-in-die-hard |access-date=December 28, 2024 |work=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}} Screen Rant called the character's death scene "one of the most memorable movie villain demise[s] of all time."

Maxim said Gruber was a reinvention of modern villains, replacing one-dimensional Russians and Nazis as the Cold War was ending.{{cite web |last=Keller |first=Jared |date=January 14, 2016 |title=In Praise of Hans Gruber, the Finest Villain of Our Time |url=https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/hans-gruber-alan-rickman-died-2016-01 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=Maxim |language=en}} Vanity Fair said audiences rooted for Gruber and that the character "may have been the last [Hollywood villain] to fully seduce us."{{Cite web |last=Nathan |first=Micah |date=January 15, 2016 |title=Celebrating the Brilliance of Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/alan-rickman-hans-gruber |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=Vanity Fair}} The New Yorker described Rickman as a "prototypical" and "impossible-to-replicate" villain. Den of Geek states Gruber's plan is the reason the movie exists:

{{Blockquote|text=[D]espite Bruce Willis' mug and name being on the poster, Hans Gruber is the reason why this story exists – if he hadn't turned up at Nakatomi Plaza, the movie wouldn't exist – all the other characters exist as reactors to his actions.}}

Gruber would influence subsequent "Hollywood Euro-villain"s, and his "calculating malevolence" impacted the villains in Executive Decision (1996), Air Force One (1997), and Face/Off (1997). Like Gruber, the villain in Cliffhanger (1993) is a former political idealist who is instead trying to steal money.{{cite web |last=Meyer |first=Joshua |date=July 11, 2018 |title=The 9 Best and Worst 'Die Hard' Knock-Offs |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/die-hard-rip-offs/2/ |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=/FILM |language=en}}

Gruber has become one of the most iconic cinematic villains. Empire ranked Gruber fourth on their list of the Greatest Movie Villains of All Time, beaten by Darth Vader, The Joker and Loki.{{cite web |last=White |first=James |date=December 6, 2024 |title=The Best Movie Villains Of All Time |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-movie-villains/ |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=Empire |language=en}} Empire cited his "most perfect combination of voice and face put to screen for a villain," and point to Rickman's theatrical training for the character's precision and weight. Empire also listed Gruber as the 17th Greatest Movie Character of All Time.{{cite web |date=November 7, 2011 |title=17. Hans Gruber - The 100 Greatest Movie Characters |url=http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107045531/http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=17 |archive-date=November 7, 2011 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=Empire |language=en}} American Film Institute ranked Gruber 46th on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains and IGN listed Gruber 14th of their top 100 villains.{{cite web |date= |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/ |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=American Film Institute |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Hans Gruber - #14 Top 100 Villains |url=https://au.ign.com/lists/top-100-villains/14 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=IGN |language=en}}

Hans Gruber

Production

Reception and legacy

References

Further reading