It’s hard to imagine anyone not being familiar with Die Hard, but it’s likely been years since you’ve watched it. So the 4K HDR release is a perfect time to revisit this classic, which looks hands-down better than it ever has.  I know fellow Cineluxe reviewer Dennis Burger feels “older movies shot on 35mm or larger film stock are the ones that stand to benefit most from the latest Ultra HD and HDR home video standards,” but it’s important to set expectations. Die Hard unquestionably looks the best we’ve seen here but if you’re looking for the gleaming sharpness and every last pixel of detail you’d find from a modern digitally captured film, you’ll likely be disappointed.

There are definitely moments where the added detail and resolution are appreciable, such as the closeups revealing pore detail of the actors’ faces without any of the “waxiness” that can come from overly used DNR. You can also see the weave of fabrics, such as the fine lines in Bruce Willis’s undershirt, and notice the detail on the gold frame sitting on Bonnie Bedelia’s desk. As the limo pulls into Nakatomi Plaza to drop Willis off, you clearly see the sharp lines and detail in the paver stones.

But other scenes look almost out of focus or even blurry, such as one scene in Bedelia’s office when she’s talking to Willis. And while lines and edges are mostly sharp, there are other scenes that reveal some aliasing, such as a pile of sheetrock on one of the unfinished floors of the Nakatomi building. 

Black levels are nice, deep and clean, but blacks are sometimes so black that detail is lost, such as with the texturing of Alan Rickman’s suit. Colors are rich, such as the sunset in LA revealing a rich, vibrant red-orange tapestry that has no banding.

HDR is not used aggressively but definitely adds impact to explosions, gunfire, and bright computer-monitor images. It also enhances the fluorescent lighting on the unfinished floors and oncoming headlights, compared to the Blu-ray. The night scenes overlooking LA from the top of the tower also look terrific.

Die Hard was nominated for four Academy Awards including Sound and Sound Effects Editing, so you might have hoped a new immersive sound mix would have been part of the 4K release, but that isn’t the case. What we have here is a DTS HD Master 5.1-channel mix that is certainly serviceable. The musical score is given nice room to breathe across the front channels, and dialogue is generally clear and easy to understand, which is paramount in any sound mix.

Sound mixes have evolved over the past 30 years, and Die Hard doesn’t look for every opportunity to mine deep low-frequency information. Even some of the big explosions don’t have the bass impact you might hope for. But still, bass impact is there for the big moments, such as the rocket-launcher attack on the SWAT vehicle or the elevator-shaft explosion or when the final seal of the bank vault is released. Gunshots—of which there are plenty—have good dynamics.

There is a nice bit of ambient and surround information that upmixes well using a Dolby Surround or DTS:Neural. We get the nice effect of the FBI helicopter flying overhead, sounds of sprinklers from the fire-suppression system, secondary explosions, and glass shattering.

Die Hard was a gamechanger for the action-film genre and is considered one of the best action films of all time. Fortunately, we can enjoy it again looking better than ever. It remains a ton of fun to watch and is a must-have for any home theater collection.