Editing Die Hard (section)

===Critical reassessment===
''Die Hard'' is now considered one of the greatest action films ever made.<ref name="Empire500"/><ref name="IGNTopACtion"/><ref name="EWTopAction"/> On the film's 30th-anniversary in 2018, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote that ''Die Hard'' was easily one of the most influential films in the action genre, whose influence could still be seen in contemporary films.<ref name="THR2018Retrospective"/> ''The Guardian'' and the [[British Film Institute]] regard it as the "quintessential" American action film, the latter calling it one of the ten greatest action films of all time.<ref name="ActionBFI"/><ref name="TheGuardianThemes"/> ''[[Deadline Hollywood]]'' labeled it a staple of the action genre, that launched a "classic" franchise.<ref name="DeadlineClassic"/> Writing for ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', K. Austin Collins said that despite the number of times he had viewed the film, it remained a persistently satisfying and well-crafted piece.<ref name="VanityFairat30"/> It is listed in the 2003 film reference book ''[[1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die]]'', which says that the film "...effectively redefines the action movie as one-man-army."{{sfn|Schneider|2013}}

A retrospective review by ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' said that Willis's everyman persona is key to the film's success.<ref name="AVClubRetro"/> Rickman said he believed it had continued to find fans decades after its release because it was delivered with wit and style.<ref name=Independent1/> Contemporary review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] offers a {{RT data|score}} approval rating from the aggregated reviews of {{RT data|count}} critics, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The consensus reads, "Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic."<ref name="RottenTomatoes"/> The film also has a score of 72 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]] based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref name="Metacritic"/> Readers of ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it the number ten action film of all time in a 2015 poll,<ref name="ReaderVoteRollingStone"/> while ''Empire'' readers voted it number 20 in 2017.<ref name="ReadersEmpire"/>

In 2001, the [[American Film Institute]] (AFI) ranked ''Die Hard'' number 39 on its [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills|100 Years... 100 Thrills]] list recognizing the most "heart-pounding" films.<ref name="AFI100Thrills"/> In 2008, ''Empire'' ranked it number 29 on its list of the 500 Greatest Movies of all Time.<ref name="Empire500"/> In 2014, ''The Hollywood Reporter''{{'}}s entertainment industry-voted ranking named it the eighty-third-best film of all time.<ref name="THRJun14"/> The film's characters have also been recognized. In 2003, the AFI ranked Hans Gruber number 46 on its [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains|100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains]] list.<ref name="AFI100HeroesVill"/> In 2006, ''Empire'' ranked McClane number 12 on its list of its '100 Greatest Movie Characters'; Gruber followed at number 17.<ref name="LegacyEmpire"/><ref name="Empire100McClane"/>

Several publications have listed it as one of the greatest action films of all time, including: number one by ''Empire'',<ref name="EmpireBestAction2016"/> ''[[IGN]]''<ref name="IGNTopACtion"/> and ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'';<ref name="EWTopAction"/> number 10 by ''[[Time Out New York]]'';<ref name="ActionTimeOut"/> number 14 by ''The Guardian'';<ref name="ActionGuardian"/> number 18 by ''[[Men's Health]]''<ref name="ActionMensHealth"/> and unranked by ''[[Complex Networks|Complex]]'',<ref name="ActionComplex"/> ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]''<ref name="ActionEsquire"/> and ''[[Evening Standard]]''.<ref name="ActionStandard"/> Adding to the debate over ''Die Hard''{{'}}s status as a Christmas film, it has appeared on several lists of the top holiday films, including at number one by ''Empire''<ref name="LegacyEmpireXmas"/> and ''[[San Francisco Gate]]'',<ref name="LegacySFGate"/> number four by ''Entertainment Weekly''<ref name="LegacyEW"/> and ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'',<ref name="LegacyTHR"/> number five by [[Digital Spy]],<ref name="LegacyDigitalSpy"/> and number eight in a ''[[Radio Times]]'' readers' poll.<ref name="LegacyGuardian"/>