John McTiernan Didn't Have To Look Far To Find Die Hard's Perfect Nakatomi Plaza

There are certain movies where the film's setting is just as iconic as its characters. Take the houses from "Home Alone" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street," for example. Both of those abodes are so memorable for the way they dominate the screen that they should almost have their own acting credit listed at the end of the movie. Setting can really make or break a film, so it's really important that filmmakers get it right when they're out scouting for locations, and another film that absolutely nailed this is none other than director John McTiernan's "Die Hard." That's right, we're talking about Nakatomi Plaza. 

Over the years, "Die Hard" has become essential Christmas viewing despite the film having a surprising lack of festive cheer. Yes, technically it does take place at a Christmas party on Christmas Eve, but honestly, it's really not the kind of movie you think of when you think of joyful holiday films (I mean, there's quite a bit of blood, y'all). Instead, it's an absolutely killer action movie revolving around John McClane (Bruce Willis) being a total badass for over two hours as he tries to save his wife and her coworkers from Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), a terroristic thief hell-bent on stealing a whole lot of money from Nakatomi Plaza.

Pretty much all of "Die Hard" takes place in this one single building, and its memorable name coupled with the fact that it just screams "office party chic" makes for one hell of a place to have a showdown between a savvy NYPD officer and a money hungry lunatic. You would think finding the perfect building would have been quite the challenge, but it turns out McTiernan had little more to do than look in his own backyard.

Okay, so the real-life Nakatomi Plaza isn't actually in John McTiernan's literal backyard, but it is located in an extremely convenient place. According to an article in Curbed: Los Angeles, the building — which has the official name of Fox Plaza — is located in what used to be "the backlot of 20th Century Fox." This was extremely convenient for McTiernan since "Die Hard" was set to be distributed by that very studio. 

At the time "Die Hard" was being made, Fox Plaza had almost been completed, meaning that the inside was a clean slate just begging for a movie to be filmed inside its walls. According to Curbed, this is exactly what made the space so enticing to McTiernan and his crew. The building also had a "looming, isolated presence" which helped heighten the suspense of a movie that is all about being held hostage inside an office building.

McTiernan knew a golden opportunity when he saw it and Curbed details how he made sure to utilize "every architectural and structural feature of the building for dramatic effect, including the air conditioning ducts, unfinished floors, elevator shafts, and the electrical closets." This decision to really work with the space at hand helps to give "Die Hard" a truly authentic feel. 

It's always fun to watch action movies take place in everyday locations, and part of the fun of "Die Hard" is that so many of the shootouts occur right in the spaces where the workers of Nakatomi Plaza presumably work every day. 

The AFI Catalog of Feature Films explains how since "the building was still under construction, [...] McTiernan was able to stage some action on the unfinished floors," and that the "33rd and 34th floor stood in for the Nakatomi Corporation's offices." For the scenes that were too difficult to recreate in the actual building itself, Curbed explains that a "meticulous 25-foot miniature of Fox Plaza" was used instead. This makes sense since, well, Nakatomi Plaza has really seen better days by the time the movie ends. I mean, really. Just think of all the glass that needs to be replaced.

Over the years, Fox Plaza has been home to all manner of famous people including Ronald Reagan, but its appearance in "Die Hard" will most likely always remain its most impressive claim to fame.