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PODCAST

Die Hard On A Blank

Philip Gawthorne and Liam Billingham

Welcome to the party, pals! This is DIE HARD ON A BLANK, the podcast that explores the influence of DIE HARD on action cinema -- one action movie at a time. In each episode of DIE HARD ON A BLANK, hosts Philip Gawthorne and Liam Billingham discuss one major mainstream action movie that was released after DIE HARD. Phil and Liam break down the story, heroes, villains, action, humor and the 'DIE HARD DNA' that infuse each film, including common cast and crew members. They rate each film and

tv & film film history

All Episodes

68:59

DEMOLITION MAN with Nick de Semlyen!

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/09/13

It’s Die Hard in a future shock satire! For this week’s episode, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Nick De Semlyen, editor of Empire magazine and author of the excellent book THE LAST ACTION HEROES. Together they unfreeze DEMOLITION MAN – a deceptively sophisticated sci-fi movie that explores, deconstructs and satirizes action movie archetypes. In a dystopian LA, renegade cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) apprehends his psychotic arch nemesis Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) during a

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47:18

DIE HARD ORIGINS!

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/08/30

Liam and Phil went out to the coast to to have a few laughs this week, so they decided to share an underheard early gem from the podcast: the ORIGINS OF DIE HARD episode. Thanks to everyone who has listened, shared, or told us they like the show. Special thanks to our amazing guests so far. We'll be back in two weeks with DEMOLITION MAN. It's Rambo in a Towering Inferno! In part two of this inaugural episode, Phil and Liam discuss ‘The Anatomy of an Action Movie’, using DIE HARD as an

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81:12

STRIKING DISTANCE with Sean Fennessey!

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/08/16

It’s Die Hard in a serial killer thriller! Or is it Die Hard in a murder mystery? Or Die Hard in a family drama? Or Die Hard in the great American play?! To make sense of all this, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Sean Fennessey, the host of The Big Picture and a regular guest on The Rewatchables. The plot of Striking Distance speaks to its surprising level of complexity. After he testifies against his own partner for use of excessive force, Pittsburgh homicide detective Thomas Hardy

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63:10

HARD TARGET with Kyle Brandt!

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/08/02

It’s Die Hard in New Orleans! For this very special episode, Phil is joined by the very person whom he had previously declared to be his “dream guest”: Kyle Brandt! The host of Good Morning Football on the NFL Network and an avowed action movie super-fan! Together, these two enthusiastic action aficionados discuss their feelings about HARD TARGET, on the cusp of its 30th anniversary. Liam was on paternity leave during the recording of this episode, but don’t worry - he still makes a cameo

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131:29

THE FUGITIVE with EYE OF THE DUCK (Dominick Nero &...

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/07/19

It’s Die Hard on the run! Phil and Liam are joined by special guests Dominick Nero and Adam Volerich (hosts of the Eye of the Duck film podcast) for an unyielding “hard-target search” of THE FUGITIVE, a hugely influential movie that contemporized the classic ‘chase thriller’ and paved the way for a series of subsequent TV-to-film adaptations, as well as its own spate of imitators (and a direct sequel in 1998). After being wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife, top Chicago surgeon Dr. Richard

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87:57

LAST ACTION HERO

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/07/05

It’s Die Hard in a meta fantasy satire! Phil and Liam enter the weird and not-so-wonderful world of LAST ACTION HERO, the deconstructionist meta fantasy satire (and infamous box office flop) that has gained a growing cult following in the 30 years since its original release. Last Action Hero wasn’t just a movie, it was a pop-culture juggernaut, but ultimately it failed to deliver on the promise of its admittedly ingenious premise (at least according to Phil): thanks to a “magic ticket”,

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87:18

CLIFFHANGER with Jamelle Bouie!

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/06/21

It’s Die Hard on a mountain! Hang on tight as Phil and Liam grapple with CLIFFHANGER (1993), aided by a very special guest: Jamelle Bouie, columnist for the New York Times Opinion section and the host of the Unclear and Present Danger podcast. After the botched mid-air heist of a US treasury plane results in a violent plane crash, mountain rescue worker Gabe Walker is coerced into helping the ruthless thieves (led by a maniacal John Lithgow) find the missing loot, amidst the forbidding landscape of

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84:15

PASSENGER 57 with Ronald Young Jr.!

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/06/07

It’s Die Hard on a plane (and a carnival)! Take your seats and buckle up as this week Phil and Liam are tackling PASSENGER 57 (1992) with the help of special guest Ronald Young, Jr, a regular contributor to NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and the host of his own movie podcast Leaving The Theater, as well as the forthcoming Weight For It. Wesley Snipes stars as John Cutter, a former Secret Service agent turned security specialist caught up in the ruthless hijacking of a passenger plane perpetrated by

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79:31

UNDER SIEGE

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/05/24

It's DIE HARD on a battleship! Phil and Liam take a deep dive into choppy waters as they analyze UNDER SIEGE (1992), one of the earliest (and best) action films to directly replicate the classic DIE HARD formula. In this instance, Steven Seagal stars as Casey Ryback, a former Navy SEAL turned ship’s cook, who springs into action when the USS Missouri is seized by traitorous terrorists looking to hijack its nuclear arsenal…and mayhem swiftly ensues! First off, the boys place this movie in its

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90:03

PATRIOT GAMES

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/05/10

It’s Die Hard in a political thriller! This time Phil and Liam dig into the IRA-themed action movie PATRIOT GAMES (1992), the Jack Ryan sequel that Die Hard director John McTiernan was originally supposed to make with Alec Baldwin in the lead role. But fate – and Harrison Ford – had other ideas! While this expansive, globe-trotting political thriller may not bare much resemblance to Die Hard on face value, there’s still a surprisingly high amount of ‘Die Hard DNA’ for the boys to examine with their

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80:05

HARD BOILED

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/04/26

It’s DIE HARD in a hospital! This time, Phil and Liam team up to investigate HARD BOILED (1992), John Woo’s operatic action extravaganza starring legendary actors Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung, as two very different Hong Kong cops who join forces to take down a ruthless arms dealer. It’s a film that’s often compared to DIE HARD…but does it actually surpass it? Is this actually the greatest action film of all time? The boys debate these controversial questions, while breaking down the various

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96:46

THE LAST BOY SCOUT

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/04/12

It’s DIE HARD in an L.A. Noir! The mismatched duo of Phil and Liam begin a serpentine investigation into THE LAST BOY SCOUT (1991), the ultraviolent private eye picture that combined the talents of multiple action movie icons: star Bruce Willis, director Tony Scott, producer Joel Silver and screenwriter Shane Black. As well as being a buddy movie, this brutal, bruising film also fits into the grand tradition of film noir, and specifically L.A. noir, a subgenre within a subgenre that Phil and Liam

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75:52

RICOCHET

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/03/29

It's the DIE HARD ECU! This time Phil and Liam wrestle with RICOCHET (1991), Russell Mulcahy’s wild revenge thriller starring Denzel Washington as Nick Styles, a cop turned lawyer who incurs the wrath of John Lithgow’s monstrous criminal Earl Talbot Blake. Not only is this Joel Silver production positively overflowing with ‘Die Hard DNA’, it also takes place in the same extended cinematic universe (ECU) as Die Hard itself! This leads to a fascinating deep dive into the ‘Val Verde Mega Movie

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73:41

TOY SOLDIERS

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/03/15

It’s DIE HARD in a prep school! This time Liam and Phil play with TOY SOLDIERS (1991), the fondly remembered teen action-adventure movie starring Sean Astin and Wil Wheaton as unruly prep school students who fight back against marauding Colombian terrorists. This is a hugely important movie historically, especially in the context of this podcast, as it was the very first ‘Die Hard on a Blank’ film outside of the direct Die Hard sequels. The boys illuminate the monumental amount of ‘Die Hard DNA’

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72:14

NARROW MARGIN

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/03/01

It’s DIE HARD on a train! This time Phil and Liam discuss NARROW MARGIN (1990), Peter Hyams’ highly underrated action-thriller remake starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer. They talk about the differences and similarities to the original 1952 film noir, the Hitchcockian echoes, and the myriad of subtle Die Hard influences upon this highly suspenseful picture, that earns its place among a grand tradition of train movies. The lads also talk about their affection for the stellar supporting cast,

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94:41

DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/02/15

It’s DIE HARD in an airport! Phil and Liam break down the first official DIE HARD sequel, the smash-hit blockbuster DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990). They discuss the evolution of John McClane’s character, the plethora of scary neo-con villains, the film’s complex geo-political influences, the iconic action sequences, the literary source material, the discarded subplots, and the film’s meta qualities (and meta marketing). They also indulge in a spirited “Who’s Your Favorite Terrorist?” discussion and

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80:53

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/02/01

It’s DIE HARD on a submarine! This week, underwater enthusiasts Liam and Phil analyze THE HUNT OF RED OCTOBER (1990), the film that (original DIE HARD director) John McTiernan made at the expense of directing DIE HARD 2. They discuss the movie’s political context, its huge cultural significance in kicking off the popular Jack Ryan franchise, and how as one of the first ‘techno-thrillers’, it elevated the action/espionage genre with its intelligent approach and microcosmic attention to detail. A

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84:05

LICENCE TO KILL

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/01/18

It’s DIE HARD in a Bond movie! In this third episode, Phil and Liam don their tuxedos (but keep their mullets from the ROAD HOUSE episode) to discuss LICENCE TO KILL (1989), the controversial and divisive James Bond movie that marked Timothy Dalton’s final appearance as the legendary secret agent. While placing the film in a wider context as part of the Bond canon, Phil and Liam discuss their personal connections tothis iconic character from their differing cultural perspectives (as a Brit and an

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76:27

ROAD HOUSE

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2023/01/04

It’s DIE HARD in a bar! (sort of). In this second episode, Phil and Liam analyze DIE HARD’s influence on ROAD HOUSE (1989), the bar-brawling cult classic starring Patrick Swayze as a philosophical uberbouncer hired to clean up the world’s most depraved drinking establishment. It’s a movie filled with a surprising amount of ‘DIE HARD DNA’, giving Phil and Liam plenty to discuss. Amongst other things, the boys also examine the film’s Kurosawa connections, rhapsodize over Sam Elliott (whom they suspect

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43:23

THE ORIGINS OF DIE HARD

Die Hard On A Blank ·

2022/12/21

In part two of this inaugural episode, Phil and Liam discuss ‘The Anatomy of an Action Movie’, using DIE HARD as an example to analyze the essential components that make an action movie successful (or not). They also discuss DIE HARD’s diffuse origins and influences throughout cinema and literature, with a particular focus on Roderick Thorp’s book ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ - the 1978 novel upon which DIE HARD was based. This episode also marks the first edition of the ‘DIE HARD OSCARS’, where Phil and

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