It’s often a tough call whether to pick a movie for this slot that is fairly unknown, just to give it a bit of publicity, or to go with something I know is good but most of you will have seen already. Well this week I’ve gone with the latter option for two reasons. Firstly, love him or hate him, Bruce Willis is excellent in the Die Hard franchise, and this first of the bunch is one of the best action movies of all time. And secondly, with the fourth Die Hard film – Live Free or Die Hard – due for its UK release on July 4, it’s a good opportunity to catch up with the back story, at least in part, before you head off to the cinema.

New York cop John McClane (Willis), arrives in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. He’s been working away from his wife Holly (Bonny Bedelia) and their two kids and he’s looking forward to spending Christmas with them.

McClane takes a limo to the Nakatomi Plaza to meet with Holly at around the same time that a group of German terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his deputy Karl (Alexander Godunov) enter the building and take everyone hostage on the 30th floor. McClane heads to the upper floors, still under construction, to avoid the terrorists, who are demanding a $640million ransom for the building and the hostages.

With the main phone lines to the building cut, McClane has to get creative to alert the LAPD, only once they arrive he wishes he hadn’t bothered – deputy chief Dwayne T. Robinson proving an incompetent leader in the face of the hostage situation. It’s up to McClane, trapped in the building with limited resources and only himself to rely on, to rescue the hostages.

Die Hard: ITV1, Monday 25 June, 11pm

Worth a look:
The Thing: ITV4, Tuesday 26 June, 11.40pm
Still of the Night: ITV3, Wednesday 27 June, 9.30pm
The Magdalene Sisters: Film4, Thursday 28 June, 9pm
The Bridges of Madison County, TCM, Friday 29 June, 9pm