Die Hard director John McTiernan: ‘It wasn't intended as Christmas film’

John McTiernan has declared ‘Die Hard’ was never intended to be a Christmas movie.

The director of the 1988 flick, starring Bruce Willis as cop John McClane, gave his opinion on the long-running debate over whether it is a festive film four months before the long-running annual debate starts about how it should be categorised.

He told ‘The Empire Film Podcast’ even though it “wasn’t intended as a Christmas movie” it is up to fans to decide.

John, 71, said: “It’s not for us to say, it’s people. It’s for the audience to say. If the audience decides they want to make it a Christmas movie, it’s a Christmas movie. It turns out that way.

“It wasn’t intended as a Christmas movie, or the fact that it was deliberately built around Christmas, but not intended to be a Christmas movie.

“But the fact that it was a Christmas movie had a lot to do with, you know, cause it’s actually, from a distance, politically very strident, and the only reason that survived was that the people in the studio who would have stopped that were deceived because they thought it was just an action movie about a Christmas party that goes wrong.”

His reference about the film being “politically strident” has already sparked debate among fans about whether it is political or religious in its themes.

Some think the film is about global international relations and women’s place in the workplace.

Others have theories McClane is a Jesus-style character, with evidence including he kills 12 terrorists, there are multiple mentions of Jesus and Christ in the film and it features two pregnant women – Sergeant Powell’s wife and Holly’s assistant Ginny.

Some fans also think the fact McClane runs around in white in bare feet is a reference to him being Christ-like and more proof ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie.

Others think it is simply an action film.