Hans Gruber in Die Hard

Vitals

Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, shrewd German terrorist leader and self-described “excellent thief”

Los Angeles, Christmas 1987

Film: Die Hard
Release Date: July 15, 1988
Director: John McTiernan
Costume Designer: Marilyn Vance

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Like surprisingly many others, Die Hard is one of my favorite Christmas movies and no holiday season—no matter how hectic or bleak—is complete without a viewing of what is arguably the greatest action movie ever made.

For the first BAMF Style holiday season in 2012, I broke down the rugged (and eventually very sparse) style of Bruce Willis’ John McClane, but it feels like the time has come to look at what the film’s fashion-driven antagonist wore as he led his European gunslingers into Nakatomi Plaza on Christmas Eve 1987.

Mr. Takagi, I could talk about industrialization and men’s fashion all day, but I’m afraid work must intrude…

What’d He Wear?

Nice suit. John Phillips, London. I have two myself. Rumor has it Arafat buys his there.

Obviously, Hans Gruber knows a thing about clothes as he takes the time to compliment the Nakatomi Corporation’s soon-to-be martyr’s suit from “John Phillips… London,” though it remains a mystery whether the suit Hans wears for the holiday hijacking was intended to be one of the two he claims to own from this prestigious—but ultimately fictional—tailor.

The styling of Hans’ dark charcoal suit is contemporary to the late ’80s production and setting, not surprising for a man so interested in fashion and image.

Hans’ combination of notch lapels with a double-breasted button arrangement—specifically a 4×1-button—was most fashionable during the 1980s, though it had also been occasionally seen in earlier decades like the ’20s and ’60s. For Hans’ introduction, he wears the lapels flipped up under his raincoat for a more menacing look before he flattens them down to fit in among the business-types at the party. Each lapel has a buttonhole.

The jacket also has a welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, a ventless back, and padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads. All in all, very fitting for a flashy ’80s terrorist’s power suit.

Hans’ pale-blue poplin shirt has a narrow spread collar, front placket, breast pocket (with a pointed bottom), and single-button rounded cuffs. And just because he’s killing and stealing on Christmas Eve doesn’t mean Hans Gruber isn’t one to inject some holiday festivity into his attire! Hans wears a maroon silk necktie, tied in a four-in-hand knot.

Less is seen of Hans’ trousers, especially as Hans always wears his jacket buttoned is frequently seated after taking control of the situation, though we do see that they have side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms with a full break. He holds them up with a black leather belt that closes through a gold-toned single-prong buckle.

Unlike his nemesis, Hans manages to keep his feet covered throughout the evening. He wears a pair of black leather cap-toe oxford shoes and black dress socks.

For his on-screen introduction, Hans Gruber wears the trope-worthy Badass Longcoat, here in the form of a taupe raincoat. The coat is worn open with a loose belt hooked through a loop on each side. Each lapel has a buttonhole through it, and the jacket’s cuffs close through a single button tab.

Finally, Hans’ sole visible accessory is a gold tank watch fastened to his left wrist on a black alligator strap.

Reportedly, screenwriter Steven E. de Souza originally intended to feature Hans wearing a TAG Heuer watch to match those of his team… outing him as one of the terrorists when he encounters McClane. At some point, the plan evidently changed.

The Gun

For his takeover of Nakatomi Plaza, Hans Gruber’s sidearm is a Heckler & Koch P7M13 semi-automatic pistol, finished in hard chrome and chambered in 9×19 mm Parabellum. Although Hans and his gang are clearly involved in criminal activity without much regard for noise, he is seen removing a suppressor (which matches the pistol’s chrome finish) when he first draws it on Mr. Takagi. According to IMFDB, this indicates that “it’s not a P7M13SD because there is no threaded barrel to use a suppressor.”

Heckler & Koch GmbH first revealed its PSP in 1976, aimed at the police market. Production began on the P7 three years later, and the weapon was soon adopted by the German Army’s special forces and the GSG 9 counter-terrorism unit. In addition to its distinguished look and innovative cocking-lever grip, the P7 series utilizes a unique gas-delayed blowback locking system which utilizes each ignited cartridge’s gas pressures.

The first variant of the P7 was the P7M8 in the early 1980s, followed quickly by the P7M13 in 1982 which could carry 13-round magazines of 9 mm ammunition. With its double-stack magazine, the P7M13 was slightly larger at 30 ounces with an overall length of 6.9 inches, sharing the P7M8’s barrel length of 4.1 inches.

The script initially called for a Walther:

Hans slowly takes out his Walther and his silencer.

…which still found use in the film in the form of the menacing Karl’s Walther PPK. Instead, Hans was armed with the less familiar (and thus more exotic) but equally German Heckler & Koch P7M13.

How to Get the Look

If not for his nefarious aims, Hans Gruber’s attire would have undoubtedly made him a welcome guest at a company Christmas party in the ’80s!

• Charcoal tailored “power suit”, consisting of:
  • Double-breasted 4×2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Pale blue poplin dress shirt with slim collar, breast pocket, front placket, and rounded button cuffs
• Maroon silk tie
• Black leather belt with square gold single-prong buckle
• Black leather cap-toe oxford shoes
• Black dress socks
• Taupe belted raincoat with 1-button tab cuffs and long single rear vent
• Gold tank watch on black alligator leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Who said we were terrorists?

Footnote

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!