John McTiernan’s Typical Vibe
Signature vibe

Highest-ranked title
Highest-ranked title
John McTiernan has 11 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 1980s through the 2000s. 1 sits in the Top 1% of all titles we track — including Die Hard.
Recurring themes

Run Lola Run
1998
Action · Drama

Thunderbolt
1995
Action · Thriller

Passenger 57
1992
Action · Adventure

Sudden Death
1995
Action · Drama

The Rock
1996
Action · Adventure

Speed
1994
Action · Thriller

Die Hard 2
1990
Action · Thriller

Air Force One
1997
Action · Thriller
High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. One man has manages to escape... An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired... and the only chance anyone has got.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov
A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall

New York detective John McClane is back and kicking bad-guy butt in the third installment of this action-packed series, which finds him teaming with civilian Zeus Carver to prevent the loss of innocent lives. McClane thought he'd seen it all, until a genius named Simon engages McClane, his new "partner" -- and his beloved city -- in a deadly game that demands their concentration.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson

A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius. The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. Lone CIA analyst Jack Ryan has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it - because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find Ramius, too. The hunt is on!
Dir. John McTiernan · With Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn

A Muslim ambassador exiled from his homeland joins a group of Vikings, initially offended by their behavior but growing to respect them. As they travel together, they learn of a legendary evil closing in and must unite to confront this formidable force.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora, Dennis Storhøi
When a hurricane hits a US Army base on the edge of the Panama Canal, an elite covert operations team of US Army Rangers recruits are on a routine jungle training exercise that goes horribly awry. Only two recruits are rescued, one of which is badly injured, but both have different accounts regarding the fate of their leader, legendary and ruthless Army Ranger Drill Sergeant Nathan West, and the rest of their platoon. Tom Hardy, an ex-army Ranger turned maverick DEA agent is brought in to solve the mystery and uncover what really happened out there.
Dir. John McTiernan · With John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, Samuel L. Jackson

After his father's death, a young boy finds solace in action movies featuring an indestructible cop. Given a magic ticket by a theater manager, he is transported into the film and teams up with the cop to stop a villain who escapes into the real world.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O'Brien, Bridgette Wilson

Bored billionaire executive Thomas Crown decides to plan a robbery and assigns a professional agent with the right information to the job. However, Crown is soon betrayed yet cannot blow his cover as he’s fallen in love.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary

An eccentric scientist in the Amazon jungle rejects his research assistant for being a woman, but as bulldozers threaten their work on a potential cancer cure, they learn to collaborate and begin to fall in love.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Sean Connery, Lorraine Bracco, José Wilker
One night, in a Los Angeles hospital, Dr. Flax attends to a seriously injured man who, apparently crazed, whispers mysterious and disconcerting words in French into her ear.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Lesley-Anne Down, Pierce Brosnan, Anna Maria Monticelli
In this fast action-packed thriller, Jonathan, Marcus, and Aurora compete in a dangerous, fierce sport called Rollerball. Although, Johnathan and Marcus try to quit, cruel and vindictive promoter Alexi Petrovich encourages them to still participate.
Dir. John McTiernan · With Chris Klein, LL Cool J, Rebecca Romijn