Die Hard: With A Vengeance

Few men wear a vest the way Bruce Willis wears a vest. On the release of the sleeper smash Die Hard in 1988 he turned the humble white vest (that’s undershirt to our American cousins and singlet to our Australian friends) into a movie icon. The bloody, grubby top became a symbol for an action movie. John McTiernan directed two of the four movies in the franchise and it is from the 3rd movie, Die Hard With A Vengeance that this incredible set comes from.

Bruce Willis plays John McClane, an unlucky cop it seems, who gets caught up in various terrorist and heist plots as he tries to get on with his life. In this movie he gets caught up with Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons), the brother of the man he killed in the first movie. Gruber plays a fiendish game of Simon Says with McClane, before our hero realizes that it’s all a decoy for an elaborate gold robbery. Willis is ably assisted by Samuel L. Jackson and the two develop a formidable partnership.

This set consists of the famous vest, police shield, leather shoulder holster and stunt pistol and ammo clips. The vest has been distressed down by the art department to show signs of the wear and tear required to foil a master criminal. The police badge is a metal lieutenant’s emblem pinned to a leather wallet on a chain. The stunt, movie used gun is a resin Beretta 92F and is nicely detailed. Together they form an instantly recognizable ensemble. Yippee Ki-yay.