Streaming Options He's been called the greatest action movie villain in Hollywood history: Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber, the meticulous mastermind behind the Christmas Eve Nakatomi Tower heist in 1988's Even though Die Hard was the British actor's feature film debut, Rickman reportedly (and rather successfully) pushed writers Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, producer Joel Silver, and director John McTiernan to reconceive the film's antagonist into a character that was more suave and urbane and less militaristic, in order to better suit his strengths. Their collective efforts aligned to generate a performance that many consider perfect: Every line delivery is ideal. Every physical gesture is just right. Even his beard is sublime. Viewed decades later, Rickman's performance remains admirable for — to borrow Gruber's line — "The exactness, the attention to every conceivable detail."