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Nothing Lasts Forever (1979 novel)
Encyclopedia
Nothing Lasts Forever is a 1979 thriller novel by Roderick Thorp
. It is mostly known through its film adaptation, Die Hard
.
to Thorp's 1966 novel The Detective. It follows Detective
Joe Leland, who is visiting the Klaxon Oil Corporation's headquarters in Los Angeles
, where his daughter Steffie Leland Gennaro works. While he is visiting, a German
terrorist team led by Anton "Tony" Gruber takes over the building. Leland remains undetected and fights off the terrorists one by one, aided outside the building by LAPD
Sergeant Al Powell.
In 1975, author Roderick Thorp saw the film The Towering Inferno
. After seeing the film, Thorp had a dream of seeing a man being chased through a building by men with guns. He woke up and took that idea and turned it into the The Detective sequel, Nothing Lasts Forever.
Stephanie Gennaro : The only daughter of Joseph Leland and an important executive to the Klaxon Oil building. She is sleeping with another executive named Harry Ellis. She invited her father to the party in hopes to see him and wish him a merry Christmas, but she soon falls hostage to Anton "Little Tony" Gruber and must believe that her father can do the impossible. In Die Hard, instead of the daughter being held hostage, it is McClane's wife named Holly Gennero and is portrayed by Bonnie Bedelia
.
Anton "Little Tony" Gruber : Anton Gruber is of German heritage and is the leader of the group of terrorists who have taken over the Klaxon Oil Building. Anton is his real name but people (including Leland) often refer to him as "Little Tony" or "Tony" just as a nickname. Anton Gruber is a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to complete his goal, no matter whom he has to kill. In Die Hard, his name is Hans Gruber and is portrayed by Alan Rickman
.
Sergeant Al Powell : Al Powell is sent to the Klaxon Building to check on an emergency call made by Leland and is soon thrown into radio contact with him and monitored by Anton Gruber. Al Powell tries to talk Leland into keeping calm and not to lose his cool and sees Leland as the true hero that he is. Al Powell ends up saving Leland from Karl and getting him into an ambulance. In Die Hard, he is portrayed by Reginald VelJohnson
.
Chief Deputy Dwayne T. Robinson : Dwayne Robinson is the deputy chief of police and is sent in to take charge of the situation at hand. He automatically dislikes Leland for what he is doing and feels that he is only making things worse for the hostages. He tries to convince himself that Leland could be one of the terrorists or a nutjob but is soon on Leland's side when he finds out what Leland's been doing. Dwayne is shot and killed by Karl at the end of the novel (but not in the film adaptation). In Die Hard, he is portrayed by the late Paul Gleason
.
Karl : Karl is Anton's right hand man. Near the beginning of the novel, Leland kills his younger brother, Hans, and throughout the remainder of the novel, Karl wants nothing but Leland's blood. He is the last surviving terrorist after Anton is killed by Leland and appears at the end of novel supposedly dead but comes back with intentions to kill Leland. However, he is shot to death by Al Powell. In Die Hard, he is portrayed by the late Alexander Godunov
.
Mr. Rivers : Mr. Rivers is the president of the Klaxon Oil Building and is the one who hosted the Christmas party and arranged the ride in for Leland. Mr. Rivers is soon disliked by Leland and is taken hostage by Anton to get the safe code in order to get the millions of dollars in the safe. Unfortunately, Mr. Rivers refuses to give the code and Anton shoots him in the lapel, killing him. In Die Hard, Rivers' name is Mr. Takagi and is portrayed by James Shigeta
.
Harry Ellis : Ellis is an executive in the Klaxon Oil Building and is sleeping with Stephanie Leland Gennaro and does drugs (such as cocaine
), which makes Joe Leland dislike him. In the middle of the novel, Ellis tries to help the terrorists and help himself by trying to talk Leland into giving himself up. When Leland refuses Ellis' proposal, Anton kills Ellis, which makes Leland feel responsible for his death. In Die Hard, Ellis is portrayed by Hart Bochner
.
film Commando
, but when Schwarzenegger turned down the role, the script was retooled in 1988
for the film Die Hard
.
The film follows its source material closely. Some of its memorable scenes, characters, and dialogue are taken directly from the novel. The story was altered to be a stand-alone film with no connections to Thorp's novel The Detective. Other changes included the older hero of the novel becoming younger, his name changed from Joe Leland to John McClane
, his daughter becoming his wife (maiden name "Gennero," different from the book's spelling of "Gennaro"), and the American Klaxon Oil Corporation becoming the Japanese Nakatomi Corporation.
Roderick Thorp
Roderick Mayne Thorp, Jr. was an American novelist specializing mainly in crime novels.As a young college graduate, Thorp worked at a detective agency owned by his father...
. It is mostly known through its film adaptation, Die Hard
Die Hard
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
.
Plot introduction
Nothing Lasts Forever is a sequelSequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Thorp's 1966 novel The Detective. It follows Detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Joe Leland, who is visiting the Klaxon Oil Corporation's headquarters in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where his daughter Steffie Leland Gennaro works. While he is visiting, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
terrorist team led by Anton "Tony" Gruber takes over the building. Leland remains undetected and fights off the terrorists one by one, aided outside the building by LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
Sergeant Al Powell.
In 1975, author Roderick Thorp saw the film The Towering Inferno
The Towering Inferno
The Towering Inferno is a 1974 American action disaster film produced by Irwin Allen featuring an all-star cast led by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman.A co-production between Twentieth Century-Fox and Warner Bros...
. After seeing the film, Thorp had a dream of seeing a man being chased through a building by men with guns. He woke up and took that idea and turned it into the The Detective sequel, Nothing Lasts Forever.
Characters
Joseph Leland : Leland is now a retired police officer on his way to Los Angeles to visit his daughter for a Christmas party hosted by her boss, Mr. Rivers. Leland is still somewhat depressed after his wife left him and the relationship between him and his daughter is strained. He has hopes that this visit might help the relationship, but when the building is under attack, he must jump into action and hope that he can save the 74 hostages including his daughter. In Die Hard, his name is John McClane and is portrayed by Bruce WillisBruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
Stephanie Gennaro : The only daughter of Joseph Leland and an important executive to the Klaxon Oil building. She is sleeping with another executive named Harry Ellis. She invited her father to the party in hopes to see him and wish him a merry Christmas, but she soon falls hostage to Anton "Little Tony" Gruber and must believe that her father can do the impossible. In Die Hard, instead of the daughter being held hostage, it is McClane's wife named Holly Gennero and is portrayed by Bonnie Bedelia
Bonnie Bedelia
Bonnie Bedelia Culkin is an American actress best known for her supporting roles in the action film Die Hard and the courtroom drama Presumed Innocent...
.
Anton "Little Tony" Gruber : Anton Gruber is of German heritage and is the leader of the group of terrorists who have taken over the Klaxon Oil Building. Anton is his real name but people (including Leland) often refer to him as "Little Tony" or "Tony" just as a nickname. Anton Gruber is a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to complete his goal, no matter whom he has to kill. In Die Hard, his name is Hans Gruber and is portrayed by Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
.
Sergeant Al Powell : Al Powell is sent to the Klaxon Building to check on an emergency call made by Leland and is soon thrown into radio contact with him and monitored by Anton Gruber. Al Powell tries to talk Leland into keeping calm and not to lose his cool and sees Leland as the true hero that he is. Al Powell ends up saving Leland from Karl and getting him into an ambulance. In Die Hard, he is portrayed by Reginald VelJohnson
Reginald VelJohnson
Reginald VelJohnson is an American actor of film, stage and television, well known for his role as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, where he was the only cast member to appear in every single episode. He also portrayed LAPD Sgt...
.
Chief Deputy Dwayne T. Robinson : Dwayne Robinson is the deputy chief of police and is sent in to take charge of the situation at hand. He automatically dislikes Leland for what he is doing and feels that he is only making things worse for the hostages. He tries to convince himself that Leland could be one of the terrorists or a nutjob but is soon on Leland's side when he finds out what Leland's been doing. Dwayne is shot and killed by Karl at the end of the novel (but not in the film adaptation). In Die Hard, he is portrayed by the late Paul Gleason
Paul Gleason
Paul Xavier Gleason was an American film and television actor, known for his roles on TV series such as All My Children and films such as The Breakfast Club, Trading Places and Die Hard.-Early life:...
.
Karl : Karl is Anton's right hand man. Near the beginning of the novel, Leland kills his younger brother, Hans, and throughout the remainder of the novel, Karl wants nothing but Leland's blood. He is the last surviving terrorist after Anton is killed by Leland and appears at the end of novel supposedly dead but comes back with intentions to kill Leland. However, he is shot to death by Al Powell. In Die Hard, he is portrayed by the late Alexander Godunov
Alexander Godunov
Alexander Borisovich Godunov was a Russian-American ballet danseur and film actor, whose defection caused a diplomatic incident between the USA and the USSR.-Biography:...
.
Mr. Rivers : Mr. Rivers is the president of the Klaxon Oil Building and is the one who hosted the Christmas party and arranged the ride in for Leland. Mr. Rivers is soon disliked by Leland and is taken hostage by Anton to get the safe code in order to get the millions of dollars in the safe. Unfortunately, Mr. Rivers refuses to give the code and Anton shoots him in the lapel, killing him. In Die Hard, Rivers' name is Mr. Takagi and is portrayed by James Shigeta
James Shigeta
James Shigeta is an American film and television actor. He is also a standards singer, musical theatre and nightclub performer, and recording artist. He is a Nisei or second-generation American of Japanese ancestry.-Early life:...
.
Harry Ellis : Ellis is an executive in the Klaxon Oil Building and is sleeping with Stephanie Leland Gennaro and does drugs (such as cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
), which makes Joe Leland dislike him. In the middle of the novel, Ellis tries to help the terrorists and help himself by trying to talk Leland into giving himself up. When Leland refuses Ellis' proposal, Anton kills Ellis, which makes Leland feel responsible for his death. In Die Hard, Ellis is portrayed by Hart Bochner
Hart Bochner
Hart Matthew Bochner is a Canadian film actor, screenwriter, director, and producer.-Life and career:Bochner was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Ruth , a concert pianist, and actor Lloyd Bochner...
.
Die Hard film adaptation
Nothing Lasts Forever was originally adapted as a sequel to the Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
film Commando
Commando (film)
Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
, but when Schwarzenegger turned down the role, the script was retooled in 1988
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
for the film Die Hard
Die Hard
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
.
The film follows its source material closely. Some of its memorable scenes, characters, and dialogue are taken directly from the novel. The story was altered to be a stand-alone film with no connections to Thorp's novel The Detective. Other changes included the older hero of the novel becoming younger, his name changed from Joe Leland to John McClane
John McClane
John McClane is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Die Hard film series, portrayed by Bruce Willis.-Development and description:...
, his daughter becoming his wife (maiden name "Gennero," different from the book's spelling of "Gennaro"), and the American Klaxon Oil Corporation becoming the Japanese Nakatomi Corporation.