The Die Hard movies are widely regarded as some of the greatest action films ever made, and the chaos brought to life by the cast certainly adds to their thrill factor. One standout scene from Die Hard With a Vengeance, the third installment, takes things to a wild extreme.
In this ’90s classic, there’s a major sequence centered around a heist orchestrated by Jeremy Irons’ villain at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which holds tons of gold. Remarkably, the filmmakers got many of the details shockingly right—so much so that it caught the attention of the FBI.
Jonathan Hensleigh, the screenwriter for the film, shared in the DVD commentary that he received a call from the FBI after the script had been reviewed by the New York Police Department. They were very concerned about how he had such detailed knowledge about the Federal Reserve’s vaults, which are located near a subway spur and have a tunnel system running through Manhattan.
He explained, “One day, the FBI called me, really worried about how I knew so much. They asked about the vault’s proximity to a subway spur and the aqueduct tunnel.” Hensleigh clarified, “Well, they actually took us down to see the vault. They showed us the plans and layout. And I learned about the aqueduct tunnel from an article in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. So I’m not a terrorist or anything! I don’t have secret info that I shouldn’t have.”
Hensleigh’s clear explanation eased their concerns, and they decided not to arrest him. However, the FBI was so alarmed by how realistic the robbery seemed that they held a meeting to ensure that such a heist couldn’t happen in real life. It’s a fascinating example of how a movie’s attention to detail can raise eyebrows, even among law enforcement!