John McTiernan

Through extensive research including news reports, biographies, commentaries, interviews, and behind-the-scenes details, the story of John McTiernan and his tumultuous life and career is mapped out from the beginning, through his successes, his failures, his incredibly extensive legal battles, all the way to his multiple attempts at a comeback. John McTiernan is one of the most influential action filmmakers of his generation. Educated at the American Film Institute and influenced by European cinematic style, he made his name with a trio of groundbreaking action films--Predator, Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October. His later output was a mixture of successes and failures, including Last Action Hero, one of the most colossal misfires in Hollywood history. His career and personal life unravelled when he was indicted and briefly imprisoned for involvement in a wiretapping scandal. Drawing on extensive research, the author covers McTiernan's tumultuous life and career, from his early triumphs through his extensive legal battles and his multiple attempts at a comeback.