- "Just like fuckin' Saigon!"
- ―Special Agent Johnson [src]
Special Agent "Big" Johnson was a special agent who took charge of the Nakatomi Plaza takeover after the FBI was called in.
He was potrayed by Robert Davi, who would go on to play Franz Sanchez in License to Kill.
Die Hard[]
When Special Agent Johnson arrives with Agent Johnson in the Nakatomi Plaza, they tell LAPD Deputy Chief Dwayne T. Robinson they are now in charge. After Robinson gives the debrief of the situation regarding the number of hostages and terrorists, Special Agent Johnson states, "Sounds like a A-7 scenario." Police Sergeant Al Powell tells him and Agent Johnson about John McClane, since he is reason they know about the situation and that they are facing fewer terrorists than before. Special Agent Johnson asked Robinson if he was a cop, as Robinson replied he's not LAPD.
He and Agent Johnson argue with Robinson and the power power company worker, Walt, to shut down the building's power. The supervisor of the power company tells him it has to be done from downtown which will take out the 10 square block grid. Robinson objects about shutting down the grid since it's Christmas Eve. Special Agent Johnson forces Walt to shut off the building's power or lose his job. After Nakatomi Plaza was shut down, Special Agent Johnson mused that the terrorists are scared now. When Powell sarcastically asked the FBI agents should they arrest them for not paying the electric bill, he and Agent Johnson say that they will let them sweat for awhile and give them the helicopters 'right up the ass'. Special Agent Johnson speaks on the cell phone to have the air support ready and have them fully armed.
Afterwards, terrorist leader Hans Gruber checks in the radio, asking for the FBI. Special Agent Johnson takes the radio and lies to Gruber that the State Department has arranged for the return of his comrades-in-arms and that the helicopters are on route at his request. After Gruber tells him that they'll be ready, Special Agent Johnson says they will be ready to put Gruber in the bodybag, not knowing that Hans and his men are prepared to blow the roof.
Special Agent Johnson outside the plaza
Afterwards, he rides on the military helicopter convoy to the roof of the building. As they were flying to the building, Agent Johnson asked Special Agent Johnson the odds of the causality rate, Special Agent Johnson states if they take out terrorists, they lose 20 or 25 percent of the hostages. Agent Johnson replies to him that he can live with that. When they arrived, Special Agent Johnson yelled out in excitement that it is like the Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam war, to which Agent Johnson replied he was in junior high school.
When they arrived in the roof, they see McClane shooting in the air to scare the hostages away. They mistake him for a terrorist and begin shooting at him causing McClane to jump out of the helipad. When they missed him, Special Agent Johnson orders the pilot to swing around, saying that he'll kill him. When the helicopter arrives, Special Agent Johnson has his sights on McClane and was ready to fire his Steyr SSG 69 sniper rifle. Before he can fire Hans detonates the roof. He and everyone in the helicopter are killed by the explosion.
Trivia[]
- He and Agent Johnson, along with news caster Harvey Johnson, are named after actor Reginald VelJohnson, who portrayed Al Powell.
- According to actor Robert Davi, Arnold Schwarzenegger and him were very close friends and watched Davi's performance in Die Hard together. When Davi came on the screen, saying, "Who's in charge?" and Robinson says, "I am," and Davi responded, "Not anymore." And Arnold looks over and remarked about how heroic he was because it seemed that he was going to come in and save the day. And little by little, he doesn't. When Arnold realized that Davi's character was really a high-strung and incompetent jerk, he showed disdain for Davi's character for not being heroic.