An Old Die Hard Plot Hole Is Cleared Up

In Die Hard, when Hans Gruber runs into John McClane in person, McClane quickly deduces that it’s actually Hans… not Bill Clay as alleged.  Over the years some have called this a plot hole, wondering how McClane could arrive at this conclusion.  Speaking to Esquire, Steven E. De Souza addresses this;

It all comes down to a series of deleted scenes, says De Souza, which served to establish that the faux-terrorists were all wearing fancy timepieces. In the original cut of the movie, Gruber and his team all synchronize Tag Heuer watches at the start of their heist; once McClane starts taking bad guys out, he quickly realizes that they’re all similarly equipped. In the original script, John notices “Bill” is wearing the exact same watch when he hands him a cigarette, which is why he hands him an empty gun a minute later in order to lure him into dropping the ruse.

But I wouldn’t really call it a plot hole.  It’s probably down to McClane recognizing Gruber’s voice and, perhaps more importantly, utilizing police intuition.