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Roderick Thorp

Roderick Thorp

Writer · Born September 1, 1936 (90) · The Bronx, New York, USA

Novelist, short-story writer, teacher -- and private detective. He wrote two novels that would be turned into theatrical films, "The Detective" (1966), which became The Detective (1968); and "Nothing Lasts Forever" (1979), which became Die Hard (1988). His 1986 novel "Rainbow Drive" was later produced as a made-for-TV movie. He taught literature and lectured on creative writing at schools and colleges in New Jersey and California, and wrote pieces for newspapers and magazines. Earlier, as a young college graduate, he had worked at a detective agency owned by his father.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
September 1, 1936 (90)
From
The Bronx, New York, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 9 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 9% in 30 days

What are Roderick Thorp's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

Steady 1 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 4

Casual 1 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Thrilling
4
Melancholic
2
Absurd
1
Dread
1
Other
1

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Roderick Thorp's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (3).

Subscription and free streaming for Roderick Thorp's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

9 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Easter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Characters

  • A Good Day to Die Hard(2013)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
  • Live Free or Die Hard(2007)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Deep Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Cook

  • Die Hard 2(1990)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • Rainbow Drive(1990)

    Book

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
  • Die Hard(1988)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
  • The Detective(1968)

    Novel · Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 9 titles from 1968 to 2018.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 9: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleWriting8 of 9: 8 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score78th

By decade

1960s1 · crew1980s1 · crew1990s4 · 1 acting · 3 crew2000s1 · crew2010s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Roderick Thorp's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th1
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed2

Reviewers score the dialogue 60/100 and the plot and story 42/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Roderick Thorp's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 86 · severeMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles22–48 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 89 · severeMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 35 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 67 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Roderick Thorp work with?

People who share at least 2 of Roderick Thorp's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bruce Willis shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers