
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.
- September 1, 1936 (90)
- The Bronx, New York, USA
- Writer
- 7 on MovieCove · 9 credits in all
What are Roderick Thorp's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 0 · Serious 4 · Dark 2
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
- 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)

A Good Day to Die Hard(2013)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Live Free or Die Hard(2007)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Deep Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

Die Hard 2(1990)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Rainbow Drive(1990)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Die Hard(1988)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Detective(1968)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles from 1968 to 2018.
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.
- 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.
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
- John McTiernanShared titles: Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Die Hard (1988)See all 2 shared titles with John McTiernan

Writers
- Steven E. de SouzaShared titles: Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Steven E. de Souza

Actors
- Bruce WillisShared titles: A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard (1988)See all 4 shared titles with Bruce Willis

- Bonnie BedeliaShared titles: Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Bonnie Bedelia

- William AthertonShared titles: Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard (1988)See all 2 shared titles with William Atherton

Composers
- Michael KamenShared titles: Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard (1988)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Kamen

Producers
- David WillisShared titles: A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)See all 2 shared titles with David Willis
- Charles GordonShared titles: Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Gordon

- Joel SilverShared titles: Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Joel Silver

- Lawrence GordonShared titles: Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Lawrence Gordon

