I remember the first time I saw Die Hard as a kid and it changed action films for me forever. This average guy trapped in a building full of terrorists with his wife being held hostage. I felt like this guy was real, he could and did get hurt and was scared and did things out of desperation, It was totally amazing and still one of the best action films ever.
....anyhoo, here's a quick one of Officer John McClane
That's why I didn't like Live Free and Die Hard, McClane felt more like a generic action hero than a regular guy in that film. The same could be said about Die Hard 2 and With a Vengence but he still had some sort of McClane charisma in those films.