Lt John McClane (Bruce Willis) in Die Hard (1988)

“Most troublesome”? Damn straight. He's “The fly in the ointment, the monkey in the wrench, the pain in the ass…"

Hurl what you will, John McClane is always there. Battling terrorists or bombers, crawling along air ducts and lift shafts, he takes the battering, the damage and the bloodied white vest. Even if it's Christmas Eve, he'd rather be in Philadelphia and he's outside his jurisdiction. McClane is a Boy's Own, on-the-spot cop who'll stop for a sob then weather the blows with a quip and a love of movies.

Cop that! After a rib-crunching barney with Teutonic terrorist Karl, John-boy chokes him on a chain and leaves him jangling and dangling. 

Stake-out song of choice: Echo & The Bunnymen – 'Nothing Lasts Forever'.