Review of 'Die Hard 4.0'

die_hard_4.jpg It has been quite some number of years since John McClane has appeared on our screens. It has also been a number of years since he has seen any action as the story begins. A group of cyber-criminals hatch a “fire sale” (that is, “everything must go”) as they begin to attack communications and transport systems in the US. It is up to McClane to save the day. Sound familiar?

The stunts are, to be expected, very, very good with some truly amazing things to be seen (McClane jumping on to a fighter jet or destroying a helicopter in mid-air using a car must be seen to be believed). The story is not terribly complicated which very much suits the franchise with an interesting effort at bringing things up to date with the idea of cyber-crime. A lot less swearing should make the movie a bit more appealing to the cinema crowd than previous outings.

I must admit I found it not as good on characterisation with Willis just “getting on with it” rather than any sort of in-depth aspect to his character. Previous movies saw him thrown in despite his reservations. In this he has no such reservations. The bad-guys are terribly one dimensional and not terribly smart (despite the technology). Having said all that, I found a lot of the movie quite funny and a lot of good fun. Obviously, these obvious flaws are part of the successful formula that is Die Hard. Fans of this formula will not be disappointed.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2007-07-15


Directed by: Len Wiseman

Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox

Year: 2007

Length: 130 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337978/


Other reviewed films by Len Wiseman: