Die Hard 4.0

Home
Smell the Movies
Smell the TV

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Year:	2007
Country of origin:	USA / UK
Director:	Len Wiseman
Genre:	It's Die Hard, ffs
Starring:	Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant,  Justin Long, Maggie Q
Rating:	4/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337978/
Tagline:	Yippee Ki Yay Mo - John 6:27
Favourite line:	"You just killed a helicopter with a car!"

A new Die Hard for a new millennium, but the quality remains.

The plot:
John McClane, now a detective, goes head to head against cyber criminals hell bent on instigating what is know as a 'Fire Sale', a three pronged attack to take out transport, telecoms and utilities, sending society (or Washington D.C.) back to the stone age.
Inevitably, there's financial gain for those responsible as, just prior to the meltdown, monies would be transferred to an unaffected account overseas.
Can McClane get to the mastermind in time to avert disaster?
Do Catholics have a long and unfortunate history of child molestation, perpetuated in a climate of acceptance, forgiveness and cover-ups?
Eh?

With the exception of the truly awful Die Hard 2, this is an action franchise that seems to consistently deliver the goods.
The formula is simple enough:
A criminal mastermind with a plan ambitious enough to take the authorities by surprise.
A family entanglement for the hero.
A few one-liners.
A few lines of dialogue expressing irritation.
Some balls out action sequences.
Easy, really.
Where Die Hard With a Vengeance (number 3) brushed on social issues surrounding race – McClane forced by Jeremy Irons’ demented bomber to walk through Harlem wearing a sandwich board declaring ‘I hate niggers’ - this time around we get some intriguing thoughts regarding the surveillance society we live in, as well as our reliance on technology.
It’s there if you look for it, but it’s also safe to just ignore the message – fear computers – and enjoy the on screen mayhem.
Just as with Lethal Weapon before it, Die Hard is at its best when it feels like controlled chaos. Trucks exploding, bridges collapsing, rocket propelled grenades firing hither and thither, the whole time old baldy is romping around the screen like the ultimate symbol of masculinity.
With Die Hard 5 due for release early next year, a series that, by any rights, should have died a death some years ago, is still very much alive and well.
Loved it!