Wow there's still life in the old dog yet!!

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 2007)

The first Die Hard movie was (and still is) a classic. Die Hard 2 was just downright humiliating. The third one was slightly better but still slightly ludicrous (Jeremy Irons with that idiotic fake "German" accent). So you could say that I had pretty much written off the Die Hard franchise as a "one-hit wonder". But Brucie Baby has proved that, just like a good bottle of whisky, it really does get better with age. He may be older (and balder) but he sure still remembers how to kick ass.
The plot is basically the same - old-fashioned bank robbers out to score the heist of a lifetime, but who try to make themselves look more glamorous by pretending to back a cause - this time though they have updated the franchise to reflect the growing intrusion of computers in every-day life, and who better to tackle this new technological age than old-school Detective McClane?
McClane is ordered to bring in a computer hacker for interrogation by the FBI. Little does anyone know that this hacker has already been targeted for assassination by some people he did some illegal work for (the same matter the FBI want to talk to him about). When Brucie turns up to arrest the hacker, the assassins start shooting and from there on in, it's one big blood-fest as Brucie tries to keep the hacker alive while at the same time, bring the baddies down.
As usual with these types of movies, the plot's credibility does get stretched to breaking point (going head to head with a US Air Force fighter jet?). But if you're prepared to suspend disbelief for a couple of hours, you'll find this movie very enjoyable.
Oh and after seeing the hacker in his lair, I've decided that this is no longer my computer room - it's my "command center". When you've watched the movie, you'll understand what I mean.
Look out for Tim Russ (who plays Tuvok in Star Trek Voyager). Instead of a humourless Vulcan, he here plays a humourless Federal agent.