How many unlucky days can a man have???

Rating: 8/10 (11 April 2018)

Twelve long years without a John McClane movie is like an eternity to an action fan. This one spent so many years in production hell that it was easy to believe that it would never happen. But after years of eagerly awaiting another, and possibly final, adventure from the now classic character of John McClane we got what we wanted. A brand new, original, and action packed sequel that delivers in more ways than one. This is a great additon to the franchise and, except for a few flaws, it lives up to the hype that so many years away from the screen had produced.
The story is one of the reasons that this one is so good. A brilliant cyber-punk exposes the faults of our information age in what is called a 'firesale'. A systematic deconstruction of our advanced and computer dependent society into the dark ages. The simple ideas expressed in the movie bring a fear that many Americans wish they never see in their lifetimes. With everything going awry, John McClane is asked to escort a computer geek to Washington who could be responsible for the calamity or possibly know how to stop it. Its a great idea for a Die Hard movie, but did the director and cast make it what it had the potential to be?
Quite simply, yes. Like the third installment in the series, we get to see a new John McClane. An older, wiser, more mature, and cynical John. He gives us the feeling that he has been here before and he has seen so much in his life that this is just another story he can tell his grandchildren. He also makes you feel a little sad for him. After all he has done and been through, his wife and children still want nothing to do with him. Joining him to hose out the 'firesale' is our computer geek Matthew Farrell played by the always good humored Justin Long. This one brings back the buddy film vibe from Die Hard With A Vengence, but our buddy is a lot more funny and incapable of handling the situation he finds himself in. The only disappointment from the actors in this one comes from an actor I usually enjoy. Timothy Olphant plays our cyber-punk villian trying to destroy everything our current society relies on, and his performance seems a little weak and hollow. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays John's estranged daughter Lucy and her acceptance of her father give the ending of the movie a nice heart touching power.
Overall, the movie turned out MUCH better than I had expected. With the exception of the ending, which seems a little too ridiculous, the movie is good in almost all respects. The action kicks in early and never relents. The ferocity of the violence and the humor of both our leads give credit to another installment in the Die Hard saga. If anything you must watch this just for the ten minutes that Kevin Smith is on screen. It is priceless.