Pleasantly surprised

Rating: 9/10 (14 July 2007)

I would give this a 10 but I'd like to see it a few more times to see how it holds up. First off, I wasn't expecting much from Die Hard 4. I thought Bruce Willis was too old and too bald to play an action hero. I didn't think Len Wiseman (whose only done "Underworld" movies) could direct something this huge. I was afraid it would be a "Rocky Balboa" type nostalgic trip. A swan song to a great film series.
I was wrong. This is my favorite Die Hard in the bunch. Even better than "Vengeance." This is the action film they don't make anymore. Non stop thrills and over the top entertainment. Its not supposed to be believable. It's just supposed to be fun. Those blockbuster action films in the 90's weren't about plot or realism. It was about escaping the real world and seeing things you'll never see in real life.
That's why movies like this and "Transformers" succeed. They don't take themselves too seriously. But they also give the audience characters they can care about. Instead of just nonsensical violence that looks cool but has no soul.
Len Wiseman and his editors do an incredible job with the pacing of Die Hard. There's so much camera movement, multi-angle coverage and POV shots it's mind blowing. They say the key to good directing is moving the camera around a lot and Wiseman really takes that to heart. The film looks like a video game. In a good way.
(Possible spoilers ahead) The supporting cast is top notch. Without stealing the show from Bruce Willis. Justin Long is great. Always liked himn in "Dodgeball" and he shows he can play it serious too. TImothy Olyphant is a great villain. He truly is an evil sociopath. No internal conflict or moments of doubt about his twisted scheme. His interactions with McClain's daughter are like a black comedy. Doing double takes about how strong she is.
Maggie Q is fantastically over the top as Mai Linh. A marvel to watch. Only problem is they turned her into a type of Terminatrix. During her battle with McClane I started to wonder if she could actually be killed. Willis' reaction to her footwork is priceless. You can tell he's baffled by how quick she is.
Kevin Smith is the weakest link IMO. He's just not an actor. And he's typecast as Silent Bob. His appearance was sort of an inside joke. I didn't know that was Mary Elizabeth Winstead as McClane's daughter Lucy. I'd heard she was just another Maxim hottie. She was a really good actress. Not just eye candy like Megan Fox in Transformers.
I hate to say it I was sort of hoping Ms. Wisemen (aka Kate Beckinsale) would be in the movie! Maybe make a cameo as one of government agents. Of course if Len did that the critics would say (he can't make a movie without his wife). She could use the career boost after those 2 bombs she made with Adam Sandler and Luke Wilson. And she's proved her mettle in action movies.
In the end, you definitely get the feeling Bruce Willis knows what he's doing with this whole Die Hard franchise. He waited for the right time, script and director. And he was right. Can't wait for Die Hard 5.