A flawed, but great action movie

Rating: 7/10 (19 October 2007)

The fourth movie in the Die Hard series picks up on its lead character John McClane, who has grown older and wearier since we last met him. His private life has gone down the drain and he's as cranky as ever. On top of this, he is once again faced with a massive challenge, this time involving global cyber terrorism.
The plot is actually pretty well written for an action movie. There may not be much in terms of character development or depth, but the plot succeeds in carrying the movie and explaining some of the hows and whys. The movie has its plot holes and problems, but to me this was all quite forgivable. The one thing that bothered me about the plot was the overload of cyber-talk, nerdy hackers and flashy gizmo's.
The main strength of Die Hard 4 lies in its action scenes, which are some of the best in recent years. The car chases, shootouts and fight scenes are very well choreographed, intensely shot and very cool to watch. I got the feeling of being right in the middle of it, like a good action movie should.
Despite his age, Bruce Willis still does a great job as Detective John McClane. Foulmouthed, rude and without compromise, he rams his way through every obstacle in his path. The main character also brings some genuinely funny dialog, some originality and some heart into the movie.
All in all, I rank "Live Free or Die Hard" as one of the best action movies of 2007. I recommend all fans of the genre to go watch it. And please, don't be put off by the movie's PG13 rating. The visuals and language are not especially child-friendly, but are actually pretty gritty and mature.