A rolllercoaster thrill ride from beginning to end...the franchise is alive and kicking...

Rating: 7/10 (9 July 2007)

Once again BRUCE WILLIS in the guise of John McClane saves the world from professional hackers out to disrupt the U.S. government and shut down the financial structure completely--an act of revenge by a former insider (TIMOTHY OLYPHANT) whose warnings went unheeded by those in charge.
And the action is practically non-stop, with one big stunt sequence after another. Midway through the film I was wondering how they would top the last big explosion, but the screenwriter never ran out of even more dangerous stunts to come. This has got to be one of the most physically demanding roles Willis (and his stuntman) ever played.
Amid all the tension there's a nice sense of humor going on between Willis and his young Hacker friend (JUSTIN LONG), with the banter never missing a clever exchange of lines as they join forces to fight the villain out to destroy America. At the end, of course, there's plenty of guts and glory for both of them who manage to survive all the attempts to destroy them at terrific odds.
While preposterous, the screenplay does make you think twice about what might happen if our dependence on computers went totally haywire. It's this aspect of the story that gives it that much needed adrenalin rush for today's movie fans.
Summing up: The franchise is alive and kicking with some astonishing action stunts and some really better than average work from Willis and his sidekick Long. A welcome summer blockbuster.