Die Hard 4: Dieing a Death

Rating: 5/10 (3 August 2007)

I was seriously looking forward to this fourth instalment of the Die Hard movies as the previous three had always lived up to, and in many cases exceeded my expectations. How could this long awaited sequel ever fail to impress? Well, in the first instance I didn't believe the threat. The main bad guy was no Hans Gruber and, unlike Rickman and Irons, he in no way managed to portray the menacing, twisted, psychopath required to perpetrate such an evil deed. Secondly, I didn't believe the action. Despite his ageing physique, John McClane has gone from "hard as nails" tough guy to indestructible superhero. However, in the context of this film he would need to as most of his adversaries seem pretty indestructible too. Ninja moves might make you an excellent opponent in hand to hand combat but I'm not sure they would protect you from being driven through several brick and glass walls on the bonnet of a car. Yes, by the nature of the genre, the stunts are inevitably far fetched but on this occasion they take suspension of disbelief to the doorstep of children's fantasy fiction.
This is a movie on par with Terminator 3. Definitely watchable, with a half decent story and plenty of over the top action that would justify a weekend rental. Unfortunately, it is paled by its predecessors.