'That's gonna wake the neighbours'

Rating: 6/10 (19 January 2011)

I must admit to being pretty worried when I found out that Len Wiseman was directing 'Die Hard 4.0' AKA 'Live Free or Die Hard'. His all-style-no-substance 'Underworld' films were awful; very flashy yet totally empty. So I came to the fourth 'Die Hard' installment with quite a bit of trepidation.
I need not have been concerned, because 'Die Hard 4.0' is a solid piece of action entertainment which really delivers the goods. It is thrilling, funny, and offers action set pieces which are truly breathtaking. Witness the scene involving the four-wheel drive and the elevator shaft, in which the seemingly indestructible Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) does battle with the deadly Mai Linh (Maggie Q... great name, by the way!). A brilliant and innovative way to stage what might otherwise have been a very ordinary fight sequence. And then there is my favourite bit, in which McClane, at the wheel of Thomas Gabriel's (Timothy Olyphant) mobile command centre - a massive eighteen-wheeler - goes up against a heavily armed F14 fighter jet. A huge chunk of freeway is completely destroyed in the ensuing mayhem. Classic! Bruce Willis' performance is perfectly measured as usual, and his John McClane is always humble and never smug. Justin Long offers good support as computer whiz kid Matt Farrell, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead proves a tough cookie as Lucy Gennaro McClane, John's daughter. Comic relief is provided by the always likable Kevin Smith, who plays computer geek Freddy 'Warlock' Kaludis.
This is the first PG-13 'Die Hard' but it never feels neutered or watered down. There are some tough fight sequences but hardly any coarse language. And you certainly do not sit there thinking, 'Man, I wish they would swear more!'.
'Die Hard 4.0' deserves its rightful place in the 'Die Hard' pantheon. It is a real crowd pleaser and the new director proves that he can deliver a thoroughly entertaining summer blockbuster. Thanks to Wiseman, the 'Die Hard' franchise is very much alive and well, and can still kick some major ass.