Bruce Willis is back after a 12 year hiatus to once again shout… yippee Kiyay.
Willis' John McClane is called upon once more to save not only the day, but a smart arse Hacker and the entire US computer system that has been commandeered by a brilliant madman.
In its execution, “Die Hard 4.0” has everything you would expect from this above average franchise. And at over 2 hours long, there's even more explosions, guns and gore.
Inspired by a Wired magazine article “A Farewell To Arms”, I would have expected the film to be grounded in some reality, but it feels like there must have been 50 writers employed just to devise outrageous stunts and great one liners.
At over 2 hours long, I did tire of all the action, but I didn't tire of the terrific repartee between Willis and the young hacker, brilliant played by Justin Long. Their chemistry really held my attention and elevated the overly longwinded story.
Willis really suits aging. His McClane is less heroic, less smug and a lot more world weary. He still has charisma but this time around I really felt his exhaustion. I loved the fact that his character was out of touch and termed… “A Timex watch in a digital age”.
The support cast of Maggie Q as a kick arse baddie and Kevin Smith as an overweight, digital hacker along with others really added to the film's effectiveness.
Director Len Wiseman, formerly a successful art director, presents us with a grand, lush looking film. He brings out the humour wherever possible and never forgets what the film is… a great, action experience.
For allowing Maggie Q to kick his arse I'm giving Bruce and the gang 3 stars.
