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When I watched the original Die Hard for the first time in years last week, I was extremely impressed with how well it held up compared to today's action spectaculars. Having seen the original so recently it also made it very clear how different Die Hard 4.0 is from its illustrious forebear. It's got Bruce Willis playing a character called John McClane in it, and the plot's got something to do with terrorism. Other than that, it could be any other action movie. That said, you can't blame 20th Century Fox for continuing a franchise rather than starting a new one because in today's box office climate it's almost always only the pre-sold properties (i.e. sequels, novel/comic book adaptations, remakes) with well known brand names that make the big bucks. And despite it lacking that distinct Die Hard flavour, 4.0 is actually quite an entertaining, leave-your-brain-at-the-door blockbuster.
One of the reasons Die Hard worked so well was that it pitted one man against a bunch of terrorists, but the loner used brains rather than brawn to save the day, going against the 80s trend of Schwarzenegger and Stallone "one man army" films. In Die Hard with a Vengeance, John McClane's last big screen appearance, he was teamed with Samuel L. Jackson, and here he joins forces with a young hacker played by Justin Long. While I had hoped that the character wouldn't be in the film much, the fact that he receives only marginally less screentime than Bruce himself didn't turn out to be a huge negative, as Long managed to save the role from becoming an irritating comic relief sidekick. He was, however, another element that lessened the Die Hard feel.
My main problem with the film is that the plot, revolving around computer terrorism, failed to completely ignite interest - too many computer control rooms - and the villain (played by Timothy Olyphant, who is not given much to work with) is rather forgettable. Olyphant's female sidekick, Mai (Maggie Q), is something of a walking cliché, as she is the typical evil bitch who never cracks a smile. She also happened to be of East Asian origin, so of course she was a martial arts expert. Thankfully, many of the action scenes are excellent, particularly a memorable one involving a 4x4 dangling down a lift shaft. Another positive was that unlike the recent tendency to barrage audiences with set-piece after set-piece, Die Hard 4.0 seemed to have relatively few (but enough to maintain the required excitement level), allowing for a slightly less frantic pace. It's unfortunate that by the end it becomes rather ridiculous with Willis at one point jumping onto a hovering fighter jet, but barring a couple of moments when he suddenly turns invincible McClane still comes across as a regular guy who isn't impervious to bullets.
While John McClane's penchant for swearing may have lessened over the years so that the film would earn a PG-13 rating in America, he still likes his one-liners and 4.0 supplies them at a healthy rate. Indeed, it's quite funny at several points, mostly due to Bruce but also thanks to contributions from Long and a surprisingly decent script. Die Hard 4.0 is therefore far from the trainwreck that some had feared when it was announced Len "Underworld" Wiseman was to direct and that it was aiming for a PG-13 rating. I just wish it wasn't called Die Hard.
The summary
Fundamentally, Die Hard 4.0 is entertaining. The running time could do with a little condensing of about ten minutes or so and the plot isn't particularly compelling, but overall it's decent popcorn fodder.
