Review of Die Hard 4.0

'Die Hard 4.0' - a Must Watch

In the US it has been released as 'Live Free or Die Hard' but internationally in other markets the 20th Century Fox has titled the film Die Hard 4.0. The name is in sync with the new plot of virtual terrorism.

Back for the fourth round after a decade on the sequel sidelines, Bruce Willis is resurrected as a resourceful New York City detective John McClane and takes on the bad guys in a bold exhilarating adventure that threatens the very infrastructure of the digitally savvy United States . But this time on McClane is helped by computer hacker Matt Farrell played by Justin Long.

Considering the fact that the film takes place 18 years after the first film ‘Die Hard’, the makers have clearly kept in mind the new target audience for the film. The makers have responded in obvious ways, pairing Willis with a scruffy young computer geek (Justin Long) and tailoring the package for a PG-13 rating rather than an R, which is what the previous three entries received.

In the movie McClane is forced to confront the technical expertise of 21st-century baddies who know how to shut down communications, data and security systems with the press of a laptop key. When the FBI realizes its computers have been hacked into, McClane is assigned to haul in Matt Farrell (Long), a New Jersey slacker on a laundry list of suspects.

Even this isn't easy, however, as French assassins frantically attempt to take Matt out even as McClane endeavors to spirit him away. In short order, the ultra-efficient culprits, led by ice-cold, black-clad tech genius Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), bring Washington D.C. , to the sort of standstill it hasn't experienced ever. The chaos starts with first disrupting the transport system. After this, Wall Street is thrown into similar disarray and Matt sees that someone is setting off a fire sale, a three-step plan to shut down everything in the country that's run by computer.

While the government -- Homeland Security, FBI, NSA ( National Security Administration) , the armed forces, police, et al. -- scrambles to figure out what to do, McClane tries to keep Matt alive long enough to reveal what he knows about the dastardly project in which he was an ignorant participant. The film is action packed from start to end. It works and delivers. Head shaven and still in fine shape, Willis has no trouble convincing that he's still capable of handling heavy action. Justin Long proves to be a very sympathetic young actor. And of course, Timothy Olyphant’s (Thomas Gabriel) is good as well. Although at some places I thought the action was slightly disjointed.

All the "Die Hard" films have centered upon terrorists. The fourth sequel is a film like it should be done and it totally lives up to its title ‘Die Hard 4.0’ on all levels. I think it’s worlds better than the last one and just as fun as the second one. But nothing comes close to the original. I recently read in some interview where Bruce Willis said that he thought ‘Die Hard 4.0’ was as good as the first; well, I guess he has to believe that on some level to work on it, but man, ‘Die Hard’ defined a genre, and you can’t touch that.
It’s worth a watch once.
The film is releasing in Indian on June 29

By,
Anusha
(Read more stuff by her on admediaworld.blogspot.com and freaktrekking.blogspot.com - Ed)