Die Hard 4.0

Director: Len Wiseman

Starring: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant

In 1988, Die Hard redefined the action movie genre. Previously action heroes had been men of few words who were almost invincible, such as Schwarzenegger and Stallone. Bruce Willis showed us a new type of action hero; someone who wasn't invincible or infallible but did what he had to do. Unlike his predecessors, he was someone you could believe you might run into in the street. Following Willis' ground breaking first outing as John McClane, there were countless imitations such as Die Hard on a boat (Under Siege), Die Hard on a bus (Speed) and Die Hard on a plane (Air Force One). Finally, Willis has donned the vest again to show everyone how it is done.

In Die Hard 4.0, McClane must stop internet terrorists who plan to bring America to a stand still. These terrorists, lead by Thomas Gabriel (Olyphant) and Mai Lihn (Maggie Q) represent McClane's toughest challenge yet, as his daughter is taken hostage. As usual, Willis is exceptional as McClane, and shows us again how he made Die Hard so memorable. Justin Long gives a surprisingly good performance as Matt Farrell, a computer hacker that is helping McClane. Long manages to create a sympathetic character that the audience is able to relate to. Also worth mentioning is Timothy Olyphant, who gives a strong performance as McClane's adversary Thomas Gabriel. Die Hard 4.0 contains some stunning action set pieces far surpassing anything seen in its predecessors. The director, Len Wiseman, has to be given credit for not continually resorting to CGI in these, finding a far better balance than most modern action films.

Willis has said that this could be the strongest film in the series. However, you'll have to see the film yourself to decide if you agree with him. Regardless of whether you do or not, Die Hard 4.0 is undoubtedly one of the best action films of the year.

Whether or not this is the last in the series remains to be seen. For now though, sit back and enjoy another outing of Willis is his definitive role.

Yippee-Ki-Yay

George Marshall