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Die Hard 4.0 (2007)

Director: Len Wiseman

Time Out rating

Average user rating

60 reviews

Synopsis

In this action-packed sequel, John McClane is assigned the dangerous task of capturing the mysterious hacker attacking America's vulnerable infrastructure

Movie review

From Time Out London

So far the ‘Die Hard’ series has offered scenes of civil aviation hijack, skyscraper attack (with falling bodies) and a New York besieged by explosions. Nothing unusual then: in the years before 9/11, grand-scale civilian terror was a staple Hollywood pleasure; ‘Die Hard With A Vengeance’ (1995) even showed Manhattan office workers munching popcorn as they survey the carnage below. In the event, of course, people took terrorist attack rather more personally than that, both in the moment and in dealing with the fall-out. Inspired by a WIRED article about the threat to homeland security from systems hacking, ‘Die Hard 4.0’ happily exploits the dire potential consequences of such ‘soft strike’ tactics, yet proposes the decidedly September 10 solution of an individual hero – and banks on its audience reaching for the popcorn, like in the good old days.

Once again, NYPD cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is in the wrong place at the wrong time – in this case, Washington, DC, on Independence Day, just as forces unseen conspire to shut down the security and transport systems of the city and its neighbours. Chaos ensues and McClane girds himself to save the day with blood ’n’ grit, assisted by unworldly but tech-savvy hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long, who played similar roles in ‘Galaxy Quest’ and ‘Dodgeball’). In the other corner are high-kickin’ Maggie Q, clench-jawed, bug-eyed Timothy Olyphant and some French blokes who know parkour (bien sûr). McClane’s teenage daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is also running around.

As in the other ‘Die Hard’ movies, a hero who once declared that ‘progress peaked with frozen pizza’ is pitched against complex systems being abused by nut-jobs with delusions of grandeur, though McClane is now harder to accept than ever as an everyman figure: once bleeding and battling alone, he is now effectively a superhuman with a sidekick whose theatre has expanded from the confines of an office block to the entire eastern seaboard. McClane’s yen for remote communication with his foes now benefits from video conferencing and the series’ long-standing soft spot for pornographic explosions is ratcheted up a few notches too – as is the scale of the action sequences. If the collapse of the US capital’s social and civic infrastructure doesn’t pack enough of a punch, you also get a fighter jet facing off against a juggernaut.

Len Wiseman (who directed the gothic fantasy actioner ‘Underworld’ and its sequel) handles many of the set-pieces with flair and tension: a mass pile-up in an underpass is especially effective, and there’s a real sense of panic to the city’s realisation that it’s under attack. But if the film acknowledges the increased plausibility of such violence, it’s only to exploit the audience’s anxieties. If the series’ reactionary spite is indulged here more than even, so is its sappy sentimentality: national meltdown, it insists, is a mere trifle next to a father’s violent love for his daughter.

Author: Ben Walters 2007-07-02 14:39:48

Time Out London Issue 1924: July 4-10 2007

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User reviews of this film

Craig said...

Posted on Jul 08 2007 08:41 I'm disgust that someone would refer to film as sh*t. It is an action pack film with non stop action... Furthermore, it provides a forum for humour. This is not a brain challenging film but surely one to watch... The scream effects are great. Go watch the film. It wont exercise your brain but surely stretches your imagination. You'll ask yourself - in reality could that happen, can a hacker really do that?

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adam said...

Posted on Jul 07 2007 17:40 This film is a must see. 1 of the best i have seen this year. Fantastic from start to finish, with none stop action.
10 out of 10, up there with the first 2 films.

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Kate said...

Posted on Jul 07 2007 13:19 My boyfriend and I both agree that this Die Hard is the best since the first one. Still not as good as the first one, but it surely is close to it. A must see.

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Gary said...

Posted on Jul 06 2007 19:33 Poor, CGI, I hate it, it looks so false. There was a reason the first Die Hard was an 18, and the best of the lot. It's brutal and in your face and it's a factastic film. They should have stopped at the second one. Stop trying to better the best.

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Rachel said...

Posted on Jul 05 2007 21:47 I went to see it last night and I loved it. Justin Long is FAB in it :) I'm definitely seeing the movie again. And I'm abuot to go watch Dodgeball ;)

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Paul Mecock said...

Posted on Jul 05 2007 18:36 Brilliant !

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Don Kiddick said...

Posted on Jul 05 2007 18:35 Fantastic

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Toby said...

Posted on Jul 05 2007 18:02 What's happened to John McClaine? His gallows humour is snuffed out with a world-weary puff of the cheeks. The villain is irredeemably nasty, with none of the sarcasm which so brightened the dark corners of the original movie. John has become just another run of the mill super-hero in a universe full of them. He wears his vest like a cloak, He has lost that endearing vulnerability. As if to prove the point, his final act is to shoot himself in the arm and then amble away, harrumphing at himself.

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mike said...

Posted on Jul 05 2007 17:38 Fantastic! Best movie ive seen this year!!

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Clive said...

Posted on Jul 05 2007 16:33 Umm. This is mindless stuff - but real good escapism. And i swear Willis was wearing a rubber skin - because he really should have been killed 100 times over in this move lol. PS. Dont press Delete to reset your PC - it might just go BANG!!

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Phil said...

Posted on Jul 05 2007 13:53 Jippeaiyeah Schweineback. Wie erwartet ein schnörkelfreier Actionfilm mit dem Retrohelden Willis und seinem jungen Hackerfreund und neues Nerd-Rolemodel.

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Kirsty Harris said...

Posted on Jul 05 2007 10:15 This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Definately as good as the original if not maybe slightly better! A lot of subtle jokes as well as unsubtle references to the other films.
I haven't enjoyed a film as much as this in a long time.
More than makes up for the slightly disappoining 3rd installments of Pirates and Spiderman so far this year.

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LH said...

Posted on Jul 04 2007 23:12 If you want a no brainer action movie, then this is the best this year. Great couple of hours entertainment, non stop action.

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James Evans said...

Posted on Jul 04 2007 23:03 It's alright, just not a Die Hard movie. Anonymous villains, wimpy sidekick, very dodgy ADR, little wit in the script, lazy writing (it would seem McClane took some helicopter lessons during time away from the screen!) and a very poor ending. A ridiculous scene with a fighter jet (Willis is almost Bond-like in invulnerability stakes) belongs in a totally different film. Willis is still laconic, and a topsy-turvy elevator shaft scene works nicely, but when compared to the others this falls down. See it and accept that they just don't make 'em like they used to.

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BenG said...

Posted on Jul 04 2007 21:13 This is probably the best film of the year and is in my opinion the best out of the 4 die hards!!! Non stop action and great stunts put this movie up there with the best! Do not miss this!!!

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