Die Hard 4.0 Review

After twelve long years, Bruce Willis finally returns to his cinematic roots for "Die Hard 4.0". But at 52 years of age, can Willis - and his alter ego, cranky cop John McClane - still cut it in the action stakes? The film sees McClane tasked with delivering IT geek Matt Farrell (Justin Long) to the Feds in Washington DC after someone illegally gains access to the FBI computer system. However it soon becomes apparent that this was more than a simple hack as a disgruntled former employee (Timothy Olyphant) looks to take the US back to the Stone Age by wiping out all their technology and nicking quite a chuck of cash in the process. Is there anyone who can possibly save the day? What do you think?

Mad, bad and dangerous to know, the "Die Hard" franchise has always revelled in its action and attitude and fortunately "Die Hard 4.0" has action in spades. However McClane's attitude seems a bit diluted as he stumbles from one set piece to another and it's only when the life his daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is threatened that the old John we know and love comes to the fore. Long does fairly well as McClane's foil but Olyphant's baddie is badly underwritten however his high-kicking henchwoman Maggie Q is easily the best thing about the film, especially the brutal fight which sees her and McClane trapped in a jeep at the top of a lift shaft.

There's no denying that director Len Wiseman has delivered action by the bucket load and a fair few laughs to boot, making "Die Hard 4.0" a top-notch popcorn flick. However you get the feeling that had the "Die Hard" name not bee attached to the project, then the rather pedestrian script may have struggled to get made.