DIE HARD 4.0
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD

"Yippee Ki Yay"

Asked to do a favour by his chief, John McClane (Willis) has to transport a FBI suspect to Washington DC but when Matt Farrell (Long) is attacked he realises that once again he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. As electrical systems and computer networks of the Eastern seaboard of the United States start to shut down and plunge the country into chaos, it will take an old fashioned approach to discover who is behind this techno-terrorism.

Bruce Willis returns to the franchise that made him a superstar and we should all be saying 'Yippee Ki Yay'

Back in 1988 Bruce Willis went from comedic, romantic TV star in the hit show 'Moonlighting' to one of the world's biggest action stars with one film, 'Die Hard'. This film redefined the lone warrior action genre from the muscle-bound one-man armies of Stallone, Van Damme and Schwarzenegger, into an ordinary New York police officer who was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Two more adventures followed, 'Die Hard 2: Die Harder' and 'Die Hard with a Vengeance', but Detective John McClane has been missing from the silver screen since 1995 but the good news is that he is back and he back with a bigger bang than ever.

Director Len Wiseman, best known for the 'Underworld' movies takes the essence of the what makes the series great and movies it into the new millennium. 'Die Hard 4.0' or 'Live Free or Die Hard', as it is known in North America, takes everything you loved about the series and mixes in some ultra-realistic modern visual effects and you have a 'Die Hard' that goes to the next level. The gunfights, car chases and lone warrior dramatics are all here as John McClane returns to take on a new kind of terrorist, a cyber terrorist that will bring the United States to its knees. It is old verses the new, kung fu and free running verses brute force, the 80s verses the new millennium and you can guest who wins.

Bruce Willis has always being an actor that has mixed big action flicks with smaller, character driven pieces. From 'Armageddon', 'Fifth Element', 'Tears of the Sun' to 'Sin City', 'Pulp Fiction' and 'The Sixth Sense', Willis also manages to throw in the odd comedy like 'The Whole Nine Yards' or 'The Kid' but it is the role of John McClane that will define his career. With a nostalgic wave flowing over Hollywood at the moment, the return of the lone warrior was inevitable and a welcome one. While Willis maybe older and balder, he is just as hard and just as unlucky as the man who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. This time he has to protect a computer hacker who might just be able to stop a terrorist attack on the electrical framework of America. An analogue approach in a digital world is definitely needed and of course, he takes the fight directly to people behind the attack in the only way John McClane can. This is Willis at his best and a role that clearly enjoys playing.

Supporting the star are some performances that make the movie as good as it could be. Justin Long moves from comedy to action with ease but brings some geeky comedic touches to the role of Matt Farrell, the computer hacker who might just hold the key to stopping the terrorists. Timothy Olyphant hams up the screen as the new villain of the piece Thomas Gabriel. While he might not have the same impact as Alan Rickman, but not many people can, he is evil enough to make you want to boo him every time he appears on screen. Maggie Q is beautiful and deadly as Mai Lihn, Cliff Curtis makes a believeable FBI agent and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is definitely a McClane, as John's daughter Lucy. Also look out for a scene-stealing cameo from 'Clerks' writer/director Kevin Smith.

'Die Hard 4.0' is what an action movie should be. Filled with over the top gun fights, car chases and explosions and a plot that is slightly outrageous, this is exactly what you want from an action film and especially a 'Die Hard'. This is Bruce Willis at his action best and the return of a character that you want to win. Yippee Ki Yay

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Commentary with Bruce Willis, director Len Wiseman and editor Nicholas D Toth
The star, the director and the editor provide an informative and chatty commentary about the making of 'Die Hard 4.0/Live Free or Die Hard'. The trio explain why the movie was reduced from a 'R' (15) rating to a 'PG-13' (12A) rating in the US, talking about the language they had to remove or not use, the level of violence and blood that could be used and the changes that were made to the script to compensate. The group also talk extensively about the key sequences of the movie, the return of John McClane and the legacy of the Die Hard movies. This is a good commentary that fans of the film and the franchise will enjoy.

Deleted and Extended Scenes (3.38 mins)
Entitled 'Red Bull', 'Warlock's Mom', 'Extended Warlock lair' and 'Gabriel's mimic', these deleted or extended scenes suffer from the lack of an introduction or commentary track to explain why they were removed.

Gag Reel (7.48 mins)
Watch a montage of on the set gaffs and mistakes by the cast and crew during the shooting of the film.

Music Video: Die Hard by Guyz Nite (4.30 mins)
Listen to the tribute song to the Die Hard franchise along with clips from all four movies. This song will stick in your head for a very long time.

Behind the scenes with Guyz Nite (5.47 mins)
The band talk about their album, the Internet phenomenon behind the song and how Fox got in touch with them about adding the fourth film to the song.

Coming Soon
Previews of 'Prison Break: Season 2' and '24: Season 6'

Disc 2

Analogue Hero in a Digital World: Making Die Hard 4.0 (1hr 35.27 mins)
Director Len Wiseman, stunt coordinator Brad Martin, production designer Patrick Topol, editor Nicolas De Toth, visual effects Patrick McClung, special effects Michael Meinardus, digital intermediate producer Des Corey, sound recording mixing Anna Behlmer, sound designer Cameron Frankley, composer Marco Beltrami and stars Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Maggie Q, Kevin Smith and Timothy Olyphant take you through the entire making of 'Die Hard 4.0/Live Free or Die Hard'. Split into parts entitled 'Attack of the Franchise', 'Casting and characters', 'Text and Tone', 'Unimaginable feats', 'The Cutting Room', 'Eye Candy', 'The World of D.I.', 'Sound and Fury' and 'Symphonic Boom', the extended featurettes talk about the influence of Die Hard, the character of John McClane, the evolvement of the script, the characters, stunts and the use of visual effects in the movie. This is an excellent documentary that covers every aspect of the film's production.

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother F*****! (20.41 mins)
Star Kevin Smith interviews Bruce Willis and talks extensively about the influence of the Die Hard on the action genre, the effect on Willis' career of the movies and what he thought of the franchise and the new movie. This is an excellent interview as Kevin Smith is just as much of a film fan he is a filmmaker.

Fox Movie Channel Presents 'Fox Legacy' (6.18 mins)
Tom Rothman presents a look back at the 'Die Hard' franchise, its impact on the action genre, the origins of the story and the character of John McClane.

Hacker Underworld (8.51 mins)
This featurette looks at the impact that hackers have had on the computer industry, their motivations and drive and what kind of people they are.

Homeland Security in a Cyber Age (10.00 mins)
Expects looks at the possible impact of Cyber Terrorism, the kind of organisations that could employ its methods and what repercussions it could have on us.

Matt's Pad with Justin Long (6.43 mins)
Justin Long takes you around the set, showing you his character's apartment and some of the other sets on the Fox Lot.

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Die Hard 4.0/Live Free or Die Hard' is extremely good. The two-disc set has an excellent commentary and the documentary covers everything you needed to know about the fourth film in the franchise. Add to this an excellent interview between the star, Bruce Willis and Kevin Smith and you have a package that fans will revel in and everyone else will get a lot out of. This is how DVDs should be packaged.

DVD

Die Hard

Die Hard 2: Die Harder

Die Hard with a Vengence

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2007