Die Hard 4: Live Free or Die Hard (2007, DVD)

"Live Free or Die Hard" is the viscerally adrenaline-charged action-fueled new installment of the "Die Hard Saga".
"A Timex Watch in a Digital Age," sneers Villain Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) of NYPD Cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) in 'Live Free or Die Hard', the exhilarating fourth installment in the "Die Hard" Series.
The first since 1995's 'Die Hard: With a Vengeance'. Willis was 40yrs old then; past 50yrs old now, the only thing he has lost is the rest of his hair. And Gabriel is right, McClane is a relic from an Analog World; yet he also forgets the Timex slogan: "It takes a licking but keeps on ticking", and so—gloriously—does McClane.
McClane remains the resolutely retro flatfoot Warrior, but Mark Bomback's screenplay reflects our Post 9/11, Post-Katrina Age where official response in a genuine crisis is assumed to be incompetent and paranoia is a reasonable emotion.
It is not that FBI Deputy Director Bowman (Cliff Curtis) and his men are incapable of doing their jobs, but when an anthrax scare, a transportation meltdown, and stock market crisis occur simultaneously, they are overwhelmed. Luckily, McClane just happens to be on the way, escorting hacking suspect Matt Farrell (Justin Long) to Washington. He already knows something's up, because somebody's trying hard to kill the kid. Matt himself turns out to be useful when he is able to diagnose the crisis as a "Fire Sale," a kind of virtual Armageddon where cyber vandals attack transportation, financial systems, and utilities.
Olyphant as the spurned Former Fed turned Terrorist who nurses an operatic dream of revenge holds the panache of such memorable 'Die Hard' bad boys as Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons.
Willis' return to the character is certainly a welcome one. This is a role he was born to play, the acerbic working stiff who freely admits fear to Matt while never blinking once the guns start blazing or stuff starts blowing up around him. He is also a throwback to the "Classic Lone Hero"; a Gary Cooper or John Wayne for the Modern Era, possessing the same sense of decency but with snappier banter.
As appealing as the characters are, it's 'Action' that propels the 'Die Hard' Movies and Director Len Wiseman does not skimp at all in that department. From the explosive opening minutes straight through to the climax, there is little pause between the gun battles, chase scenes, car crashes, and explosions. There are more pyrotechnics in this movie than in the average Fourth of July fireworks display and while there are impressive instances of CGI—including one setup involving a jet, a big rig, and an elevated roadway — many of the more arresting sequences involve old-fashioned stunt work.
There is a welcome human element to this adventure that is missing from so many other action movies now where you are always aware that what we are watching is an actor in front of a green screen. Here, McClane takes a long fall to the pavement, the meeting between body and ground is so visceral that you wince. When he bleeds, you believe it.
Sequels can be such a crap shoot. This summer's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" was a demonstrated success, while "Evan Almighty" was a massive flop. But Willis, in gambling that he could successfully revisit the character that made him a True Hero rolls "All Sevens".
This is action at its most entertaining and proof that there is a lot of life left in this franchise.
"Live Free Die Hard" is a 150% SUCCESS !!!!
Long Live McClane !