Die Hard 4

It’s Willis all the way!

Bruce Willis hits the silver screen in his most famous portrayal as Detective John McClane in Live Free Or Die Hard a.k.a. Die Hard 4.0, the third installment of the famous film Die Hard which grossed over $100million worldwide and made Bruce Willis a household name.

If vintage action is what you crave for in the contemporary films then Die Hard 4 is the right liquor for you. Well past his prime, buried in debts, divorced and facing aloofness from his children; Detective John McClane safeguards a local hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) who is threatened and fights cyber terrorists who plan to halt the cyber and electric operations in the entire country and toy with it. Pistols, automatic Guns, crashing cars, bomb blasts, helicopters, jets; John plays with all of them and still without a broken bone!

It hardly takes time for the electrifying action in the film to bedazzle the viewers; saving Matt from a terrorist attack gives the viewers an idea of what’s in store for the next couple of hours.

Under the direction of Len Wiseman, the film differs in direction from the first three films as there is rap music playing in the backdrop instead of the original “let it snow” used in the first three films. After some encounters with the bad guys and blowing up a couple of cars and a helicopter; which marks action and special effects at its thrilling best; the viewers get a chance to come back to their senses in intermission.

When the local police, the intelligence agency and the F.B.I. fail to teach a lesson to the notorious terrorists, John McClane takes the task himself and escapes some near-death encounters while fighting with his bare hands. Action continues in the second half of the film and the action lovers of the 80’s get old wine in a new bottle.

The morphed President(s) speech and the breakdown of The White House are the two things apart from Bruce Willis which are remarkable on screen.

When the terrorists abduct John’s grouchy daughter things get personal and can only become more Action packed. The encounter between John’s truck and a fighter jet in the climax is the crown jewel of the movie and when all the dust and smoke is cleared the bruised Bruce saves his daughter and saves America yet gain; but this time its not Christmas, its 4^th of July, the American Independence Day. In the end it may appear to be an Amitabh Bachchan Bollywood action film in which the police arrives once the hero has floored the villain.

Bruce’s patent white west is replaced by green body hugging shirt to cover his age but even at 52 Willis looks fit enough to give complex to a 20 year old in a gym and it goes without saying that he was born to do the role of Detective John McClane.

The overpowering action in the film veils your eye to find a technical flaw in the film (if there is any) but over all its well directed, edited and action is used in profusion at the right time

(You can say all the time).

If you haven’t seen the prequels to the film even then you can go for it as there is hardly any link established but once you see this, you will be raring to watch the first three action packed and equally exciting films, but be cautious to leave its after-effects in the multiplex rather than being John McClane yourself while you drive back and yell “Yippee-Ka-Yee!”