A little bit of Bruce

Die Hard 4.0 (live free or Die Hard)

I truly enjoy the whole Die Hard franchise. There is something irresistible about John McClane as an action hero, almost as if he is the perfect hard arse. You would want to be friends with this man if only so you weren't his enemy.

What I love about action movies in general, and particularly in the Die Hard franchise is that McClane never dies. Doesn't matter that you've been shot, you can keep kicking on. Oh, you've been punched in the face a bunch of times, no broken nose or swelling eyes, just a little blood you're good to go. Oh, fallen from a moving vehicle, you'll be right to slide down a broken road and have a plane explode above you, toughen up. So far you've been dead three or four times - who wouldn't want that kind of stamina?

The ludicrous nature of the action hero as super human without being a superhero, creating an 'every day man' bringing down the terrorists fantasy for the viewer that is so appealing. John McClane while being freakishly unkillable is just an average man, doing his job. If his job is to survive the unsurvivable and be humble about it at the end of the day. Maybe that is what I also like about Die Hard, that McClane is so humble in his victory. His ego doesn't grow, he just gets it done. He doesn't gloat about it, and you get the feeling that he would rather not be doing any of it, but be damned if he will let the bad guys win.

4.0 is great. There are explosions and fights and everything you expect from a Die Hard movie. As the plot goes, things are a little bit more technical this time around, with some quality computer terrorism. It is as unbelievable as you'd expect, and well worth watching on DVD if you're into action movies. This film made me want to watch Die Hard with a Vengeance, and you can't get a better endorsement than that.