Die Hard 4: Live Free or Die Hard… summer blockbuster #2 off my list and I have to say I was quite happy with what I saw.
At this point, Die Hard doesn’t really require a lot of explaining or character development. We know who the major player is and the main objective of the movie is pretty clear… John McLane must hurt / maim / kill as many bad guys as needed to save the day, and destroy as much property as humanly possible while doing it.
This time around McLane must stop some hackers from spreading panic and terror using the computer networks that control every aspect of our lives. Communications, utilities, and transportation all get taken down in an effort to paralyze the nation, and John is there to try and stop them every step of the way. He picks up a partner (the “I’m a Mac” guy), works with the FBI, and doesn’t seem to follow any sort of standard police protocols in the process of trying to complete his mission. I have to say that when we were walking out I didn’t overhear anyone say they were upset he didn’t read anyone their rights. 
The only fear I had coming in to this movie was that Bruce Willis wouldn’t be able to shake off the stink of a couple recent movies he did where he seemed to be nothing but a tired old man that wanted to cry a lot instead of leaping head first into dangerous situations. Of course, I am referring to those awful and annoying yawn fests Hostage and 16 Blocks, and not Sin City or Lucky Number Slevin… both fantastic, and if you haven’t seen them I can only say shame on you.
It turns out that I shouldn’t have been worried at all. As the movie progresses through its 2 hour and 10 minute run time, McLane leads us through some expected unrealistic parts, a lot of wholesome violence, and of course… the one liners are dropped on a regular basis. Without going in to details, the trailer barely scratches the surface of what this movie has to offer.
What is their nefarious plan? Will John McLane save the day? How many times will he get shot at or beaten up? I guess you’ll just have to go watch to find out. 
Much like I have said to people about Rocky Balboa, this movie is a fitting end to a solid movie franchise. I will definitely be purchasing it at some point and if somebody needs a person to go see this, give me a call. I’m just upset we didn’t get to see Reginald VelJohnson make a final appearance to praise the virtues of another snack cake to fill some time before more bad guys got killed. 
9/10 – a rock solid action movie that lived up to my expectations.