Duro de matar 4.0

Well, I must admit that I am rather impressed that the "Die Hard" franchise can remain this exciting and entertaining four movies into the franchise.

Initially I found the plot of the 2007 movie "Live Free or Die Hard" from writers Mark Bomback and David Marconi a bit off-putting, given the thematic cyberterrorism that the movie revolved around. But it grew on me and I came to like it as director Len Wiseman managed to put out a movie that was every bit up to speed with the previous three movies.

There is as much action and excitement in "Live Free or Die Hard" as there was in every previous installment in the franchise, so if you enjoyed any of the previous movies, you will also enjoy this 2007 movie.

"Live Free or Die Hard" had a pretty impressive cast. Of course you have action star Bruce Willis returning to the John McClane character. But the movie also have talents such as Justin Long, Maggie Q, Cliff Curtis and Timothy Olyphant on the cast list. I was thrilled to see that they cast Timothy Olyphant for the villain in "Live Free or Die Hard", however he just wasn't given as much material to work with as the previous villains did in the previous 3 movies, so his character came off as being less detailed and interesting actually, which was a shame, because Olyphant is a good actor.

The storyline in "Live Free or Die Hard" deviates somewhat from the formula used on the previous three movies, for better or worse. I guess this gamble from writers Mark Bomback and David Marconi is something that you either like or dislike. Personally, I enjoyed it, as it brought some freshness to the franchise, while it kept the essence of the franchise at heart.

My rating of "Live Free or Die Hard" lands on a 7 out of 10 stars, once the dust has settled.

'Die Hard 4.0 (2007)' is enjoyable in a different way to the prior titles in the series. It's a much more glossy action flick, still fun despite being heavily watered down and featuring a protagonist who's almost indestructible. Still, it essentially captures that 'Die Hard' spirit for most of its run-time and is rather entertaining throughout. 7/10

The fourth installment of the infamous Die Hard franchise caused quite a split between the fans in terms of opinion. Many liked it, others loathed it. Here's why Live Free or Die Hard is actually a good action flick -

1. It's shot and edited very well. The man behind the camera did a great job and the film is entertaining as hell to watch because it's relentless. 2. The action. Now, many complained heavily that this movie turns John McLane into a superhero. Even though the degree of realism gets close to crossing the line sometimes, it's nothing short of pure entertainment. Every Die Hard movie broke certain conventionalities for the purpose of making a fun scene. All Die Hard movies twisted reality a little bit to spice up the action a bit. This one does have more of it, but at least for me it was awesome. Also, the stunts are amazing! Very impressive stuff! 3. Plot. Everyone runs out of ideas. Eventually, even the die hard audience of Die Hard would get tired of John McLane trying to stop baddies from breaking into a vault and stealing money. I like the idea of an old McLane being surrounded by all the technology that he doesn't understand. It also creates another difference between him and the bad guy, which adds more meaning to their rivalry. 4. The character of John McLane. Just as always, Bruce Willis is great as John McLane, it's obviously a signature role. He is just as great in this one as he was in the previous three. His witty remarks about the current situation always make you chuckle and his sarcastic attitude is always relevant.

The only thing that makes this an 8, not a 10, is the continuity errors that were painfully noticeable and lack of the bad guy on screen. Otherwise, this is the definition of an action movie done right. To me, it's not as good as 1 or 3 but better than 2.

This series has it's silly moments, but you can't deny the action. Yes, it's over the top and ridiculous, but it's fun. The villain here is pretty good, and Justin Long brings some humour to it. Even the daughter is pretty good. If they keep making these movies, I"ll keep watching them.

As a matter of fact, it was a better movie than I expected, it was a fun action movie.