WordSlinger's Review

Summary - Really Great 4.5

Quite frankly, the best Die Hard since the original. The overall quality of this film is surely due to the long gap between it and the third film and that it was not rushed to theaters. The story is unique for the series, but still has some throwbacks to the original, something fans are sure to appreciate. It shows how the series has adapted to the modern world. Skeptics who thought Willis could not bring John McClane back in style were hugely mistaken. Taken with a grain of salt, this movie is one heck of a fun ride all the way through.

Acting - Really Great 4.5

Willis, to his credit, again carries the film. All the while, he and his character both seem fully aware of the absurd circumstance of the film and several of his smaller comments seem to be his way of saying to the audience “I know…”

Justin Long is a bit annoying, as he again plays the same character he has started to become typecast in, a smug little punk. Fortunately, his attitude is checked at every stop by McClaine, and it becomes clear throughout the film that both character have a bit to learn about the way the modern world works, but in different ways.

Film - Great 4.0

Edge - Horrid 4.0

The only film in the series with a PG-13 rating, the language is actually really toned down from the previous films, and it’s not really noticeable. A lot of people were upset that McClane’s signature “Yippi-ki-yay” line was muted out by gunfire this time around, but given the circumstances, it works really well. And… the DVD release feature an “unrated” version of the film with all the cursing thrown back in.

The violence is about par for the course for a Die Hard film, minus some of the blood splatter found in the first three films. Again, it’s not really noticeable unless you’re trying to make a direct comparison between the films.

Reality - Surreal 2.4

A majority of the events in the film “could” happen, but only in the sense that they are technically physical possibilities. Most of the events are fairly absurd, yet perfectly offset by Willis’ commentary on them. Some critics have complained that in the previous films McClane was just an average guy but in this film he seems like a supercop, but I have to ask what makes them think that. He takes out a jumbo jet with a zippo lighter in the second film, and a helicopter with a six-shooter in the third. In comparison, the stunts he pulls in part four are pretty comparable.

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