I almost gave into “Transformer” after hearing some surprisingly interesting comments from people around me. Lora, for instance, loves the exciting plot, special effects, and the romance subplot. Another guy friend of mine loves the hot chick inside the movie. Fortunately, Tong Kiat has watched that, did not like it (for example, he cannot tell the good machines from the bad ones during the battle and he blames the … special effects), and when I suggested “Die Hard 4.0”, everybody leaped in joy.
“Die Hard” and I have gone a long way. Though I can’t quite remember where I watched “Die Hard” (1998), I remember vividly where and when I watched “Die Hard 2” (1990). I was just 24 hours away from boarding the plane to fly from London to Hong Kong and I wanted to try something different. I wanted to stay awake the whole night so that I would be able to sleep throughout the flight and wake up fresh in Hong Kong (that did not work). My friends whom let me stay at their apartment back then gamed for this crazy idea of mine and they have rented – on top of many other things – “Die Hard 2”.
I am not sure how many of you remember the plot of “Die Hard 2”. It was about terrorists taking over the entire airport and threatened to crash all the planes until their demands were met. Not exactly the kind of movie to watch just hours before boarding a plane (perhaps that was why I couldn’t sleep on the plane?). In the first “Die Hard” installment, John McClain’s (“Bruce Willis”) wife was stuck in a high-rise that terrorists took over, in “Die Hard 2”, his wife was amongst one of the planes circling above the airport under siege.
Since when action films make logical sense? Just when you thought John’s wife would be loving him for life after these two life changing events, in “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” (1995), their marriage was at the bleak of divorce. John McClain has become an alcoholic under suspension from service. The plot began with a bomb explosion with the man called “Simon” involving John McClain for all his bomb detonation games (and of course that racist sign John has to wear in Harlem when he met Zeus played by “Samuel L. Jackson”).
Almost 20 years have passed since “Die Hard” was released that shot Bruce Willis to stardom. I have to say, Bruce doesn’t seem to age a bit. At 52, he still looks amazingly agile and I think it all comes down to the “cool factor” he has. If the success measurements of an action film are the variety of parties in pursuit, the explosion, the tight plot, and a sense of humor, “Die Hard 4.0” has scored high in my book. Many people enjoy and amuse at how indestructible John McClain is (hence the franchise title, “Die Hard”). To me, it is how straightforward John McClain is (he doesn’t plan, he has an idea and execute it) and how he gets the kick of the entire execution and is actually enjoying doing it. A man with no perceived fear. That spirit of directness and self-enjoyment is what I enjoy watching installments after installments.
I have watched quite a few movies that try to tackle the theme cyberspace. It either over simplifies what lies within – like hacking into an account with a guessed password at first attempt or by typing something as silly as “hack this account” – or portraits geeks as someone who type really fast in front of multiple screens. “Die Hard 4.0” tackles the topic of cyber-criminology (hence the version number “4.0”) and while there are still rooms for improvement, it does strike a good balance between what may satisfy those who are computer savvy and a good sense of entertainment. So it comes with no surprise that in this installment, John McClain’s partner is a geek named Matt Farrell (played by “Justin Long”) who has decent acting skills. Since John is now officially divorced, his long time wife Holly is out of the picture and into the picture is John’s daughter Lucy McClane (played by “Mary Elizabeth Winstead”). After the movie, I asked Cynthia if she remembered which movies have “Mary Elizabeth Winstead” acted in as I did seem to have some vague ideas. Turns out that Winstead has also acted in “Death Proof”, which we have watched recently.
All three of us from Movie Review Squad love “Die Hard 4.0”. If you are into the genre of action or you have already seen some of the previous installments, you really should not miss this one. Try not to think too hard (though I must say there are parts of the plot that don’t quite make sense to me) and you will certainly get entertained.
An after thought: How could I possibly forget to mention the “Mission Impossible: III” girl Maggie Q? Okay, I think she has played her role well and I can understand why some guys are crazy over her. For “Die Hard 4.0”, Bruce Willis is my hero. Make no mistake.