What Do The Critics Say?

"Willis' John McClane, with that sly, sideways smile, is like an old acquaintance you don't mind running into. He may be older and balder, but he's none the worse for the wear. And he can still take a punch." Stephanie Zacharek SALON.COM "Live Free or Die Hard is everything a fan of the franchise can expect, and more. The acting is satisfactory, the dialogue is decent, and the set-up is suspenseful. But it really is all about the stunts, and they do not disappoint." Staci Layne Wilson BUZZINE MAGAZINE "It will blow the popcorn box out of your hand." Nell Minow MOVIE MOM AT YAHOO!! MOVIES "It is what it is, a slick thriller loaded with over-the-top superhero action." Dennis Schwartz OZUS WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS "Hugely enjoyable action flick that delivers likeable characters, a decent plot, plenty of wisecracks and more breathtakingly ridiculous stunts than you'll know what to do with. Willis is on top wisecracking form and he's ably supported by Long, who's no slouch in the wisecracking department himself." Matthew Turner VIEWLONDON

"Willis has a firm grip on what has made his character popular for nearly two decades, and maintains a firm hand on the wheel. Like almost everything he drives, he keeps the movie airborne. Yippee-ki-yay." Bruce Newman SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS "The kind of funny, exciting, entertaining action film that 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' was supposed to be." Robert Roten LARAMIE MOVIE SCOPE "Suspenseful and rousing and rarely stopping long enough to wear out its welcome. As crowd-pleasing spectacle, "Live Free or Die Hard" fits the bill." Dustin Putman THE MOVIE BOY "He's back. The fly in the ointment. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the… timely, terrifying, and terrifically entertaining." Sean O'Connell FILMCRITIC.COM "Like last year's "Rocky Balboa", Live Free or Die Hard is far from the crass, just-for-the-money sequel it appeared to be on paper. It's a genuine blast McClane, a cynical, resourceful, working-class cop, has more depth than your typical action-flick hero: He's a real character, which is what has grounded this series in a real-world earthiness this type of blow-'em-up often lacks." Rene Rodriguez MIAMI HERALD

The Inside Story Twelve years ago fans were treated to the third Die Hard movie when action star Bruce Willis thrilled them in "Die Hard: With a Vengeance". It's been a long wait, but Bruce is back once again as Detective John McClane. And believe me the wait was worth it. So how come it took so long? "Over the years, there’d been talk about a new Die Hard picture but nothing really gelled for me until we came up with the angle of the two things most important to McClane being threatened. McClane loves his family, above all, and he despises anyone who preys on people who cannot defend themselves. This was a fresh take on the character, but it always stayed true to his nature. The stakes are higher now for McClane but he’s still the regular guy unexpectedly confronted with some very irregular circumstances," Willis says. For Willis, who has kept himself busy with a long list of films including "Hostage", "16 Blocks" and "Sin City", the stakes were high. "I'm a gambling man by nature, and I wanted to see if we could meet the challenge of creating a great story," he pointed out. "I really wanted to live up to the first Die Hard. I gave a lot of thought to that." And, while Willis's interest was aroused, he didn’t fully commit to the project until director Len Wiseman joined the project. "I love Die Hard," he recalls. "I was especially drawn to McClane’s vulnerability. He’s a guy who has been thrust into an unexpected situation, and he’s none too happy about it. Anyone can relate to that." Wiseman, while intent on Die Hard 4 staying true to John McClane, worked with Willis and screenwriter Bomback to create additional nuances for the character. "I wanted to explore another level of McClane as he faces new challenges," says the director. "How would he react if his daughter is threatened? What kind of effect does being a hero, even a reluctant one, have on your family and relationships? In this film, McClane is out of his element more than evers. This is the ultimate McClane-esque scenario because he’s an old-school cop who finds himself up against a new kind of tech-savvy villain." So with the passing of time, has McClane changed much? "We don’t pretend that McClane is the same guy he was in the original Die Hard," Willis says. "Obviously, he’s older. His daughter Lucy, whom we met as a child in the first film, is now a college student. He’s more weary and cynical. But it’s important to note that McClane has never seen himself as an action hero." Willis and Wiseman helped Bomback’s to a grittier screenplay. The action is much more in your face, and the time frame more compressed. "It really became visceral, stunt-driven and real," says Bomback. "Anything that could go wrong for McClane did go wrong. We were always thinking of new ways to complicate McClane’s life by putting him in seemingly impossible situations. Of course, then we had to figure out how to get him out of it." "In a way, McClane is another version of Bruce. There’s no one else who could play that part. During our script meetings Bruce would say something like, 'I don’t think McClane would say that; he might say this.' And then we’d suddenly realize that Bruce’s idea was more appropriate to the character and to a Die Hard film," notes Bomback. And they did have the fans in mind." I thought about the kind of situations we could put McClane in, that I would want to see as a fan," Wiseman explained. "And we came up with some wild stuff; McClane-esque action that was real, gritty and bare-bones." During production, Wiseman worked closely with stunt coordinator Brad Martin ("S.W.A.T." & "Dawn Of The Dead") and special effects supervisor Mike Meinardus ("Rush Hour 2" & "Starsky and Hutch") to create the action. "Len’s mandate was that if a stunt could be done practically, without computer generated imagery, that’s how he wanted it done," says Martin. Die Hard 4 is a very physical film, so how did Willis prepare himself. "This is a Die Hard film, which means that McClane is put through the wringer," Willis points out. "I wanted McClane to look like he could still take whatever’s thrown at him, so I underwent a rigorous training regimen for several months prior to the start of production. McClane’s older and so am I, and that was part of the fun of returning to the character. But I also realized there is a benefit to getting older. You pay attention, and you acquire some wisdom." Wiseman recalls Willis saying "You know, we really have to beat the crap out of me in this scene." Many of the film’s explosive reality-based action scenes take place on enormous, stylized sets created by production designer Patrick Tatopoulos. "Production design is more than creating a space," explains Tatopoulos. "It’s thinking about how to make the action work in that space. It’s more like delivering a tool,a playground for people to work with. I’m a big fan of practical sets. I like to build things." And as you'd expect, the old McClane humour is there. "Bruce is a regular guy from New Jersey who tells and laughs at silly jokes, and likes nothing more than being with his family," says Bomback. "Those qualities are what make Bruce, and McClane, so likable." Much of the humor stems from the counterpoint of McClane’s old-school ways and Gabriel’s modern methods. "The digital world has kind of left him by," says Willis. "We didn’t want to suddenly make McClane computer-savvy and be able to stop Gabriel and hack into satellites. McClane wouldn’t know how to do that. So we have some fun putting him in situations he doesn’t understand, and pitting him against a bad guy using tools and methods McClane’s completely unfamiliar with." Justin Long, the young star of such films as Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Galaxy Quest was cast as the tech-savvy hacker, Matt Farrell. "Matt’s a fun foil for McClane," notes Long. "He’s very different from McClane’s 'partners' in the previous Die Hard films; he’s not a cop or a streetwise guy. Matt’s a man of technology, while McClane’s a man of action. A lot of fun comes from their interaction. Matt’s definitely not physical. How could he be? He’s obsessed with his computer and never leaves home." Maggie Q, who starred role in Mission: Impossible III was cast as Mai. "Mai is more physical than anything else," says Maggie. "She’s quick, savvy and lethal. McClane has his old-school fighting techniques, and Mai has her new combat methods. It makes for an interesting dynamic." The role of Mai’s boss, Gabriel, went to Timothy Olyphant. He works more with his brain than with brawn. "Gabriel is capable of certain methods that McClane is unable to foresee because they’re out of his realm of experience," Olyphant explained. Like most memorable cinema villains, Gabriel is charismatic, charming, brilliant and intense; a combination of qualities that made the character challenging to cast. "Gabriel is brilliant and sophisticated, but at the same time he often seems like he’s on the verge of snapping because he takes things way too far. And Tim has that quality about him," Wiseman says. The film also introduces audiences to a grown-up Lucy McClane, played by actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead. "She’s feisty with a lot of the McClane spirit and toughness," says Winstead. "When the story begins, Lucy’s relationship with her father is strained because he was absent from most of her young life. Of course, everything changes when Lucy is threatened by Gabriel." Kevin Smith ("Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back") plays the role of the master hacker known as 'Warlock'. "I didn’t shoot a Die Hard movie in high school, like Len did," says Smith, "but I did host a viewing party of the film when it came out on VHS. I was fascinated by how real McClane was; that he was one of the first action heroes to actually appear damaged by the adventure he’d just undertaken." Like all Die Hard films there are many exciting stunts, scenes and nailbiting action. It's hard to imagine how they couldn't have had fun making the fourth edition. "On a given day, there’d be a Harrier Jet under construction, freeway sections we were building, a forty-foot trailer suspended in the sky; and four cranes poised to capture the day’s action," Len Wiseman remebered. "I’d walk out on the set, look around, and think, 'This is a pretty cool job'. And a far cry from my backyard in Fremont!" Synopsis

It’s the beginning of the holiday, but New York City Detective McClane isn’t celebrating. He’s had yet another argument with his college-age daughter Lucy, and received a crushingly routine assignment to bring in a young hacker, Matt Farrell, for questioning by the FBI. But for McClane, the ordinary has a habit of exploding into the extraordinary, abruptly hurtling him into the wrong place at the wrong time. On the Fourth of July weekend, an attack on the vulnerable United States infrastructure begins to shut down the entire nation. The mystery figure behind the scheme has figured out every modern angle. But he never figured on McClane, the old-school "analog" fly in the "digital" ointment. With Farrell’s help, McClane slowly begins to understand the increasing chaos surrounding him. An attack is underway on the vulnerable United States infrastructure, shutting down the entire nation. The man behind the scheme, Thomas Gabriel, manages to stay several moves ahead of McClane, implementing his incredible plan, known to uber-geeks like Farrell as a 'fire sale'. When Gabriel kidnaps McClane's daughter Lucy, it suddenly becomes personal.

The Verdict "The long wait is over and after seeing Willis in action once again as John McClane, fans will be hoping he has another one left in him. Loaded with action, humour, sensational sets, stunts and SFX, "Die Hard 4" is pure escapism. Willis is sensational as action hero McClane and has carved a niche in cinema history with a fourth edition. It all moves along at a cracking pace, pausing only long enough for audiences to get their breath back. Justin Long, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Timothy Olyphant, Maggie Q and Cliff Curtis provide excellent support for Willis. Len Wiseman's direction ensures this is a quality production. If you love action films, don't miss "Die Hard 4". Very recommended. 4 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "DIE HARD 4" stars .......
Bruce Willis ["Hart's War", "The Wrong Man", "16 Blocks" and "Fast Food Nation"]; Justin Long ["Waiting", "Herbie Fully Loaded" and "Accepted"]; Timothy Olyphant ["Gone in Sixty Seconds", "The Safety Of Objects" and "The Girl Next Door"]; Maggie Q ["Rush Hour 2", "House of Harmony" and "Mission: Impossible III"]; Cliff Curtis ["Whale Rider", "Runaway Jury", "Sunshine" and "Fracture"]; Kevin Smith ["Clerks", "Dogma", "Daredevil" and "Clerks II"] and Mary Elizabeth Winstead ["The Long Road Home", "Ring 2", "Final Destination 3" and "Bobby"] as Lucy McClane.
"DIE HARD 4" was .......
directed by Len Wiseman ["Underworld" and "Underworld: Evolution"]; screenplay by Mark Bomback ["The Night Caller" and "Godsend"]; costume design by Denise Wingate ["Cruel Intentions", "The Sweetest thing", "Paparazzi" and "Wedding Crashers"]; production design by Patrick Tatopoulos ["Independence Day", "Dark City", "I, Robot" and "Underworld: Evolution"]; edited by Nicolas De Toth ["Bicentennial Man", "The Sum Of All Fears", "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "Underworld: Evolution"]; director of photography Simon Duggan ["Risk", "Garage Days", "I, Robot" and "Underworld: Evolution"]; original music by Marco Beltrami ["Resident Evil", "Flight of the Phoenix", "Red Eye" and "Underworld: Evolution"]. Who's Who?

Bruce Willis Justin Long Mary Elizabeth Winstead Timothy Olyphant Maggie Q Cliff Curtis Jonathan Sadowski Andrew Friedman Kevin Smith Yorgo Constantine Cyril Raffaelli Chris Palermo Sung Kang Seljko Ivanek Christina Chang Jake McDorman

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John McClane Matt Farrell Lucy McClane Thomas Gabriel Mai Lihn Bowman Trey Casper Warlock Russo Rand Del Raj Molina Taylor Jim

Run Time 130 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - 20th Century Fox - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.