Die Hard 4.0 – Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

Directed by: Len Wiseman | 127 minutes | action, thriller, adventure | Actors: Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Maggie Q, Justin Long, Jeffrey Wright, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kevin Smith, Tim Russ, Jonathan Sadowski, Yancey Arias, Cyril Raffaelli, Allen Maldonado, Jack van Landingham, Yorgo Constantine, Chris O’Brocki , Chris Palermo

NYPD Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) waits for his daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to talk to her at her house, but she doesn’t want to hear from him. She is so fed up with her father that she would rather use her mother’s last name than call herself McClane. Her mother had already done something similar in ‘Die Hard’ (1988) during a marital crisis. Disappointed, McClane gets into his official car to drive home, but even though it’s 3 a.m., he gets a call to transport a “former” hacker from Camden, New Jersey to Washington DC. A simple job for an experienced detective.

The job is, of course, anything but simple. Someone wants to kill computer security expert Matt Farrell (Justin Long) at all costs and is not afraid of violence. Like some fellow hackers, Matt thought he was entering a competition for computer experts, but in doing so inadvertently helped an international terrorist gang. The other hackers have all been killed. Matt turns out to be the last living person who is aware of the so-called competition and thus forms an obstacle. During their drive to Washington DC, computer outages across the country are causing traffic chaos on the roads, civil air traffic has come to a standstill and the railroads are paralyzed. When the financial world is also disrupted by a similar computer failure, Matt recognizes ‘Fire sale’, a three-step plan notorious among hackers to digitally flatten the entire country and thus create an unprecedented chaos. The last step is to stop the supply of water, gas and electricity.

As if that utter chaos wasn’t enough, McClane and Matt must battle an adversary who seems to be everywhere and who seems to know everything. Yes, nice to see that old, but still sexy Bruce Willis shine again as an action hero. Just like in the previous ‘Die Hard’ films, he also ends up battered and bloodied in ‘Die Hard 4.0’ after the necessary falls, improbable stunts and other perils. And like a true hero, he always has spare ammunition on hand, even if he no longer has a place on his body or in his clothing to hide it. Competition for the witty one-liners he patents comes from film daughter Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who lets the dry jokes roll out of her mouth as naturally as he does. A real chip off the block. Maggie Q also plays the role as the beautiful, ruthless fighting machine that is also super intelligent.

Hacker Matt Farrell’s digital wizardry combined with John McClane’s old-fashioned throwing and throwing works very well. Particularly funny is the compilation of speeches by various American presidents, which have been edited in such a way that the terrorists can spread their message on television without exposing themselves. A modern take on the old-fashioned anonymous message with letters cut from newspapers and magazines. ‘Die Hard 4.0’ (‘Live Free or Die Hard’) is a good episode from the ‘Die Hard’ series that definitely leaves you wanting more. Lots of spectacular action, dry humor, advanced high-tech crime and all that beautifully filmed in beautifully muted tones. Very exciting and fun.