Live Free or Die Hard

Bruce Willis is back doing what he does best. Kicking ass. The fourth movie in the Die Hard series is actually quite good! Good casting and an intelligible plot line make for a very enjoyable movie going experience. The movie is of course not without its flaws, making minor technical errors and adding several super human stunt scenes, but overall the story is true to the original Die Hard style.

The script works very well and makes numerous references to the previous films, but none of it feels forced or out of place. The relationship between Bruce Willis and Justin Long feels natural and the banter they exchange throughout the film gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.

The villains seemed very one dimensional, but I believe this is because they did not receive nearly enough time on camera. Timothy Olyphant and Maggie Q both played very believable baddies, but we didn't see enough of them to care at all about them.

Kevin Smith's appearance in the movie was a wonderful break from all of the craziness and his character worked because it felt like he was playing himself... or some hysterical part of himself he doesn't show often in movies.

The subtle things in this movie are what make it so great. The "Yippie Kay Aye" moment is the best one yet. Periodic discussions about "The Warlock" and jokes about Fire Sales kept me laughing the whole way through. The use of the environment in action sequences and the attention to detail (wow they reloaded their guns!) made me enjoy everything with a bit more ease.

I fear this movie will be overlooked by many who think it's "just another Die Hard flick," when in reality it is one of the best action movies in recent years which raises the bar a few more notches... just like the original did when it came out.