Users Picks DVD Releases Release Schedule Reviews Smartcine Picks Classics Home DVD REVIEW: LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (DIE HARD 4) 11/16/07 FILM REVIEW: “Did you see that? Yeah I saw it, I did it!” Yes John McClane, you certainly did. Bruce Willis is the man . . . once again. It’s not everyday you see a fourth issue of a movie series be as good as the first. This one is a lock for nominee in that category. For the die hard “Die Hard” fans (sorry I couldn’t resist) you will not be disappointed. This one was just as fun, action packed, and edge of your seat film entertainment as the first or any of them for that matter. For those that are new to the story, welcome aboard one of the best rides of your life. You’ll want more, and lucky for you, there are 3 more to chose from. Why not just start from the beginning and see them all. You will then know why John McClane is one of America’s favorite heroes. Let’s recap, shall we . . . first it was a building, then an airport, then the city of New York, so obviously the next adventure would involve the whole country, right? Right! As tacky as that may sound, they pulled it off. “They” being Mark Bomback with the screenplay and story, and director Len Wiseman from the Underworld duo. They have brought to the big screen what I have to consider to be the most elaborate and cyber world devastating terrorist attack ever filmed. They were hacking into everything that really mattered to the modern American way of life. It was up to old school NYPD detective John McClane to use his “analog” ways to stop this digital crime. Trying not to be redundant, but yeah, Bruce Willis is the man. It is a treat for moviegoers that he, once again, has filled the shoes of the role that pushed him over the top. He does it with just as much fervor as he did almost 20 years ago on the first one. Some actors can play villains like it was second nature to them. Timothy Olyphant is one of those actors and this time he plays Thomas Gabriel, the cold and intimidating mastermind of the terrorist attack. His second in command, Mai Lihn (Maggie Q), can kick some serious butt. How John deals with her is one for the ages. Justin Long, Mr. “I’m a Mac”, is perfectly casted as John’s inevitable sidekick, Matt Farrell, who is a top notch hacker. Some Justins are doing very well for themselves lately. Kevin Smith as Warlock, has a knack for nailing these small but important roles. I was most impressed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lucy McClane. In one word, tough, as John McClane’s daughter should be. Even though the story line was a bit exaggerated, all the Die Hards are. That’s what makes it more fun. The bonus is the how they make the exaggeration look so realistic. The dialogue was quick, witty, and efficient as the franchise would require. The cinematography was eye-popping. They didn’t skip a beat in covering all the action and some camera shots were unlike anything I’ve ever seen. On a personal note, the first Die Hard was the very first movie I went to see by myself. On a weekday morning in the Summer of ‘88, I sat in a theater with only about 3 other people and watched a movie that truly had me on the edge of my seat the majority of the time. It’s really special to rekindle those feelings. Action movie fans, this is a must see.   The single disk version of this film only contains the commentaries by Len  Wiseman and Bruce Willis as well as the music video “Die Hard” by Guyz Nite . If you want to get the bonus features, you will need to get the Two-Disc “Unrated” Special Edition or Blu-Ray. The Two-Disc "Unrated" Special Edition was used to create this review VIDEO: Anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1 aspect ratio) AUDIO: English 5.1 Dolby Digital  / French Dolby Surround audio Subtitles - English, Spanish, French   BONUS FEATURES: Commentary by Bruce Willis, Director Len Wiseman and Editor Nicolas De Toth Analog Hero in a Digital World: Making of Live Free or Die Hard documentary An outstanding one hour and 23 minutes documentary divided into ten sections, covering every single detail on how the film came to live. From special effects to cast selection. Easily the best feature of the DVD,  A must see for true fans of the franchise. Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother F*****! - One-on-One Conversation with Bruce Willis & Kevin Smith (23 minutes). Family Bonds: The Making of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer documentary: This is probably the best feature of the DVD. This feature is divided in two parts "Pre Production" and  "Production" running around 46 minutes. Fans will find a lot of details on how the film came to life.  Music Video - “Die Hard” by Guyz Nite Behind-the-Scenes with Guyz Nite A nice short documentary about the Guys Nite. They talk about how the band was created (5:48) Fox Movie Channel Presents Fox Legacy: Tom Rothman talk about the Die Hard franchise (6:20). Theatrical Trailers RATING BREAK DOWN: FILM REVIEW VIDEO AUDIO BONUS FEATURES   Film Review By Cine Marcos  cinemarcos@smartcine.com Submit Your Movie Review  Name: Movie:   Rating: None 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Review:   MORE MOVIE REVIEWS >>> SMARTCINE.COM Director: Len Wiseman Writer:  Mark Bomback Genre:  Action Thriller Duration: 2hr 8mins Staring:  Bruce Willis                  Justin Long                  Maggie Q                  Timothy Olyphant                  Mary Elizabeth Winstead                  Jonathan Sadowski Producer:  Michael Fottrell                      John McTiernan                      Arnold Rifkin                      Bruce Willis Distributor: 20TH CENTURY FOX    Rating:  PG-13 / Unrated Release Date: June 27, 2007  OFFICIAL WEBSITE View trailer BUY THE DVD SINGLE DISK DVD 2 DISK DVD BLU-RAY   Home | DVD | Advertising |  Press Kits submissions | Publishing All movie titles, pictures, etc... are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective holders Copyright ©2007 The Entertainment Report Group