Jostling in an unruly queue for full 30 minutes and then being told that only a few seats ‘lower down’ were available, was something I had not experienced even during my college days. So when this situation confronted me, I took it as an opportunity to add to my rather minuscule cine-going experience and grabbed whatever was on offer than to retreat empty handed. It was a seat pretty close to the screen, and amongst an assorted crowd of hardened rowdies. Never mind, I told myself.
The opening scene was already rolling when I ambled into the hall like a visually challenged Paresh Rawal, and after trampling on quite a few unhappy feet, finally managed to land myself first on somebody’s lap, and then on a precious empty seat next to him. However, the gentleman whose lap I consecrated chose to overlook my indiscretion (probably I had not hurt his anything) and stayed glued to the screen, much to my relief. Bruce Willis had made his appearance by now and was already mouthing expletives merrily, when I was briefly distracted by an SMS from The_Reviewer (who enquired how hot it was in Jaipur; to which I replied that yes, it was indeed smouldering!). During the next 2 hours or so, I got terribly busy repeatedly picking my jaw from the floor which kept dropping at fairly regular intervals. And when I was not doing that, I was having a hard time controlling my wayward eyeballs which kept popping out every now and then.
Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4)
Bruce Willis returns with a renewed twinkle in his eyes as Detective John McLane, a smartass cop who is just as deft with his ammo as he with his mouth, shooting wisecracks and profanities with equal gusto. A perfect antithesis to complex digitalisations in today’s world, Officer McLane is a nut when it comes to understanding how computerised gizmos work. He hasn’t changed much, still divorced, unable to get along with his near & dear ones (in this case, his daughter), nearly heartbroken, but more than willing all the while to whip the backsides of all those who try to cross paths with US Federal law. Of course there are a few subtle changes which only a diehard Bruce Willis fan would appreciate; his unmistakable, charming smirk which has become a little more pronounced, with a hint of Sly Stallone like crookedness at the corner of his lips, and, his willingness to wear a T shirt this time (as opposed to various states of undress Bruce used to be in earlier).
The Plot
John McLane (Bruce Willis), the quintessential NYPD cop, is at a loss to make his daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a thou-may-kiss-but-thou-shall-not-fondle-my-assets kind of lass, appreciate his fatherly concerns over dating strangers. After one such confrontation with his daughter, McLane gets a call from the FBI to apprehend and esco*t a hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) into FBI custody. As McLane is introduced to Farrell, the latter is attacked by a crack team of mercenaries sent by the baddie Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) who literally slice up his apartment within minutes. McLane somehow manages to rummage through the hell fire to save his terrified charge from being roasted live. Gabriel, driven insane by hatred towards the State, meanwhile initiates ‘Fire Sale’, a sequence of hacking programs aimed at maiming the nation’s infrastructure and economy, and it is upon McLane and Farrell to rescue the Motherland (and Lucy , whom Gabriel abducts), after liquidating Gabriel’s henchmen including his martial arts trained girlfriend Mai Lihn (Maggie Q). In the process, McLane and Farrell dodge countless bullets, and though their asses get toasted sweetly, the duo manage to cling to dear life in the midst of crumbling services like transportation, telephone network and power. After a lavish helping of absolutely stunning, adrenaline laced, out of the world action sequences, which includes McLane ramming a police car into a hovering helicopter and somehow managing to steer a rig even as he is literally shredded to smithereens by an F 35 fighter jet, they manage to trace Gabriel’s whereabouts and proceed to confront him in a deadly climax…..
Performances
Bruce Willis – He redefines action with Die Hard 4. The 52 year old veteran literally blows you away, effortlessly jumping in and out of speeding cars, hanging precariously in mid air, beating the living daylights out of the rogues with his phenomenal 10 pound punch and mouthing the choicest of profanities, maintaining his good humour all the while.
Timothy Olyphant – Ever since the portrayal of Le Chiffre by Mads Mikkelson in Casino Royale, the trend it seems is to project baddies as suave, smooth talking and outwardly calm personalities who only throw things off their tables in fits of anger. Olyphant’s characterisation of Gabriel, an IT geek himself, is apt – smart computer professionals are not supposed to wear ringlets in ears and sport outrageous tattoes over their biceps.
Justin Long – Fits the bill perfectly as Farrell, a young hacker who unwittingly gets sucked into the drama, just because he unknowingly wrote a hacking sequence of the Fire Sale. The lad seems pretty obfuscated at first, getting to act beside the legendary Willis, but as the movie gets along, makes an impression of his own.
Maggie Q – Mai Lihn. Boy, she is hot. Particularly when she kicks Willis all over the place, you can’t take your eyes off her razor sculpted figure. This is without any skin show, mind you, for the total surface area of her exposed parts would be less than what is usually hidden by Mallika and Udita!
Mary Elizabeth Winstead – As Lucy Mclane, has nothing much to do except hiss occasionally at Gabriel and remind herself every now and again that though Bruce as a father is intolerable, it is he and only he who would finally extricate her from the clutches of her captor.
It was funny to watch
The whole of US of A plunged into darkness in an age where they are talking of setting up malls on Mars. Guess why no one sells APC inverters there???
An F35 jet having a tough time targeting a mammoth rig. It’s missiles hit everything except the rig. Wonder how such nincompoops dominated in Iraq and Serbia???
How swiftly the hackers typed out complex sequences in no time. It that really how nerds usually work? Typing speed – 3, 86, 000 cps, no typo errors. Remarkable.
Officials from the White House kickbutted by the FBI. Is it a regular phenomenon?
Value adds - *Trailer of Sivaji – the Boss. Aah…how I long to see Rajni in Die Hard 5.
Verdict – Must watch on this weekend. Looking at what you are supposed to expect from a Die Hard movie, this has all the essentials. John McLane pummels a bunch of armed-to-the-teeth baddies. Able sidekick who adds comic relief and keeps you absorbed. An insane rogue who pushes McLane to his limits. Bruce Willis battered, bruised and soaked in blood by the end. Eye popping action sequences with a nail biting finish. If you’re a fan of Bruce and DH, this movie will just blow you away. Go ahead and reserve a seat in advance so that you wont have to jostle like me at the box office.