The most fun you can have in the dark with your clothes on

The original Die Hard movie still stands as one of the most compelling, entertaining and perfectly realized action films of all time, and after seeing the fourth installment in the franchise today, I am thrilled to report that in its own way, Live Free Or Die Hard is just as good as the original.

Nobody understands the art of movie making better than Bruce Willis - how at the heart of any film, including an action film, there has to be a character whom audiences can relate to and sympathize with, not just yer basic bulked-outa-proportion megaman who offers nothing more than grunts and groans (although Willis can grunt and groan with the best of 'em). His John McClane rings true, plain and simple; no matter how outrageous the action becomes, you still can feel the heart of a genuine human being beating underneath there. And his sense of humor? Fuggedaboudit. Nobody can deliver a sarcastic sly remark better than Willis, and he gets a chance to do that a lot in this film - the hilarious one liners fly fast and furious. It's when McClane stops making jokes that you know he's going ultra-serious, and that's when the real fun begins.

The remaining casting here is perfect across the board, as well. Timothy Olyphant is completely believable as the villain, Maggie Q. is great as the second most major physical bad ass in the movie, Justin Long grows on ya as McClane's reluctant sidekick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is totally captivating as McClane's daughter Lucy, and writer/director Kevin Smith rocks as the ultimate computer hacker, Warlock, whose frequency is, of course, 66.6. Worked for me.