Yipee-Ki-Yay Mother*bleep*fu*bleep*kr

"That Maggie Q sure looks hot..."
"Shut up chrome dome... she goes for younger guys!"

Yes!!!! *bleep* John Mc*bleep*Clane is back! Our erst*bleep*while wrong-place-at-the*bleep*-wrong-time *bleep* NYC cop is once again *bleep* thrust into a *bleep* situation where he's up against... *bleep*... HEY!!! waittaminit....

Okay... I think I got it under control now, (just remembered that this was a PG-13 flick, read: no F-Bombs!) .... okay, where was I? Oh right...

John McClane IS back and he's still the king of the wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time scenario. Director Len Wiseman (of the recent "Underworld" series) brings our favorite tough-as-nails NYC cop into the millenium by pitting him against a group of cyber-terrorists bent on taking the country hostage through a series of internet-based attacks aimed at crippling the computer and technological capabilities of the good 'ol US of A.

Bruce Willis reprises his role as John McClane, ever wise-cracking cop who has a knack for really bad timing. This time however, he is joined by Justin Long (Dodgeball, Waiting) who plays Matt Farrell, a whiz kid hacker who just might be the key in pulling the curtains down on the bad guys. McClane's daughter Lucy also makes an appearance in this installment; played by a very hot Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Sky High), finally we get to see if the apple falls far from the tree. The cast is rounded off by Thomas Gabriel as played by Timothy Olyphant (Seth Bullock of Deadwood fame) along with his trusted aide Mai Lihn played by the ever magnificent Maggie Q (Mission Impossible 3) as the cyber terrorist baddies hell bent on bringing America's Internet and Telecommunications capabilities to its knees.

Lets get to the nitty gritty people... this is not a "thinking" movie; lets get that out of the way right off the bat. The Die Hard series wasnt known for having oscar-worthy plot material. The script has so many holes that it could be mistaken for swiss cheese. But then again, like a lot of fans out there, from time to time... I get that strong craving for cheese and that it dont matter if it's riddled with holes or not.

But holes it does have. First off, although Maggie Q was a joy to watch on-screen, her partner Timothy Olyphant somewhat fell short of my expectations for a Die Hard villain. It might be a typical case of mis-casting but I somehow cant help but compare him to the great Alan Rickman. But then again the first installment in any successful movie series is really tough competition. Although Hans Gruber (Rickman) was hardly the perfect villain in all of celluloid, he was nevertheless one of the most formidable adversaries for our erstwhile hero McClane. Olyphant, in his zeal to be cold and methodical, doesnt give audiences the menacing aura for them to connect with.

Or maybe that's because of the lack of F-Bombs in this incarnation.

That brings me to my second point: Hollywood, in its typical blockbuster fashion has toned down the angst and Mclane's token bad-ass-ness (is that even a word?) in exchange for getting more viewers into the cinemas. Although a credible marketing ploy, I cant help but wonder if this is another indication of MPAA influence over the freedom of artistic expression. hmmm... too deep? well, it could just be this humble reviewer's penchant for FRIGGIN' CUSSWORDS in action movies that made me feel a little less comfortable with a Fu*bleep*kless McClane script... (dang! this is a PG-13 review... gotta remember that).

One of the things that remained constant anyhow were the action sequences that the previous flicks were known for. Viewers are taken for a thrill-a-minute ride from start to finish; signed, sealed and McClane-Express delivered! Although CGI were used in several sequences, the result still gives its trademark "WOW" effect. It really doesnt matter if Bruce Willis is a balding 52 year old veteran, he can still make those stunts look believable.

Although generally looking like a big chunk of swiss cheese, Die Hard 4.0 comes through in its intent on giving viewers a fun movie to watch on the big-screen. For those who missed John McClane, Die Hard 4.0 is still a welcome return of a great action classic. I didnt watch it expecting a mind blowing story... I watched it to see things go BOOM! And Boom it went... John Fu*Bleep*kin McClane style!

Yipee-Ki-Yay Mofo....