Die Hard 4.0

Okay, so there’s surely going to be a walloping Die Hard box set coming out sometime soon, but those who liked and want more of the latest instalment won’t be disappointed with this two-disc special edition and its cabal of features.

The commentary with Bruce Willis, Len Wiseman and editor Nicolas Se Toth kicks things off. It’s mostly Willis and his director but all are engaging enough. There are regular, softly spoken anecdotes although no great revelations are forthcoming.

In contrast, the Making of is a multi-chaptered affair that is packed with cast and crew insights. It starts with the original Die Hard and charts through to the recent release with onset footage, lots of talking heads and some extensive looks at the work of the post-production teams. There are plenty of clips but they’re always relevant to the topic in hand. A treat for fans and, in a word, comprehensive.

The slight Matt’s Pad has the wise-cracking Justin Long touring his character’s half-destroyed apartment, but he’s more amusing in the droll Gag reel.

Guyz Nite are far less entertaining. A self-mockingly serious middle-America rock group whose bootlegged net music video actually got them the soundtrack deal. The song, the vid and their own little Behind the Scenes are all excruciatingly poor. The turkey of the discs.

Hacker Underworld may be Wiseman-riffed in name but is no hack job itself. Having been one of America’s most wanted hackers, Kevin Mitnick provides an able insider’s commentary on the rise of the hacker phenomenon and its seduction, whilst professor John Arquilla complements him discussing hacker profiles and mythology. An intelligent, if basic, short. Similarly, so is Homeland Security In A Cyber Age, with Arquilla and others citing hackers for and against the war on terror. Nobody goes so far to say everything in the film could actually happen, but they certainly cite the dangers.

Fox Legacy is a Fox Movie Channel mini-featurette with Tom Rothman, of Twentieth Century Fox. Rothman tabs through the franchise history with very basic facts all culminating in a rather trite eulogy for Fox’s involvement. Fox, Fox, Fox, get it?

Finally, Yippie-Ki-Yay Mother-******! has Willis ‘interviewed’ by the illustrious Kevin Smith. After the multiple angles of the Making of and the generally superficial chat on the commentary this is an honest dialogue between two people who really know the movies, the fans and what they’re talking about. It’s slow to start but you soon find yourself thinking that more Q&As should be this simply presented, revealing and focused. Far and away the highlight of this edition and, in my opinion, one of the better dvd featurettes of the year so far.