Continuing the trend from the first two films of having McClane team up with a black character, this film introduces Samuel Jackson as a black man with a grudge against white people. The introduction is a little clumsy and the pairing leads to more plot holes than I can count, but the two do play well together, so I shouldn't complain. Then again, I had a little trouble believe that Samuel Jackson really doesn't like white people. There was at least one thread running through the script that I think the actors or director missed as it was intended to be written (about Zeus being a locksmith, electrician, etc) that might have helped.

Ugh! The more I think about the plot of this movie, the more it bothers me. Trust me when I say that while watching the film, it really is pretty easy to ignore the plot holes and move on. At least until the very end, which is rather abrupt and tenuous.

I have a theory about this movie. The first movie was based on a book, Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. Like many movies based on books, it was well-plotted and well-thought-out. The second movie was also based on a book,58 Minutes by Walter Wager, though obviously had to be heavily adapted to fit the characters from the first. So it worked pretty well, though suffered just a little bit from a new director and sequelitis. The third movie was evidently written from scratch, and I've come to believe that film writers are failed book authors. Fortunately, Bruce Willis brought his game face to the show, and Samuel Jackson is always enjoyable to watch, and John McTiernan did a great job with the visuals, so the film works at many levels, but the script just isn't up to snuff.

Die Hard 4
You hope I'm kidding, and you think I'm kidding, but somebody is trying to make another one. Fortunately, it hasn't been made yet, and I hope it never will. Unless they find a good book they can adapt. Maybe I'd enjoy that.

Summary
I only rented these films for the weekend, but I think I need to buy them. Fortunately, they're available as a trilogy, so it's like I'm only paying $11 for the third movie. It's worth more than half of the first two, so it's a deal!

Die Hard - Fox (On DVD)
Genre: Action
Watchability: A classic film. Not only is this movie very watchable, it's even a must-see.
Philosophy: Somewhat stereotypical. Cops are okay, while the chief of police isn't. The feds are both stupid and dangerous. Other than that, it's a relatively brainless action flick.
Suitability: Rated 'R' due to violence, and rightly so. Brains blown out, bodies dropping from buildings, blood everywhere, strangulation, and so on.
Overall: 5/5