Die Hard 4.0 is an action thriller film directed by Len Wiseman and distributed by 20th century fox in 2007, is another film in the Die Hard franchise. Detective John McClaine (Bruce Willis) brings justice to a new breed of terrorists which are world class computer geniuses when a massive computer attack on the U.S infrastructure threatens to shut down the whole country over Independence Day weekend and attempt to get away with millions of dollars. With the help of Matthew Farrell (Justin Long) who is a computer 'wizard' himself, they join forces to take down the bad guys. This action thriller which is mainly from McClaine's perspective features many scenes where suspense is created and here I will just explain one if those.
The clip towards the end of the film where McClaine, Lucy and Matthew are held captive by the two villains created a lot of suspense for the audience as there are many questions and doubts can come from it. For example, the main question could be will they survive? or will the FBI save them in time? The camera, editing and sound techniques along with mise en scene create this suspense.
The wide shot that shows McClaine attempting to get up after he is shot shows that the main man who the audience thinks can save the day is hurt. Also the low angle that the wide shot is filmed at creates the sense that McClaine is now the vulnerable one in the situation along with Lucy and Matthew. This is further shown when the high angled shot of Gabriel gives the audience the feel that he now has the upper hand and authority over the situation. The tracking backwards on what seems a handheld camera when Gabriel is pulling McClaine up from the floor portrays that the situation is now uncertain. the mid shots of McClaine being held at gunpoint by Gabriel and the mid shot of Lucy at gunpoint creates suspense for the viewer because the situation makes them doubtful about what will happen next. As the clip that builds up suspense comes to an end, the close up of Gabriel when he is pointing the gun at McClaine's shoulder shows his emotion of hatred and total control as he is set on killing him. Following this, comes another key camera shot as it creates a peak of suspense for the audience. The extreme close up of the gun being fired where McClaine's shoulder makes the audience wonder if McClaine is dead or alive, leaving the kind of cliffhanger of that scene.
Editing also plays a big part in the build up of suspense.
This can act as a false plateau for some viewers as they may think that he is going to die but in reality, they will find out later that he doesn't. The short cuts created to show everyone in the scene quickens the pace of the scene and makes it more 'in your face' and real for the audience. Also the match cuts within the clip such as when McClaine is pulled up by Gabriel and when the gun is focused on McCaine's shoulder puts emphasis on the situation and how McClaine is so close to being killed. This then creates more suspense and the 'heart stopping moment' because they wonder how the outcome will be and they don't trust their judgement of what will happen. Following this, the continuous cross cutting between McClaine and Gabriel and lucy with the other villain at gunpoint quickens the pace and creates the 'thriller' moment. The dramatic non-digetic music that is played throughout the scene and the worried voice dialogue and sobs from Lucy show that she is scared which is empathised with, would affect the audience and therefore make them uncertain of what may happen. This is also supported by the shaky and fearful dialogue of Matthew when he replies to Gabriel in the clip. Also at the end the 'heart stopping moment' is further induced by the stop of the non-digetic music and the sound effect of a gun firing. This leaves the audience wanting to know id McClaine has been killed or not.
The setting of the scene is a deserted, naturally lighted warehouse, allowing the the audience to assume that the location is secluded and hard to find which adds to the uncertainty of the turns of events. Also the appearance of the car makes it seem that the location is even more isolated. Authority is shown by the appearance of the characters. For example, the 'villains' are all smartly dressed in black shirts, trousers and shoes which shows that they don't do much dirty work and have some kind of authority whereas the 'good guys' are shown to be all sweaty and in dirty clothes. Especially McClaine as he has blood all over him and his ripped, dirty clothes. This shows that he is worn and tired, therefore following the assumption to the audience that he may be too tired for fighting and is therefore vulnerable. With this in mind, it could yet bring more uncertainty for the audience as they continue to wonder about the outcome of this scene.
All of this, (camera, editing, sound and mise en scene) all contributes to the explanation of why this film is a thriller and creates a lot of suspense for the audience throughout the film, this clip being just one example.
The trailer for the film is here:
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