PROSPERING ON NOSTALGIA

He's at a loss when it comes to geeks and gizmos. But when it comes to the crunch, it's John McClane's old-fashioned virtues of wisecracks and punches, along with shooting skills and furious fists which win the day. The latest film in the Die Hard series Live Free or Die Hard has McClane of the old world carving a space for himself in the new.

Bruce Willis' cult character gets a lot of help from a cyber geek, but manages to preserve the charm of the old-world action hero out to save America with his guns and fists. It's a pleasure watching him relish the 1960s vintage Creedence Clearwater Revival music on screen, in front of a young geek fed on hip-hop.

But this could well be among the last such films, as the all-action heroes of the 1980s and 1990s disappear into the sunset. They may not have won top prizes for acting, but the likes of Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger entertained audiences across the world with bone-crunching action.

Arnie, the Governor of California, has moved on but the others are still around, trying to extend their sunset period. But with nothing new to offer, the surefire formula to hold on is nostalgia.

Thus Bruce Willis taps into memories with the fourth Die Hard instalment. Schwarzenegger signs off with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines before taking over as Governor. And Sly Stallone reprises Rocky Balboa for the sixth time, the very character who jumpstarted his career from obscurity more than three decades ago. Following the success of Rocky Balboa (2006), the 61-year old Stallone is now aiming to make box office capital of his 198os relic Rambo for a fourth time. The 2008 release comes a staggering two decades after the third version.

Old heroes may not be a patch now on their former glory. But with nostalgia abounding, they simply refuse to fade away.