Live Free Or Die Hard

Live Free Or Die Hard
2007 - 20th Century Fox
Directed By Len Wiseman



SYNOPSIS

An organization launches a major terrorist attack on the U.S. infrastructure via the Internet. They seize control, crippling the nation on the 4th of July holiday. Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) and a computer hacker (Justin Long) are all that stand in their way. The terrorist group then snags McClane's daughter (Mary Elisabeth Winstead) and threatens to kill her if McClane doesn't give up.



MY THOUGHTS

Live Free Or Die Hard is chock full of fights, chases and non-stop action but is ultimately a flawed film.

The appeal of John McClane in Die Hard was that he was just an ordinary man who happened to be a cop. He relied on just his wits and luck. He eventually triumphed over the much better equipped villains by sheer force of will.

As the series went on, the situations became more outrageous and McClane became less of that ordinary man and more superhero. By this, the fourth film in the series, the laws of physics are violated nearly as often as in Batman & Robin.

This 'ordinary man' takes out a helicopter by crashing a car and having it carom in the air and strike the craft. He gets shot twice and punched more times than Rocky and is slammed through windows and into walls repeatedly... and falls several stories. He never loses consciousness.
He dodges flames, fights off a fighter plane, and escapes from an SUV plunging down an elevator shaft (!?!) All of that would even slow Superman down a little.

Bruce Willis still plays McClane with the same wit and enthusiasm, despite the superpowers.

He's joined by Justin Long. His weenie, dweebie hacker provides a good contrast to McLaine's rough edges. (Oh and yes, Justin Long hacks using a Mac.)

Like the other sequels, the villains in this film don't come anywhere close to the greatness of Alan Rickman in the original. Timothy Olyphant plays the main baddie and whines more than he ever appears menacing.
One major flaw: we aren't clued into why the villains have enacted their plans until about 75 minutes into the film. When the reason is revealed, it seems weak. Somehow, the government would let a mentally unstable man, somehow, get so high up in power, only to let him leave... to then come back and ruin them? Really?

The complete takeover of the U.S.'s computer systems is a frightening possibility in this post 9/11 world. I'm not sure it could be done as easily as depicted in the film but it's still a chilling thought. It's a much more engaging concept than Die Hard: With A Vengeance's cliche gold heist.

Despite its flaws, Live Free Or Die Hard is still a fun and entertaining film if you turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.