Synopsis
Lieutenant Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back for more. When he is called in to do a routine pickup for the FBI, things go terribly wrong. Now the young hacker (Justin Long) he was sent to collect is his only means of bringing down a cyber-terrorist with a grudge against the government and a thirst for money. With the country hanging in the balance, “In McClane we trust.”
Review
I’ve always been a fan of the Die Hard films. The everyday cop takes on powerful maniacs has always been a good story, but what makes it better is McClane’s wit. I have to say that it’s a little lacking in this movie, but it doesn’t hurt the film too much. The action, effects, and overall plot more than overcome any shortage of McClane one-liners. Here is my take on Live Free or Die Hard:
Plot: By far, this is the most complex Die Hard plot. It takes a while for the motives of the villains to become clear. More than that, there are several pieces to a very complex scheme. In the end, this film stays true to the basic premise of the first film–it’s all about the money. In this fourth installment, McClane’s daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) plays the role of the familial bargaining chip, a position formerly held by his wife in the first two films. That component of the movie was a little formulaic, but that’s ok.
Acting: Bruce Willis can still do a good job. McClane is back, but he is a little more jaded. In the previous films, McClane is a little more good-humored. In this film, he’s disgruntled due to a divorce and a crumbling relationship with his daughter. Justin Long is definitely a source of comic relief for this movie. He plays a hacker duped into helping the cyber-terrorists. Hearing him rant about a media-controlled society and the gross inadequacies of Creedence Clearwater Revival are fun to watch, not to mention his exchanges with Willis. Also, there is a funny but brief role played by Kevin Smith.
Action/Effects: The action in this movie is over-the-top and almost non-stop. You won’t get bored during this movie, and there isn’t a very long intro. I liked that about this movie–it picks up the action pretty quickly, but still does a good job of revealing the plot smoothly. The stunts, fight scenes, and CG stuff was great. All the action is fluid and the CGI stuff is not very obvious (except of course the F-35 jet, which couldn’t possibly be real.) Interesting note–they actually did take out a helicopter with a police cruiser. Only the propeller on the helicopter and falling gunman were CG.
Overall: This was a good movie and definitely worth watching. I would definitely recommend seeing it in the theater and I would go so far as to say its worth a prime-time ticket. You really have to see this on the big screen to appreciate the stunt sequences and special effects.
And in case you don’t believe me, here is a review from EW.com by Owen Gleiberman. I agree with the review on everything but the grade. When so many unentertaining films are popping up in theaters, Live Free or Die Hard stands out a little. I would have given it a B+/A-. I think that’s a fair grade when you come out of a theater saying “that was pretty good.”
Die Hard Collection (Die Hard / Die Hard 2 – Die Harder / Die Hard with a Vengence / Live Free or Die Hard – Bonus Disc)