Live Free or Die Hard
The fourth installment in the Die Hard action series is Live Free or Die Hard, a colossal 2007 summer blockbuster with enough pop and bang to satisfy even the most discerning action junkie. This is arguably the most fun film of the year, packed to the brim with explosions, gun fights, fist fights and more explosions. Bruce Willis is back as John McClane, of course, and brings all of the tough guy stuff to his performance as usual.
Live Free or Die Hard is a little bit lighter than the other three Die Hard films, as it carries a PG-13 rating and doesn’t feature a lot of the profanity that littered the other films. It’s a little more family friendly, I guess you could say, although it still contains frequent violence and McClane spends the majority of the film bleeding like a stuck pig. There will be some people that will be “upset” at this notion, of course, but quite frankly I found any sort of “ratings controversy” to be irrelevant in light of the great fun on screen.
The plot is based on an article in a 1997 edition of Wired magazine in which a plot involving cyber-terrorism is discussed. The original script was called WW3.com and was scheduled to become a project. After 9/11, however, the project was stalled indefinitely. Eventually the WW3.com script was retooled as a Die Hard plotline and John McClane as set to return to the big screen.
The plot takes place 19 years after the events in the first film. McClane is a detective now and his life is, as usual, in various degrees of shambles. A terrorist begins unleashing what is known as a “fire sale” and shuts down various critical aspects of society through computer networks. The terrorist and his team use a team of computer hackers to break down certain code barriers, then assassinate the hackers as they become useless. As the feds become aware of this, they send John McClane – who just happens to be in the area, of course – to bring one of the hackers (Justin Long) to protective custody. Of course, henchmen are on the way and the first of many action sequences takes place as McClane saves the day.
The head of the terrorist group, Thomas Gabriel, is played by Timothy Olyphant from HBO’s Deadwood. The problem with Olyphant in this role is that he is so inherently wooden and bland as a villain. Lines are uttered with a steely calm that feels misplaced against the context of the rest of the film. Olyphant isn’t terrible in the role, but he’s far from an effective villain. He sorts of fades into the background and doesn’t resonate anywhere near as well as previous villains, such as the great Alan Rickman from the first film or Jeremy Irons from Die Hard with a Vengeance.
Bruce Willis and Justin Long are the stars of the show, however. Their chemistry is great and they have some really enjoyable exchanges together. Long isn’t too over the top, like many action sidekicks can be, and is realistic in his role as a hacker. Willis is tremendous, however, in this career-defining role and plays all of the cards in his hand. He is battered and bruised in a good old-fashioned action smash-up, delivering lines with icy sarcasm and streetwise sizzle. McClane is a cultural icon and it’s easy to see why after watching Live Free or Die Hard.
The action is great, too. The scene with McClane driving the semi and taking on the fighter jet is so incredibly entertaining that my jaw dropped at the outlandish creativity of the sequence. As everything comes crashing down to the ground around him, Willis’ McClane still has time to look back at the destruction and offer a smart reaction. It’s priceless and ingenious stuff, it really is. Director Len Wiseman (Underworld: Evolution) appears to be having so much fun directing this colossal action experience and it shows through the way the film comes together. Everything about it is smart, gritty and hardcore from the beginning.
Live Free or Die Hard is exploding eye candy for the action fan, a smashing good time at the movies that will resonate with anyone looking to unplug and have a good time. The only drawback was a fairly wooden villain, but the plot involving cyber-terrorism and the action sequences more than make up for it. For summer blockbusters, this is as loud and as fun as it gets. It’s far better than the disappointing Transformers and packs more wallop and bravado than many other action films. It’s the best Die Hard since the original and ranks as a timeless action classic. McClane is back and it’s fun as hell, mothef**ker!
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