Back with a Vengeance
Score: 7/10 (Entertaining!)
Bottom Line: Spend Your Money
To-The-Point: Despite its flaws, Live Free or Die Hard is two straight hours of over-the-top action that resurrects the franchise with likable characters, brutal violence, and the possibility for more McClane-lovin' in the future. It's on par with Die Hard: With a Vengeance - better than Die Hard 2: Die Harder but not as good as the original classic.
Complete Truth: Before I begin this review, let me get one thing out of the way:
Yippe-ki-yay, motherfu...well, you know the rest.
John McClane (Bruce Willis) has returned from his 12 year vacation to prove that he's the only man for the job, this time attempting to stop cyberterrorist Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) from carrying out a virtual "fire sale" - modern armageddon crafted through the systematic destruction of technology, i.e. anarchy in the U.S. What results is chaos through faulty traffic signals, stock market crashes, and cut-off electricity.
But, since McClane is (as Gabriel labels him) "a Timex in a digital world," he needs to ensure the safety of computer hacker Matt Farrell (Mac...I mean, Justin Long) to help locate the bad guys and put an end to their plan. When McClane's daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is captured and held hostage by Gabriel, John decides he has finally had enough and makes the death of Gabriel his #1 priority.
What ensues can only be described as some of the most intense, clever, and fun action to hit the big screen in years.
Much like Casino Royale, the newest Die Hard essentially reboots the franchise by updating the setting but keeping the same ass-kicking, indestructible hero. It's funny and a bit ironic that a film revolving around modern technology ends up being a throwback to the Schwarzenegger/Stallone action films of the 80s.
This is the summer blockbuster I've been waiting for.
Make no mistakes: this film is completely outlandish and over-the-top. But, as long as you realize it's only a movie and is meant for entertainment, you will enjoy the brawls, car chases, explosions, and other stunts mostly free of that pesky technology known as CG (if only Gabriel could delete that forever...).
Sure, the thin plot on display is borderline political statement, but it's enough to connect each action sequence to the next. And what amazing sequences these are, providing us with city-wide car crashes, helicopter shootouts, old school fisticuffs vs. new school parkour, elevator shaft car crashes (you'll see), and an entire scene involving a fighter jet that I can honestly say I've never seen anything like before.
Director Len Wiseman (the Underworld films) proves his worth by providing angles that allow the audience to actually observe everything that is going on without becoming confused (take notes, Christopher Nolan). The choreographed carnage is beautifully crafted, striking a balance between realistic (The Bourne Supremacy) and completely "movie-ish" (The Matrix). Wiseman has managed to resurrect that Die Hard vibe within the confines of a PG-13 rating (the other films were rated R), still managing to pull off satisfying shootings, crushings, and even a character being "Fargo"-ed (shredded, that is). The only minor consequence is that some of the dialogue has been (poorly) dubbed to remove vulgar language, in a 1984 sorta way. But, as long as McClane can kill bad guys while bleeding from his multiple injuries, who cares?
None of the action would matter without interesting characters or dialogue, or in this case, McClane. Thankfully, Willis delivers a worthy performance of the iconic character with his stoic demeanor and witty wisecracks. Some minor changes have affected the character - mainly, he doesn't drink, smoke, or say 'fuck' a lot (thank you, MPAA) - but he's still a jaded cop who is still troubled by his divorce.
Long's hacker character, Matt, is surprisingly entertaining without being annoying. Instead of getting in McClane's way, he offers support through his computer skills while sprouting off some one-liners that actually surpass McClane's. Matt's dorky, innocent personality is a perfect foil to McClane's bad-ass, hardened attitude and crafts an interesting dynamic between two stangers that totally need each other to survive - it's a commentary on the age gap between adults with traditional ideas and modern tech-savvy youth. Sometimes, Matt is forced into reciting techno-babble to propel the story forward, but these minor instances only serve to promote the themes of the film.
Fortunately, these two characters lead the film and absorb most of the running time. Unfortunately, there are other characters that are unnecessary or rather boring.
John's daughter, Lucy, is rather pointless. Yes, I understand she becomes a hostage and is used to make the entire plot 'personal' to McClane, but she easily could've been cut. She's barely in the movie as it is, and the only vibe I got from her was that she hated her father but has taken after him. Other pointless characters include the typical FBI/government subplot with Bowman (Cliff Curtis) leading the charge in attempting to locate Gabriel and an appearance by everybody's favorite fan boy, Kevin Smith, as computer hacker Warlock. Smith's scene is humorous and I appreciate the casting, but I don't feel as if it was entirely necessary.
On the bad guy (and girl) side of things, Mai Lihn (Maggie Q) is the typical love interest for Gabriel while simultaneously being an Asian that knows kung-fu. In other words, stale and overdone. One of the more interesting henchman is Rand (Cyril Raffaelli), who flips around obstacles with the acrobatic grace of a gymnast gentically spliced with a chimpanzee. Raffaelli is essentially reprising his stunt efforts from the interesting District B-13 (while also striking similarities to a chase sequence in Casino Royale), but using parkour as a style of fighting is just so damn interesting. It's a shame that he doesn't really do much else, like talk.
Timothy Olyphant is merely passable as the villain who is masterminding the grand scheme, since his role as Gabriel leaves him with nothing to do except stare forward and occasionally bark an order. Despite his best efforts, Olyphant can't really make this character engaging, and his baby face really takes away from the seriousness of what he is trying to accomplish (also makes me a little worried for his upcoming vehicle, Hitman). Sure, he kills a few people and slaps around a girl, but so does McClane. More meance next time, please.
Along with wasted side characters and villains, be sure to add the setting to that list. The movie takes place in the Washington D.C. area during the Fourth of July weekend, but this is never really brought into the story for any good reason. The original film will always be a Christmas classic, but this film doesn't really secure its place as a Fourth of July tradition. Also, the first Die Hard managed to string together multiple subplots that all featured their own pay off, but here the screenwriter can barely piece together a plot. It's a shame that the subplots we are presented with are so cliched and uninteresting, with no real satisfying closing. The ending is rather abrupt and anti-climatic, and I have a feeling many moviegoers will be disappointed by how McClane and company end the story.
So, if you can get past the PG-13 rating, boring villains, and paper-thin plot, you'll find the most exhilirating two hour blockbuster in years. Prepare to be amazed. Prepare to be blown away. Prepare to...Live Free or Die Hard.
Oh, and be careful if you want to scream out McClane's signature catch phrase - there are probably young, impressionable teenagers sitting all around you.
Damn the MPAA.
Side Note:If Die Hard 2: Die Harder was basically a remake of the first but in a different location, consider Live Free or Die Hard a remake of the third. Complete with a side kick, non-stop traveling to find the bad guys, the love interest for the villain, and the motives behind it all, the movies are pretty similar.
Also, be sure to look out for a few references to the first film, including an agent Johnson.
"Stallone? Yeah, just lettin' you know there's only enough room in Hollywood for one over-the-hill action star. Could you tell Harrison Ford, too? Thanks."
Live Free or Die Hard, a 20th Century Fox release, is rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of violence and action, language, and a brief sexual situation."
Total running time is 128 minutes.
Starring Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, and Maggie Q. Screenplay by Mark Bomback, directed by Len Wiseman.
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