Micro Movie Review: Live Free or Die Hard
July 1, 2007 | Posted by: Shane
Live Free or Die Hard
20th Century Fox
1 3/4 Stars
Live Free or Die Hard is the fourth installment in the Die Hard film series. It stars veteran actor Bruce Willis as John McClane, the hero of the first three films. The film takes place some 19 years after the first film, and sees McClane face a gang of Internet terrorists led by Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant.) McClane doesn’t face the baddies alone, however. He’s forced to protect and eventually team up with nerdy computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long, Ed, Jeepers Creepers, The Mac Guy.) Together, they must take out the bad guys, rescue McClane’s daughter, and make sure the baddies don’t wipe out the Internet.
Is Live Free or Die Hard worth your time?
The original Die Hard succeeded because it took an average, fallible, tough-guy cop and placed him in a confined, desperate situation. It worked because you felt as if this “everyman†could be killed at any moment, that success wasn’t guaranteed. But in the end, he overcame his limitations and saved the day. McClane wasn’t a superman; he was a man who performed superbly.
The following two sequels never really captured the essence of a Die Hard film. 1990’s Die Hard 2: Die Harder seemed quite implausible and lacked a truly terrible villain. 1995’s Die Hard With A Vengeance paired Willis with Samuel L. Jackson in a race around New York City to stop a bomb placed by super terrorist Simon Gruber. While many believe DH3 was the better sequel, it deviated from the Die Hard formula enough to feel like more of a typical action movie than the classic McClane adventure.
With Live Free or Die Hard, it still doesn’t feel quite right. McClane is running around the eastern seaboard with a partner, doing miraculous thing after miraculous thing. Sure, John gets the crap beat out of him, overcoming impossible odds. But in the end, he’s still the one delivering the witty line after downing the terrorist. The same old same old.
While watching this film, you never think it’s anything more than a standard action film with the lead character from Die Hard. LFODH also struggles with lazily constructed plot twists (John conveniently knows how to pilot a helicopter because that’s the only mode of transportation) and terrible supporting roles (witness uber-nerd Kevin Smith single-handedly drag the film to a halt playing an…uber-nerd/computer hacker living in his mommy’s basement.)
Live Free or Die Hard does have some redeeming qualities. The first action sequence in which McClane rescues Farrell from attacking terrorists is claustrophobically fantastic. But in the end, the good parts and Willis’ charisma simply can’t save an average action movie. I’d say better luck next time, but let’s be honest: the first Die Hard is the only Die Hard we’ll really ever need.
Scope scores for the other Die Hard films:
Die Hard: 
4 Stars
Die Hard 2: Die Harder: 
2 Stars
Die Hard With a Vengeance: 
2 1/2 Stars