Review: Live Free or Die Hard - Directed by Len Wiseman
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and a brief sexual situation.

Rocky's made a comeback. Indy's making one, too. It seems only natural, I guess, for everyone's favorite 'wrong place at the wrong time' cop to blast his way back onto the big screen.

In this 4th installment of the Die Hard franchise, an aged and depressed John McClane (Bruce Willis) is forced out of his daughter-stalking, retirement-craving slump after a cyber terrorist begins shutting down America over the 4th of July weekend. After saving hacker Matt Farrell (Mac guy Justin Long), the two team up to shoot French mercenaries and put a Ctrl+Alt+Del to the bad guy's plan.

If I were to choose one thing that distinguished the Die Hard movies from other titles in the genre, I'd have to say it's their atmosphere. The combination of an isolationist, one-against-many plot with an often times unorthodox musical score gives the series a unique flavor over other, less interesting action flicks.

With Live Free or Die Hard, however, it lacks that magical formula that made the original a classic. In fact, I'd go so far as to say Live Free was, at times, heartless.

Bruce Willis does a fine enough job in the lead role, however he just doesn't feel like John McClane. He still has a lot of the same little quirks and smart-ass responses, but, for the most part, they felt tacked on in an attempt to make the plot feel more like a Die Hard. As a standalone action film, I think it would have been more successful--as the title puts it into a level with almost unattainable standards set forth by it die-hard (hardy har-har) fanbase.

Also, it's PG-13 rating seemed a poor choice. Not only is it the most tame Die Hard (McClane barely even sheds any blood), the editing to remove foul language was very noticeable. For instance, a scene in which Justin Long goes on a long-winded rant about he's not cut out for all the action probably would have been pretty funny were it not for the fact most of his lines were obviously voiced over to ensure young minds would not be offended. The audio sync was about like Kung-Fu dubbing standards.

Atmosphere aside, Live Free or Die Hard still manages to bring some pretty decent action and a not altogether bad plot. As far as action movies go, it's at least an attempt to emulate the golden era of 80's cinema. Though not a classic like the first, Live Free or Die Hard is, at the very least, enjoyable.

Rating: 3 / 5

~Khyron, 2007