Live Free or Die Hard (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
John McClane is back in 'Live Free or Die Hard', an action flick directed by Len Wiseman. Det. McClane's (Bruce Willis) task is to bring in computer hacker, Matt Farrell (Justin Long) who 'may' be playing a part in an elaborate cyber-terrorist attack (meant to take down the entire technological structure that supports America's economy). But they're compromised by the man behind the criminal plot, Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant). Annoyed by the current situation in the government, Gabriel, a computer mastermind, will try to take down McClane AND the country by using McClane's daughter as a pawn. The plot is predictable. The action sequences are absurdly unrealistic. And yet, they're SO absurd, that they still made me drop my jaw in awe. And Bruce is still as badass as ever.
Given this task, 'old school' hero, McClane has to save the FBI and the country (maybe even the world) from hacker specialist, Gabriel. At first, the FBI thinks Matt may have something to do with it. But seeing as Matt was next in line to be 'deleted' by the criminals, those early suspicions are quelled. Can McClane get Matt from Rutgers University (his daughter's college) to D.C. safely? Will Gabriel's able team of snipers and computer geeks take down Matt? As the infrastructure of U.S. breaks down around them, can McClane save his beautiful daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) before saving the world? Haha, what a crazy, loaded question. But one that must be asked within the confines of this wacky movie. 'Wacky' aside, watching another Die Hard film is, truly, a nostalgic welcome.
This is one Hell of a good time. The plot couldn't be more ludicrous, the audacity level of the action sequences is off the scale. But Bruce Willis' intensity, his physical attributes, and his determination to take down 'evil' is brilliant to watch. Even though he's in his 50's, and though they're perfectly honed and edited, the stunts he pulls off in 'Live Free ...' are incredible. The punches thrown at him, the kicks released upon him, and the bullets shot at him are insane. Another great attribute of Willis' McClane 'in this movie' is his ability to smirk and spit out witty banter/wisecracks with the best of 'em. In this case, it actually creates quite the chemistry between him and Matt (Long). I found myself pulling for both of them (as a unit); not just to progress the plot along 'til the next outrageous stunt.
Speaking of stunts: 80's/90's old school style; a very welcomed 'lack of CGI' feel/usage. There's one scene where McClane has killed a villain and is left hanging in an elevator shaft by a severed cable (with no feasible way to escape). The scene ends. And in the next one, he's head-to-toe bloodied up, waltzing over to a computer screen with a 'what's next?' type of attitude. We have no idea how he got out of the elevator, but it doesn't matter. It's not important to the plot; all we can do is accept that he's made it out of the elevator, period {laughs}. And in another scene, McClane's driving a truck toward an oncoming F35 jet. Take a stab at how he'll get out of this one. You'll never guess. Just trust me, it'll have you laughing out loud at both its implausibility AND its excitement factor!
Timothy Olyphant does not make a good villain (especially when compared to Alan Rickman in the original Die Hard), but he settles more into the role by the end. More implausibility comes into play when he barks at his undermen to, for example, knock out the TV's in America, or ... alter the traffic in a major city (all within 3 bangs on a computer keyboard, and in 10 seconds). I don't think so. But I digress. You get what you want here; that is a successful, entertaining summer blockbuster. It's a tad long, but so are most blockbusters. Plot aside, you'll probably have a lot of fun watching this. Yippee-ki-Yay MoFo!!!
Given this task, 'old school' hero, McClane has to save the FBI and the country (maybe even the world) from hacker specialist, Gabriel. At first, the FBI thinks Matt may have something to do with it. But seeing as Matt was next in line to be 'deleted' by the criminals, those early suspicions are quelled. Can McClane get Matt from Rutgers University (his daughter's college) to D.C. safely? Will Gabriel's able team of snipers and computer geeks take down Matt? As the infrastructure of U.S. breaks down around them, can McClane save his beautiful daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) before saving the world? Haha, what a crazy, loaded question. But one that must be asked within the confines of this wacky movie. 'Wacky' aside, watching another Die Hard film is, truly, a nostalgic welcome.
This is one Hell of a good time. The plot couldn't be more ludicrous, the audacity level of the action sequences is off the scale. But Bruce Willis' intensity, his physical attributes, and his determination to take down 'evil' is brilliant to watch. Even though he's in his 50's, and though they're perfectly honed and edited, the stunts he pulls off in 'Live Free ...' are incredible. The punches thrown at him, the kicks released upon him, and the bullets shot at him are insane. Another great attribute of Willis' McClane 'in this movie' is his ability to smirk and spit out witty banter/wisecracks with the best of 'em. In this case, it actually creates quite the chemistry between him and Matt (Long). I found myself pulling for both of them (as a unit); not just to progress the plot along 'til the next outrageous stunt.
Speaking of stunts: 80's/90's old school style; a very welcomed 'lack of CGI' feel/usage. There's one scene where McClane has killed a villain and is left hanging in an elevator shaft by a severed cable (with no feasible way to escape). The scene ends. And in the next one, he's head-to-toe bloodied up, waltzing over to a computer screen with a 'what's next?' type of attitude. We have no idea how he got out of the elevator, but it doesn't matter. It's not important to the plot; all we can do is accept that he's made it out of the elevator, period {laughs}. And in another scene, McClane's driving a truck toward an oncoming F35 jet. Take a stab at how he'll get out of this one. You'll never guess. Just trust me, it'll have you laughing out loud at both its implausibility AND its excitement factor!
Timothy Olyphant does not make a good villain (especially when compared to Alan Rickman in the original Die Hard), but he settles more into the role by the end. More implausibility comes into play when he barks at his undermen to, for example, knock out the TV's in America, or ... alter the traffic in a major city (all within 3 bangs on a computer keyboard, and in 10 seconds). I don't think so. But I digress. You get what you want here; that is a successful, entertaining summer blockbuster. It's a tad long, but so are most blockbusters. Plot aside, you'll probably have a lot of fun watching this. Yippee-ki-Yay MoFo!!!