Film Muser

Film Muser Rating : 4 / 5
Release Date : June 27, 2007
Running Time : 130 minutes
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Live Free or Die Hard is the fourth installment of the Die Hard series, with Bruce Willis reprising his role as John McClane, the police detective who seems to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time all too often. In this round of the series, Timothy Olyphant launches a cyber-attack, known as a Fire Sale, on the United States, taking out all major systems of the country. Justin Long joins the cast as Matt Farrell, an elite hacker who inadvertently writes some code that is used to make the cyber-terrorist assault possible. McClane is sent to pick up the hacker and bring him in for questioning, thus leading to him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It seems that the terrorists were in the process of cleaning up loose ends by eliminating all of the hackers who helped create their software. McClane realizes the importance of Farrell and attempts to use his technical skills to stop the attacks, all while dodging barrages of bullets, and massive explosions.

When I first heard the announcement that a new Die Hard movie was coming out, I was a little weary. Introducing Justing Long as a sidekick seemed odd, and with the film getting a rating of PG-13 (as opposed to the previous three receiving R ratings), I was thinking that the film was going to be a watered down version of what we have come to expect of the Die Hard series. Despite my worries, I decided to see the film on opening night in the theatre. I liked the cyber-terrorism premise of the film, and also liked that they went in the direction of domestic terrorism. As the movie progressed, I really found myself enjoying it, and got the sense that I was watching an actual Die Hard film – not some wannabe impostor it could so easily have turned out to be.

Willis jumps right back into his role as John McClane without missing a beat. His performance as the bad-ass cop who is just doing his job is as solid as it was in the first three films. I wasn’t sure how Justin Long was going to fit into this movie, and for the most part, he was pretty good. The type of dry humour we see from him in other movies is present here as well, but it is not overdone. I personally am a fan of Timothy Olyphant, and he plays the villain competently. He’s definitely no Alan Rickman from the first film, but that would be a real tall order to match up to.

This is a great movie to see in the theatre in all the glory of big picture and big sound. If you’re looking for a thrill-ride of non-stop action, without needing to think much, this is a great choice. Live Free or Die Hard takes the outrageous stunts from the previous installments to the next level, so keep in mind that you may need to look past some truly absurd scenes. I mean as ridiculous as the scene was, how can you not love, “Killing a helicopter with a car”? Don’t expect any Oscar nominations, but if you just want to have a good time, be sure to check this one out.

Memorable Scene
Even if you haven’t seen this film, you’ve likely seen it in on the TV spots or during a trailer. There was just no way that this wasn’t going to be my “memorable scene” for this flick. While driving around the city, McClane and Ferrell find themselves being pursued by a helicopter that they just can’t seem to shake. McClane takes his car into a tunnel, causing the chopper to hover just outside of the entrance. Without many options, McClane floors the vehicle in the direction of the helicopter, and bails out at the last second, letting the car launch directly into the chopper. Problem solved.