Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

The best thing that I can say about this movie is that it was better than Die Hard 2, but so was almost every movie. In Live Free or Die Hard, John McClane gets caught between a man bent on sticking it to the U.S. for firing him and a hacker who can save the day. I understand that the idea of the Die Hard franchise is that Bruce Willis is a tough guy who can take a lot of punishment, but this movie would more accurately be named 'Things that would kill a normal person don't kill John McClane'. He walks away almost completely unharmed from countless conflicts that should at least cripple him severely, including rolling out a speeding car and jumping off of an F-18 in mid-flight. I find it interesting that no matter how many people are shooting at him, no matter how automatic the weapon, it is extremely difficult to hit John McClane with a bullet. Willis does a fine job portraying the character, nobody plays a tougher hard-ass, but the script is so ridiculous that the movie verges on becoming a comedy spoof. One bright spot in Live Free or Die Hard is Justin Long, the guy who's a 'PC'. He is a really good actor and excellent comedic timing. He reminds me of a young Jason Bateman. The actress that plays McClane's daughter is pretty good, and I would expect to see her in the future as well. The plot of this film, of a digital 'fire sale', is pretty interesting, but it is overwhelmed by the unrealistic ridiculousness of the whole film. Live Free or Die Hard is full of ridiculous puns and references to the first three films, and even steals from other movies, as far as I am concerned. At one point, McClane shoots through his own body to hit someone else in a very Wolverine in X-Men 1-esque move. In another very James Bond-ish moment, the bad guys henchman, who is some sort of gymnasts, goes one-on-one with Willis in a battle to the death that could not be more hackneyed. I would say the most ridiculous moment in this movie is the very beginning when McClane tosses a guy off his college-aged daughter; it is basically one cliche' after another. This movie was not a complete loss though, it does have some really cool action scenes. Other than that, this movie was at best mediocre. I did not have to ask my wife whether or not she wanted to watch, nor will I ask her now. I will not be watching this film again; I give Live Free or Die Hard 1 and a half stars.