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Review #474 of 365
Movie Review of Live Free or Die Hard (2007) [PG-13] 130 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.00
Where Viewed: Harkins Ciné Capri at Northfield 18, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 27 June 2007
Time: 12:01 a.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date:20 November 2007 (click date to purchase)
Directed by: Len Wiseman (Underworld: Evolution)
Screenplay by: Mark Bomback (Godsend) based on John Carlin's Article "A Farewell to Arms" with some original characters developed by Roderick Thorp
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him / Her from):
Bruce Willis (Perfect Stranger) • Timothy Olyphant (Catch and Release) • Justin Long (Idiocracy) • Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Death Proof) • Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III) • Cliff Curtis (Fracture) • Kevin Smith (Catch and Release) • Cyril Raffaelli (District B13)
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Even though Bruce Willis has been in a ton of movies since Die Hard 3 (1995—has it been that long? [gulp]), and even though he's starting, finally to show some minor signs of aging—mostly in his rising sarcasm and honed acerbic wit as opposed to physically, honestly he never seems to be having more fun than he does when he's getting to play the original Action Thriller hero, John McClane.
"…a worthy member of the franchise, and a sequel superior to the previous two…"
In 1988, his daring, barefooted heroism atop the Nakatomi Building in Los Angeles established John McClane as the definitive action hero and the film, Die Hard as the best action movie ever made—a position it still holds despite these now 3 sequels. The second and third films were decent, though slightly failed, sequels with 3 outshining 2 a bit. Neither was able to capture the fantastic and spectacular villains nor set of the original. Two tried a bit too hard to replicate the idea of the first, and 3 worked far better because it allowed the character to return to his home turf and get out in the city. What most people probably have forgotten, however, was that all three of the films shared one common and, perhaps now, prophetic theme—that of thieves using acts of terrorism to hide their crimes of the century. Think back on the original. The international crime ring led so brilliantly by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman long before he entered Harry Potter's world) staged a mass hostage situation and false demands for their release to hide his intended theft of billions of dollars in untraceable German barabonds from a gigantic, time-lock safe. Well, fast forward nearly 20 years to 2007 and we find a new screenplay by Mark Bomback based on John Carlin's 1997 article "A Farewell to Arms" regarding the possibility of cyber terrorism as being even more of a threat than any previous weapon ever conceived, directed by Len Wiseman of Underworld fame, and a new super villain, Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) using his insider knowledge of the way the government protects our national data under the guise of a fake terrorist organization to steal vast billions of the nation's wealth and to teach the nation a lesson or two about protecting itself from cyber terrorism—concepts he had tried to convince his superiors were of the utmost importance shortly before they sort of let him go from his government post. One of the hackers he hires via his right-hand woman, Mai Linh (Maggie Q) is Matt Farrell (Justin Long—who knew all those "I'm a Mac" commercials would finally pay off for his acting career). The nerdy kid has a knack for mutating algorithms that can be used to protect entry to buildings for example. Matt and his fellow hackers have no clue that they are pawns in a 7-level chess game being directed by Gabriel. When the first act of faux cyber terrorism occurs in the very command center for the National Information Security Center, Director Bowman (Cliff Curtis) as no choice but to round up every known, high profile, hacker. By the time his agents arrive, most have already been killed by Gabriel's men, with the exception, of course, Matt Farrell. Serendipitously, McClane is called upon to escort Matt in because he happens to be nearby Matt's location as he's been on the Rutgers campus trying to make nice with his daughter, Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who is a student. She wants nothing to do with him for reasons that aren't well explained, after all her father's sort of a legend—or is that the explanation? In any case, in trying to extract Matt from his computer lair, he runs into Gabriel's crew trying to put the fix on the final hacker on their own list. Of course, they've not had experience dealing with John McClane before—the only guy still known for taking down entire battalions single handedly and without shoes or martial arts training. Needless to say, McClane and Farrell escape and end for DC to bring Matt in for questioning. Thus begins their foray into a thick plot where Thomas Gabriel has a three stage plan to execute the rumored fire sale plan to bring down the government electronically.
It was smart to release this film mid-week at the end of June so that it can get in a few days more prior to the release of Transformers. It's not that Live Free or Die Hard won't be able to handle itself, it's that it won't be able to handle itself. There are still a huge number of Die Hard fans who were in college when the original blew us away on screen, who are beholden to the character, etc. But, it seems far-fetched to think this story will captivate the minds of the next few generations to the same degree. More than half of what made Die Hard so great at the time was that it had went down a road most had never seen before and the evolution of John McClane from sort of an average NYPD Blue off on a vacation to see his wife and kids who've relocated to LA into this all-out action hero. The sequels have presumed him to be such, therefore, that part of the magic is lost.
Note for parents on rating: When Die Hard came out, I had a long discussion with a physician parent friend of mine about how in the US we are much tougher in our ratings on films that entail sex vs. those that exhibit violence. The PG-13 rating for this latest Die Hard film exemplifies the story again. His point was that normal, consenting sex between two legal adults will automatically generally earn an R rating if they show much of anything, but you can shoot 50 people in the head and walk away without remorse to a PG rating (I don't believe there was a PG-13 at the time). Well, here we are again, with the Motion Picture rating association giving out a pretty callous PG-13. It is time for the raters to think about their system of giving low admission ratings for films with this much brutal violence while scaring people who might enjoy a film away from say, I don't know, last year's real Best Picture, Little Children, because of some sex scenes. Perhaps if some raw violence earned an R now and again, the stigma of the R would wear off a bit. You can make money with an R-rated film. There are plenty of 17-year olds to go around. But, there's no way I would have rated this film PG-13. A PG-13 tells all of the soccer moms and dads that this film is ok to drop your kid off to see after summer league practice. It does not warn them to give this film a second thought.
Live Free or Die Hard represents a worthy and enjoyable action film belonging well in the Die Hard franchise legacy. No, it is not as good as the original Die Hard—no action film probably ever will be. Still, it is more entertaining: humorous, action-packed, adrenalin-pumping, and stunt-filled than the previous two sequels. While retaining the character of John McClane and that which made him so tough, the film incorporates much of the latest in visual effects audiences have come to expect. Adding Justin Long as Willis's sidekick was risky as, no offense to the "I'm a Mac" geek, but he doesn't look very much like a Willis protégé—though he honestly does pull this off by the end. While occasionally insipid in her rejection for her father, Mary Elizabeth Winstead also brought a fresh angle to the story. More development of their history would have positively impacted the overall film, however. Timothy Olyphant showed some signs of Gary Oldman here with the potential to play some terrifying villains. He's just barely scratched the surface in this role. Nothing is more evil, actually, than a decent looking guy with wicked eyebrows that can charm you right off a cliff with no visible sign of remorse or even malice, more sheer indifference. His character holds no regard for human life.
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It was smart to release this film mid-week at the end of June so that it can get in a few days more prior to the release of Transformers. It's not that Live Free or Die Hard won't be able to handle itself, it's that it won't be able to handle itself. There are still a huge number of Die Hard fans who were in college when the original blew us away on screen, who are beholden to the character, etc. But, it seems far-fetched to think this story will captivate the minds of the next few generations to the same degree. More than half of what made Die Hard so great at the time was that it had went down a road most had never seen before and the evolution of John McClane from sort of an average NYPD Blue off on a vacation to see his wife and kids who've relocated to LA into this all-out action hero. The sequels have presumed him to be such, therefore, that part of the magic is lost.
Note for parents on rating: When Die Hard came out, I had a long discussion with a physician parent friend of mine about how in the US we are much tougher in our ratings on films that entail sex vs. those that exhibit violence. The PG-13 rating for this latest Die Hard film exemplifies the story again. His point was that normal, consenting sex between two legal adults will automatically generally earn an R rating if they show much of anything, but you can shoot 50 people in the head and walk away without remorse to a PG rating (I don't believe there was a PG-13 at the time). Well, here we are again, with the Motion Picture rating association giving out a pretty callous PG-13. It is time for the raters to think about their system of giving low admission ratings for films with this much brutal violence while scaring people who might enjoy a film away from say, I don't know, last year's real Best Picture, Little Children, because of some sex scenes. Perhaps if some raw violence earned an R now and again, the stigma of the R would wear off a bit. You can make money with an R-rated film. There are plenty of 17-year olds to go around. But, there's no way I would have rated this film PG-13. A PG-13 tells all of the soccer moms and dads that this film is ok to drop your kid off to see after summer league practice. It does not warn them to give this film a second thought.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Other Projects Featuring Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Cast Members
Bruce Willis
• Timothy Olyphant • Justin LongMary Elizabeth Winstead
• Maggie Q • Cliff CurtisKevin Smith
• Cyril RaffaelliDirector
Len Wiseman
Writer
Mark Bomback
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Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Live Free or Die Hard is a worthy new addition to the franchise of John McClane Die Hard films. Better than the middle two, but still lacking the complete magic of the original, Bruce Willis finds himself in the throes of battle with a thief possing as a terrorist yet again. This time, it's to steal all of the government's back up financial data captured during a cataclysmic cyber attack, and hold it for ransom. Timothy Olyphant plays the evil villain, and Justin Long appears as Willis's trusty new sidekick. It's great for the nostalgia of it all, but everyone must realize that this franchise is approaching it's 20th anniversary; and, in the mean time, the world has gotten a lot tougher aka giant transforming robots from Mars are enroute to planet earth. Still, I'll always be a huge John McClane fan.
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