Movie Reviews - new films reviewed

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is ordered to pick up computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) for the FBI - looks like an easy job any patrolman could do. But where John McClane is, there is mayhem and destruction. Just when McClane has arrived in Farrell’s flat, goons with assault guns are there to get the hacker. Farrell is the last one of a group of hackers hired by Mai Linh (Maggie Q) and Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) to write code for them - all the others have already been eliminated.
Then traffic starts to collapse and the lights go out - Mai Linh and Gabriel are launching an online “Fire Sale” attack on the United States. FBI and NSA are helpless, and it’s up to McClane to save America and his kidnapped daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

If Live Free Or Die Hard, also known as Die Hard 4.0 would be a B-movie, it would probably be titled Dirty Bruce vs. Ninja Karate Hackers. It’s Bruce Willis/John McClane as we know him - dirty, bruised and bleeding, fighting alone against a bunch of goons led by a mad terrorist with a mission. Only this time, he doesn’t have to save just a building (Die Hard), an airport (Die Hard 2 - Die Harder) or a city (Die Hard with a Vengeance) - this time the good ole’ United States are at stake. And instead of now-ex wife Holly (portrayed by Bonnie Bedelia in Die Hard 1, 2 and 3) the family member in peril is daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead - sexy and tough) this time.
Did i say John McClane fights alone? Well, not totally alone - he has a bit of help from Matt Farrell (Justin Long). Computer nerds don’t seem to make good movie characters (Hugh Jackman: a bit ridiculous in Swordfish; Sandra Bullock: a bit dull in The Net; everybody in Perfect Stranger: ouch!; …), but Justin Long ain’t too bad, though he is no Reginald VelJohnson (Sgt. Al Powell from the original Die Hard). And Kevin Smith as “Warlock” in his “command center” is the exception from the rule.
John McClane looks at a lifesized Boba Fett figure in the Warlock’s “command center”
The Warlock: Oh… so you’re a fan of the Fett?
John McClane: No, I was always a fan of Star Wars…
Live Free Or Die Hard is by no means enlightening, insightful, original or artistically valuable - but it’s a popcorn-movie in the best sense of the word, with enough action, fights, chases and explosions to keep you entertained enough to forget the sillyness of it all - and that’s quite an achievement!

Live Free Or Die Hard movie trailer

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2007 at 3:09 pm and is filed under 4-star-movies, 3-star-movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.