A Crisis Worthy Of John McClane

Rating: 7/10 (11 March 2017)

Bruce Willis (and the Die Hard franchise he perpetuated) will always be judged next to the other famous action franchises of the 1980s, such as "Rocky", "Rambo", & "The Terminator". While all those series got re-booted in the 2000s, they also contained a heavy dose of nostalgia for the past. In "Live Free or Die Hard", however, it is "full steam ahead" with little time for remembrance.
For a basic plot summary, "Live Free" sees John McClane (Willis) pulled into another tense criminal situation when villain Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Oliphant) executes an event of cyber- terrorism severe enough to bring Washington to its knees. Along with "hack-boy" Matt Farrell (Justin Long), McClane sets out to find the perpetrators and bring them some 1980s-style justice.
This film really works primarily due to airtight direction & pacing. Director Len Wiseman never lets the pace flag whatsoever. When the action dies down, the wisecracks & humor ramps up. Suffice it to say that there is never a boring moment what with all the action, chases, explosions, technology, & typical Willis humor.
The main plot ("cyber-terrorism") also serves to usher McClane into the 21st century. McClane's old-school justice provides a nice counterpoint to the tech-nerd played by Long (who is actually, on a rare occasion, watchable in this effort).
Actually, the only negative thing I can say about this movie is that I almost wished it would have harkened back to the themes of the original even perhaps a bit more. There is a subplot involving the daughter of McClane, but little more is mentioned (besides a few "easter egg moments") regarding the original Die Hard trilogy.
Overall, though, "Live Free" is a great addition to the Die Hard cannon (already better than parts two & three). For an action-oriented film, it really holds its weight.