Die Hard should be Die Hard

Rating: 7/10 (1 July 2007)

I am a huge fan of the series. I was looking at some scenes in the first one recently. I really love that scene with the Asian guy making sure that nobody's watching him steal a candy bar. There are so many fun characters in the first movie, also in the second and third. Even the ones who don't even have lines. A good example is the Asian guy. All these small scenes are important. It makes the characters more real.
Of course everybody knows that. Right ?
I'm sad to say that Live Free Or Die Hard does not deliver the characters. Justin and Bruce are a good duo. Kevin Smith is funny but the rest is not worth talking about. Of course Maggie Q is hot ! We don't know what Timothy Olyphant's character wants until late in the movie. Thats just bad writing and direction. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that. If you don't know what the character wants there is no conflict, and without conflict there is no drama, and without drama there is no action.
This is the first film I see directed by Len Wiseman. He has got a good eye for visual style that's for sure. But to me, what makes die hard 'die hard' are the characters, great plot points and larger then life action.
I also really miss Michael Kamen's score. To me that's a huge part of Die Hard.