An overlooked gem

Rating: 9/10 (17 August 2015)

Live Free or Die Hard was the only Die Hard film to be released with a PG-13 rating. This angered many fans and it did make it seem a bit watered down. However they soon released a unrated cut restoring it to a R rated film. Even though a couple of hard core fans of Die Hard would not think much of this movie. I personally love this movie. Never really got the hate.
This time John McClane is going up against some cyber-terrorist led by Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) who have taken control of the US infrastructure and economy. Now it's up to McClane and a hacker now wanted by the terrorists Matthew Farrell (Justin Long) to stop them.
Mostly new cast. Matt is OK as a sidekick, not as good as Zeus but still good. He and McClane work off each other well. McClane is the action hero; strong, brave, and heroic but totally lost when it comes to computers. Matt is the opposite; he works well with computers but isn't good with the whole shooting and fighting thing. Another new face is Lucy McClane (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) McClane's grown up and estranged daughter.
The villain is also pretty good. He is similar to most of the other villains that would lose in a fist fight with McClane. McClane fights with guns and his fists, but Gabriel fights with technology. Yet again McClane and the villain have a very entertaining relationship. They do the usual; taunt, insult, and threaten each other. He seems like a decent guy, probably the least psychotic of all the villains. But looks are deceiving as he is truly diabolical and is the only villain that kills some of his own team after they've finished their use. And he starts to deteriorate as the film goes on. He starts off relatively calm, but by the end, his sadistic and cruel personality begin to surface.
The action is as always, amazing. Some of the best in the franchise. Some may say that it might of went a bit too over the top (most notably when McClane is chased by the fighter jet). That may be true, but I personally didn't mind it too much. Some other scenes like the tunnel scene are just awesome.
Another reason I like this movie is that it raises the stakes. Near the last act, Lucy gets kidnapped by the terrorists, which makes it more personal. In Die Hard with a Vengeance McClane had no family with him which didn't make the stakes as high. This is similar to Die Hard and Die Hard 2 in which his wife became a hostage. Also unlike Die Hard with a Vengeance the ending did not feel out of place or rushed.
The action isn't the only good thing about this movie. One brilliant scene is when McClane and Matt are driving and McClane talks about being a hero and what he got for being one. It's a very good scene that shows John McClane as a reluctant hero that becomes one because no one else can.
In short Live Free or Die Hard is to me, the best Die Hard sequel out there and doesn't deserve the hate it gets from some of the fans. You can hate all you want, but I'll be too busy watching this great film that I won't hear it. With four good films under its belt this is a great franchise to watch if you haven't watched it yet.