Great Action Movie, but Missing the DIE HARD Vibe

Rating: 8/10 (25 September 2012)

The fourth film in the DIE HARD franchise had a lot working against it: it had been more than a decade since the last film and the filmmakers had fallen into the recent pitfall of shooting for a PG-13 rating to broaden the audience (and, by extension, the box office profits). DIE HARD is one of those series that just cannot be anything less than a solid R-rating. If you're planning on watching LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD for the first time, do yourself a favor and find a copy of the unrated cut where the bloody violence and language have been restored to the series norm. If you do, you'll find the movie a lot better than settling for the defanged theatrical version. The movie finds John McClane (Bruce Willis, returning to the role) roped into an investigation when someone hacks the FBI and the usual suspects are rounded up. McClane's job is to bring in Matthew Farrell (Justin Long) for questioning but, before he can bring Farrell in, the two become targets for whoever has marked the hacker for death. Within hours, the United States is under a full-scale assault on its computer networks with transportation, communications, and utilities on the list of targeted systems. With the nation plunging into chaos, McClane and Farrell are the country's main hope in stopping a cyber criminal with a solid plan of bringing the United States to its knees. It's DIE HARD for a new millennium with John McClane facing his most baffling challenge yet: modern technology.
Movie studios revisiting old franchises to milk further profits out of its audience has a sketchy history of failing to provide a decent film; if you have any doubts, feel free to revisit other attempts from around the same timeKINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008) and HANNIBAL RISING (2007). The idea becomes even more questionable when the original star is brought back to the role they made legendary (e.g. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones). When the actors weren't that young to begin with, a ten year gap between films can mean a massive difference. Oddly enough, it's not so much the case with Bruce Willis. Maybe it's just because the man is the embodiment of disgruntled cop, but he falls right into the role and I never found myself questioning if he was too old for the same action. John McClane is probably Willis's best role ever and he hasn't lost that spark yet. If anything, Willis is the best part of this whole movie when the comic relief and extravagant action set pieces get to be too much. Justin Long is that comic relief, with his character of Farrell failing to speak in anything but sarcasm. It's funny for a bit, but wears by the end. The villain, played by Timothy Olyphant, is acceptable for a bit of modern day evil; rather than brute force, the most dangerous modern terrorist is the one who can steal everything the country has come to take for granted with a few keystrokes.
I actually dig the fact that DIE HARD 4.0 made an attempt to modernize the series with McClane finding himself lost and confused in a world that continued on without him. It was a cool touch. Overall, I was pretty satisfied with the story in the new movie, but it was the way it was told that didn't sit right with me. I know McClane has gotten himself into some crazy situations before, but this movie goes a little too overboard for my tastes. McClane is a stone-cold action hero, but he's always been human. He can be hurt, he can be weakened. DIE HARD 4.0 has him jumping on top of an F-35 fighter jet from a collapsing freeway and launching a police car at a helicopter. He's gone from human to superhuman. I mean, come on, I can't be the only one who felt this was the most off-putting aspect of the movie. I have to admit that this is a solid, fun action movie but it doesn't feel like a real DIE HARD. I guess this was 20th Century Fox's attempt at rejuvenating the franchise and selling it a generation of audience members who might have been too long to catch any of the originals (which also explains the PG-13), but it's sort of a betrayal from anyone wanting to sit down for a new adventure for the John McClane we know. LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD has some great action and a few sharp one-liners, but it's ultimately missing something.