John Mclane is back and better than ever!

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 2007)

I went to see this movie thinking it was going to be a mediocre sequel that would ultimately destroy the beloved die hard reputation. Boy was I wrong! This movie was probably in the top 2 of the best sequels of the summer. It was a nice departure from the CGI-infested summer blockbusters. Almost immediately you are thrown in the middle of one of John Mclane's worst days of his life. The action never lets up and even though the plot is somewhat unrealistic, the one-liners and jokes poured on by Bruce and Justin suck you in and take you on a wild ride filled with chaos and destruction. For most die hard fans, the basic elements are there: violent fights and shootouts, incredible stunts, leather holster, and a extraordinarily evil villain who can outsmart everybody except the cop from jersey. It even makes quite a few references to the first Die Hard movies. While I was disappointed that John Mctiernan was not going to direct this one, I loved how the movie turned out. John's charisma and sarcastic dark humor is back. The action sequences are extremely fresh and cool. One of their best attributes is that they refrain from stickingto the regular clichés. One of the major disappointments of the moviewas its pg-13 rating. I was anticipating another spectacular medley of brutal fights, bloody deaths,(especially like the terrorists getting shot in the kneecaps in the first Die Hard). But there's a limit when it comes to a pg-13 movie. Now don't get me wrong, live free or die hard is extremely violent for a teen movie, but one of my bigger hopes is that an r-rated or unrated version of the movie will come out on DVD. I think true fans of the series will appreciate this sequel. It wasn't disappointing and it was rather a refreshing visit to one of the best characters in movie history.