Mindless entertainment of the foremost quality

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2008)

Despite frequent critical bashing dismissing such efforts as empty vessels for pyrotechnics, making a proper action movie does take a certain craftsmanship completely separate from the sort which would result in a quality conventional drama. Keeping that in mind, it would be difficult to dispute the claim that few films in the genre have demonstrated such consistently quality work bearing on such standards as the Die Hard series - in fact, it is debatable that the series helped originate the standard for "summer escapism" in the first place. Those familiar with the former antics of wisecracking cop John McClane will be thrilled to hear that Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth film in the series, exemplifies everything which made the first three successes.
The MacGuffin of a plot, detailing a computer centered widespread terrorist attack on Independence Day weekend is just sensible enough to give Willis some credulity in his rampant destruction, striving to save the day once again. And while the usual gaping plot holes, archetypal characters and clichéd situations are as prevalent as ever, and as usual both McClane and his adversaries rack up enough damage to kill an entire army singlehandedly without being significantly slowed down, but such concerns are for the most part besides the point. This is, after all a Die Hard movie, action fantasy at its foremost, where any plot hole can easily be explained away by an explosion or two, and director Len Wiseman certainly does not disappoint on the explosion front. Keeping things moving at a thunderous pace, the astronomical number of action or chase sequences easily makes for the most consistently action packed and flat out exhilarating Die Hard film to date. As would be expected, the action scenes are as usual the central draw of the film, and they live up to expectations formidably, delivering some of the most gripping, deliriously entertaining thrills seen in years - the sheer unapologetic destruction almost laudable in its blatant ignorance of common sense or decor.
Bearing this in mind, it is the slower, emotional scenes which really drag down the film the most. One would be hard pressed to find an audience seeing a Die Hard film for any heavy emotional introspection, and while an attempt at giving the characters depth is a nice attempt, with such a paltry script, such scenes would have done better being left out entirely if not rewritten, to leave room for more interesting scenes (or at least those containing explosions). Instead of adding emotional depth or poignancy to the film, soul-searching exchanges between McClane and his daughter or hacker Matt Farrell are almost laughable in their sloppily written cliché, and detract from the heart-pounding fun of the rest of the film. The musical score similarly wallows in cliché, though does prove similarly adrenaline pumping, and compliments the action well enough, without adding anything special.
As would be expected for such a film, performances are generally an afterthought, and while hardly as abysmal as they could have been, the cast generally fail to outshine the explosions they come into contact with. Reprising the signature role he could play in his sleep, Bruce Willis extracts every gruffly endearing iota from John McClane, wisecracking and slickly delivering formidable destructive onslaughts with ease. Justin Long suitably inhabits the role of manic computer hacker Matt Farrell, essaying the comic relief and 'civilian voice of reason' figure with aplomb. Saddled with most of the worst lines in the film, Timothy Olyphant makes for a rather drab villain, deprived of any real menace or merit apart from angry frowning. Fellow adversary Maggie Q excels in her action scenes but is given next to no character to work with outside of them, apart from posing statuesquely on occasion. As McClane's headstrong daughter, Mary Elizabeth Winstead does little to improve her weakly written part, but Cliff Curtis does his best, putting forth a quality performance as a harried FBI head of security. Watch also for an amusing Kevin Smith cameo as a laughably nerdy hacker.
Fans of the former three films will doubtlessly be drawn to the same unabashed sense of mindless destruction which made the earlier installments so shamefully enjoyable, and Willis back on the top of his game makes the ride a blast. While those seeking character development or sensible plots are clearly on the wrong track entirely, Live Free or Die Hard hits hard on every front which a Die Hard should - yippie-kay-ay!
-8/10