John McClane Lives Hard With A Vengeance!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2007)

When the original Die Hard was released in 1988, it did not receive much fanfare. It was the 80's, and every semi-celebrity, singer, pro athlete, was getting a crack at being a movie star. Mostly men, starring in low rent action flicks (Hi, Brian Bosworth). Die Hard starred an actor known only for his comedic chops on a popular, chick-friendly TV show. No one had any kind of expectations. Yet, history was made with that movie. It introduced the "everyman" hero. The normal guy who gets scared, bleeds when he gets shot, and is easily identifiable with the audience. Plus it was the most fast paced, edge of your seat, in your face action movie ever made. To this day, it is the movie that all modern action films are measured against. It inspired endless clones and, of course, the inevitable sequels. Sequels are, of course, often inferior to the original. But a sequel doesn't have to be better than its predecessor to be a good movie. Die Hard 2 and Die Hard With A Vengeance, while not as good as the original, are still great action movies. Now, almost 20 years after the first film, Bruce Willis returns to the role that made him a movie star, and delivers once again. Live Free Or Die Hard is not only the most amazing action movie in years, but is the best in the series since the original. Timothy Olyphant leads a group of cyber terrorists bent on destroying the American infrastructure. They completely shut down traffic, crash the stock market, and plunge the entire eastern seaboard into a blackout. Willis' put upon character John McClane is thrown into the middle of the mess when he is told to pick up a young computer hacker who may be involved in a series of murders involving other hackers. Justing Long does a great job as the hacker, Martin, who had no idea what he was getting into. It could have been a cliché role. The helpless nerd that screams and cowers in fear when the you-know-what hits the fan. Instead Martin proves himself a capable young man that, though scared out his mind, rises to the occasion, and stands by McClane even though he knows it could cost him his life. The scenes between Willis and McClane are the heart of the movie. They form a bond much like an estranged father and son reconnecting. But Martin is every bit the sarcastic smart-ass that McClane is, and their banter creates some truly hilarious moments. Also noteworthy is Mary Elizabeth Winstead who plays McClanes daughter, Lucy. She too could have had a cliché role. She could have either been the typical damsel in distress, or the too tough for her own good chick, who generally comes across as laughable. Instead, she strikes a perfect balance between the two. She's is a vulnerable young woman, but she's also the daughter of an NYPD cop, and can take care of herself. At one point she flat out challenges Olyphant's character to a fight by saying "Let's step outside. We'll see who hurts who." And you believe that, given the chance, she might very well mop the floor with this guy. Of all the actors in the movie Timothy Olyphant has the biggest shoes to fill. Olyphant's villain, while not as flamboyant as the others, seems to be the most driven. He doesn't make time for fancy speeches like Alan Rickman's Hans, or give the good guy puzzles to figure out like Jeremy Irons' Simon. He's just totally straightforward. He knows what he wants done, and he wants it now. He's not an especially memorable villain, but he is an effective one. But when you talk Die Hard, you really are talking one thing in general...action. This movie delivers and then some. I must give director Len Wiseman a tremendous credit. There are several virtuoso action scenes in this movie. From a shootout in Martin's cramped apartment building, to a cat and mouse game between a helicopter and a police car that culminates in an absolutely thrilling tunnel sequence, the movie never lets go. Only at the end, when McClane squares off with a military F-35 while driving a semi truck, does the movie venture more into True Lies territory, than Die Hard. Still, it's an exciting sequence that's fun to watch. Finally, I must say THANK GOD for Bruce Willis. What has been missing in modern action movies, more than anything else, is a real TOUGH GUY. Thanks to cgi, we've grown accustomed to scrawny little actors like Keanu Reeves becoming action heroes, because visual effects can make them do anything. (To be fair to Keanu, I must acknowledge the fact that he did bulk up in another of the great action movies, Speed) We have been in need of guy that we believe can kick bad guy tail. Bruce still has the everyman thing going on, but he's also got the tough guy down cold. He is in perfect form in his signature roll. He's tough, cool, and works the "why me?" attitude better than anyone around. McClane isn't in this fight to prove anything. He's doing it because he has to. Because, as they say in the movie, he's "that guy". In a summer full over over budget, over-hyped sequels, this is the first one to deliver the goods. It gives you what you want, and adds more on top of it. In a sense, history is repeating itself. In 1988, no one expected anything from the original Die Hard. Now, 19 years later, in a summer full of overblown "epics" that rest on the laurels of their predecessors, Live Free Or Die Hard makes good on the promise made to us in 1988 with the first film...it blows us through the back wall of the theater. It may not be the biggest movie of the summer, but so far, it is BY FAR the best.