Live Free or Die Hard

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2009)

NYPD senior detective John McClane(Bruce Willis) must deal with cyber terrorists who are shutting down major cities along the Eastern seashore and, with a hacker, Matthew Farrell(Justin Long) wanted by the FBI(..he's responsible for a certain code which has aided the terrorists), must stop them. Thomas Gabriel(Timothy Olyphant) is the scorned computer genius(..he attempted to warn the government of how vulnerable America is of an cyber attack, through unpopular means only using a lap top, leading to his dismissal) leading the team of terrorists whose operation is to withdraw all the financial data from government networks, with hired gunmen, equipped with the latest hi-tech weaponry at their disposal, out to kill McClane or anyone else in their way. McClane and Farrell will have to assist each other in order to combat a seriously dangerous enemy who have incredible abilities using technology as their weapon. McClane is the brawn(..using his instincts and determination to avoid constant attacks on his life)and Farrell is the brains(..a brilliant tech-savvy kid whose knowledge comes in handy when faced with undoing Gabriel's handiwork). Eventually, as these actioners often do, McClane's own daughter, Lucy(Mary Elizabeth Winstead)will be kidnapped by Gabriel as a bargaining chip, putting extra pressure on him as he attempts to stop these criminals.
I didn't think it could be done, but the filmmakers were able to make Live Free or Die Hard even more outrageous and preposterous than Die Hard With a Vengeance..not an easy feat. You have bridges collapsing while McClane, driving a semi, dodges the firepower from a f35 jet(..oh, and how he is able to use the jet to escape certain peril must be seen to be believed!). There's the amazing sequence in the tunnel where McClane and Farrell narrowly avoid cars spiraling towards them. McClane is able to use a vehicle to cut a chopper right into. Even a smaller scale action sequence where McClane must escape constant gunfire in Farrell's apartment as gunmen surround them(..McClane was simply supposed to escort Farrell to headquarters where gunmen were sent to kill Farrell because of his involvement with Gabriel)will have most saying to themselves, "Yeah, right." I have to say the major sequence where Gabriel has all the traffic lights turned green with miles of vehicles halted(..as well as a fake destruction of the White House as citizens are shocked to silence)in DC is as impressive as I've seen in those Hollywood disaster pictures. McClane, the poor guy, is always one false step away from certain death, yet he's hard to kill. His resourcefulness is beyond amazing..one of our great action heroes. As any exciting action film should be, Live Free or Die Hard never lets you catch a breath as McClane and Farrell move from one difficult situation to another, having to interrupt Gabriel's mission to swindle the country by using our technology as a tool. Maggie Q has another nifty supporting role as a "kung fu bitch" who causes McClane a lot of hurt, and their battle escalates into bravura fashion with a SUV driven down an elevator shaft! The use of technology wonderfully contrasts with McClane, an old school cop taken aback by the "cyber-speak" often used by Farrell. I thought Winstead, though not used until the final thirty or so minutes, is quite effective as McClane's daughter, eliciting traits similar to her old man. Good chemistry(..Willis always seems at home when partnered with a sidekick)between Willis and Long, their differences actually enhance the relationship while trying to save the world.