More Action But Less Story -- OK but could have been great

Rating: 6/10 (15 July 2007)

What put the original Die Hard in a class by itself in the action genre was its interesting fusion of action, plot, story and character in which all four elements were dependent upon the other. The original Die Hard certainly had a lot of non-stop action sequences but they always managed to further the plot, the story, and even the character of McClane. In Free Live Die Hard, a lot of action takes place for the sake of action. I don't think I can remember the last time I saw this many cars and trucks blowing up and/or getting smashed beyond recognition. But unfortunately, the chases and car wrecks seemed to have little to do with the story or the plot. I found they detracted rather than furthered my interest.
The essential plot is probably the most complex of any of the other Die Hard offerings. A young techno-maniac named Thomas Gabriel (played by Timothy Olyphant) is plotting revenge against the US Government for stifling his career as a security tech genius. Now he has become the hacker-from-hell who has infiltrated the US's national security, law enforcement, and power systems in the ultimate hacker's hack. And this endeavor that, not only costs lives but millions of dollars, is enacted to prove a point, like all hackers engaging in hacking (i.e. I can hack into your security system so I will). Very 21st century of course. The essential idea of the hack to end all hacks is quite brilliant. But unfortunately the hacker's motivation, plot, i.e., his story, gets snubbed in favor of more car chases.
The first part of the movie is probably the strongest when Willis befriends a 30-something computer geek, Matt Farrell (Justin Long), who knows more than the average 50-something about the world of young computer techs. As the story unfolds he reveals more about this other world to Willis. At one point the baddie says to Willis "You're an analog cop fighting in a digital world." We then meet another hacker who has beat the predatory hacker Olyphant and we are again given glimpses into the world of internet and hacker addicts. His room his replete with computers, movie posters, and junk food.
But then, the movie turns more and more into a string of hyped action sequences and never fully develops the central idea of the story. The movie instead of continuing the idea of hackers and their world, particularly the mastermind terrorist-hacker, the movie becomes about big long car chases on freeways, with only about 978 cars banged up to round out the engagement. The mastermind Al Capone of Hackers still didn't get enough development and screen time. I almost wished we had had a flashback to the time when he was a government tech consultant being undermined by top executives.
This movie still has its entertainment value but how many car chases can one see before it's starts becoming been-there-done-that. Free Live Die Hard is a movie that definitely could have lived up to much greater potential. If you love your car chases and don't care about story, see it eight times.