Live Free or Die Hard is preposterously, outrageously over the top and wonderfully, satisfyingly entertaining. Constant Viewer doesn't use phrases like "kickin' it old school," but if he did that's exactly the sort of thing he'd say about this movie. The dialog is crisp, witty and, oh by the way, proof that today's PG-13 would have earned an R rating the last time we saw New York City cop John McClane, which was twelve years ago. The acting and directing are brisk and energetic and the plot and special effects, absurd though they both are, rise appropriately to audiences' ever higher expectations for action films. If a better summer movie awaits us, it's going to be one hell of a summer.
Bruce Willis at 52 teaches many younger action heroes a thing or two about how to do it right in Live Free or Die Hard. This is certainly his strongest performance in the franchise since his first outing as John McClane in 1988 brought him instant film stardom. IMDb reports that Willis was the fifth choice for the main character, offers originally going to Arnold Schwarzenegger, then Sylvester Stallone, then Burt Reynolds, then Richard Gere before Willis finally got it. Had he not gotten the role, chances are pretty good he'd be known today as "the guy who played against Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting."
This time around, McClane gets tasked by the FBI to retrieve computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long), suspected of involvement with a computer terrorist plot that begins to shut down the Eastern United States. When McClane's daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) gets taken hostage by principle bad guy Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), things get personal. The plot-required relationship between McClane and Farrell could easily have turned the film into a bad buddy movie, but it doesn't. What's more, Winstead gives a bravura performance in her small but significant role as McClane's estranged daughter and Kevin Smith fans will enjoy his character's small but important role in helping McClane and Farrell track down Gabriel.
Of course, Live Free or Die Hard is completely formulaic and, sure, you've seen variations on its theme and plot and character interaction dozens of times before. But there's a good reason for that. When action movies work, really work, they're just about the best reason there is for going out to see a movie just for the sheer fun of it. Live Free or Die Hard really works and really delivers. Go, see it on the big screen and take the older kids with you. Let 'em see how it was done "old school" before the good guys all wore spandex.
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