Review: Live Free Or Die Hard (2007)
Scott Mendelson
2007
126 minutes
Rated PG-13
By Scott Mendelson
For the last two months, the story around Live Free Or Die Hard (aka
Die Hard IV) has been Fox's decision to rework the film for the sake
of getting a PG-13 rating. Of course, the original three Die Hard
films were hard-R, with graphic violence, pervasive profanity, and a
general rough-and-tumble quality that were (along with the Lethal
Weapon films) the standard bearers of adult action entertainment for
about a decade. Having now seen the film, I now ask Fox what exactly
it was thinking, but not for the reason you think.
The film is still brutally violent, with an on screen body count
that nearly exceeds the combined totals of parts 1 and 3 (part 2, with
its two passenger airplane crashes, is still the
record holder). There are point-blank executions galore, and many
vicious fight scenes, gruesome explosions, and fatal car wrecks.
Point being, fans of the series should know that this is still a
rough, profane, and violent adult action film. On the other hand,
it's a sorry state for the MPAA when this is considered more
appropriate for children than the previous entries just because there
is less blood and no one says the 'f' word (the way they work in
McClane's catchphrase within these confines is surprisingly
effective).
However, for those who are old enough to attend middle school or
drive a car, this is a surprisingly effective large-scale adventure
picture. The plot involves Timothy Olyphant as a rogue ex-government
agent attempting to shut down the country by hacking into our
electrical systems. Ironically, the story progression in the first
act often resembles Willis's terrific 16 Blocks from last year, albeit
with emotional heft traded in for elaborate shootouts and fights. The
action scenes are set-up in a way to mirror the claustrophobia and
vulnerability of the original film. With the exception of a third act
True Lies rip-off, the action bits are relatively creative and the
filmmakers were smart to fill the villain roster with notable
sidekicks and thugs. Maggie Q does king-fu and District B-13's Cyril
Raffaelli does his 'parkour' wall-bouncing thing, alas all too
briefly.
As for our star, a bald Bruce Willis slides back into his
signature role with a minimum of fuss. The main qualms come with the
heavy-handed treatment of the generation gap between McClane and the
villain, as well as Willis's accidental sidekick (Justin Long plays a
computer geek who's apparently too young to have heard of the classic
song 'Fortunate Son').
Also, the screenplay goes a little overboard in re-establishing
McClane as a bitter pill who only reluctantly saves the day (the
opening scene is also a little creepy as McClane is shown basically
stalking his college-aged daughter). Justin Long comes off better
than expected, thanks to a subplot that deals with his guilt for
having inadvertently helped cause the chaos that unfolds. For most of
the film, he is not hip or cool, but scared and slightly ashamed.
Speaking of that college-aged daughter, the third act stumbles
by allowing Lucy McClane to be abducted by the villains, which is
unfortunate, as the character has been kidnapped in at least two Die
Hard videogames. Since the conflict between McClane and the evil
Gabriel is established and Long spends much of the film in mortal
peril, there is no reason to pull out this most tired of clichés.
Regardless of past whiffs (the Underworld films), director Len
Wiseman proves capable of pulling together a solid, crowd-pleasing
action vehicle that showcases authentic top-notch stunt work and
quality fight choreography. As a bonus, the supporting cast is filled
with reliable character actors. Cliff Curtis is solid as the head
government agent dealing with the mess, although Zeljko Ivanek is so
wasted that I was sure he was going to be revealed as a traitor in the
third act.
I still question Fox's decision to dub out the f-words in order
to get that PG-13 (the bad dubbing is pretty funny at times), since
they've now created a film that is still inappropriate for younger
children but whose rating may scare off or offend hard-action
junkies. And, if Fox wants the family audience, why are they opening
this against Pixar's Ratatouille?
Studio politics aside, Live Free Or Die Hard is a fun, well-
crafted adult action film. So far, with this and Rocky Balboa, we're
2 for 2 in 80s nostalgia revamps. This gives me hope for Rambo IV
(which will be a hard-R), to say nothing of the much anticipated (and
somewhat feared) fourth Indiana Jones film. It's not a patch on the
original, or the underrated Die Harder, but it is about as good as Die
Hard With A Vengeance. It doesn't Die Hardest, but it doesn't Die
Hardly either.
Grade: B