Review of Live Free or Die Hard (2007) by Ken S — 26 Jan 2015

John McClaine sort of returns in this disappointing and unnecessary fourth installment in the Die Hard series. I say he sort of returns, because Willis is sort of inconsistent, at times he is full on McClaine, at others he is just being sort Willis.

The stakes are too high. The first film was a building, the second an airline, the third NYC...and now AMERICA! Upping the stakes doesn't necessarily mean upping the quality, or even the entertainment value.

The villain's plan is to shut down the infrastructure of the country, so he can either steal all the country's money or ransom the country's infrastructure FOR money...its kind of unclear.

Either way you wonder what he is going to do with that money...SINCE THE INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE GONE. Money would then be worthless. Then there is the whole realism thing. Remember in the first "Die Hard" when the laws of physics applied, and and while it wasn't completely realistic, it at least at its feet on the ground? Well this time that's all gone.

Sure McClaine still gets scratched and beat up like always, but whole highways can be destroyed, and he and Long avoid all bullets while others around them get shot several times, and cars can come flinging towards them only to be conveniently shielded by two other cars.

..and he can ride the wing of a fucking JET. My suspension of disbelief went out the door too early...whereas even in Die Hard 2, which I found to be weaker, I still could sustain my believability a little bit more.

Sadly, this is either the last film in what was a pretty great action series...or the first of more terrible sequels to "Die Hard.".