Review of Live Free or Die Hard (2007) by Mark P — 18 Sep 2016

I officially don't get why people think that Live Free or Die Hard was the first truly awful film in the franchise. In my opinion it's actually one of the better ones. This particular film is more in the vein of Die Hard With a Vengeance because it has John McClane fighting his way all around an entire city with a buddy.

I'll admit that there are moments in the film that take everything to the extreme and perhaps push your suspension of disbelief. For one thing it falls into the typical movie idea of what hacking looks like (lots of fast typing,) and also it suggests that Justin Long with one keyboard can mystically break into any computer system with relative ease.

Luckily, I've always been willing to forgive movie computers and the more simplistic/silly way they work. Some of the action is also a little over-the-top and extreme, but I think if you've made it this far in the Die Hard franchise then you can probably accept the fact that John McClane is basically a superhero.

If you get past the hard-to-believe parts of the film, it is actually a solid story. I love that it gets personal at the end because I can feel the emotion in Bruce Willis' performance. I also enjoyed Justin Long's character getting stuck with McClane since their personalities clash.

Live Free or Die Hard isn't all that smart, but it is a ton of fun.