Live Free or Die Hard [Blu-ray]

No, this movie does not compare to the original DIE HARD. Let's just get that out of the way right off the top, shall we? I frankly can't imagine any movie comparing. It was one of those rare movies that turns an entire genre on its head...or even invents a new genre. How many DIE HARD rip-offs have there been? Many of them awful...and many of them pretty good...but still, they are knock-offs. SPEED? DIE HARD on a bus. Still a great movie...but it didn't feel 100% original. DIE HARD did. Simple as that. I still watch that film and thrill to it...I may know everything that's coming...but it is so well-crafted and structured...so well edited and acted...you just see over and over why it is unmatched.LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is still a damn fun movie!!! So what if it isn't DIE HARD...it's still one of the most exciting and outrageous films in a long time. A formula flick that delights, surprises and satisfies on a gut level. It promises a thrill-ride and it delivers. It does not promise intellectual insight (and delivers none), great political commentary (arguably there is a little bit snuck in) nor would it ever claim to be a Best Picture Oscar contender. And that's a GOOD thing. It is fun! And the kind of fun that only a movie can deliver.Willis is John McClain again...many years older. His wisecracks are a little dispirited (at least at the beginning), not because the movie is unoriginal...but because McClain is a little burnt out himself. We first see him spying on his teenage daughter to make sure the guy she's making out with is okay. It's a funny situation, but it's a little sad too. Here's this guy who has basically saved thousands of people from obliteration...and he still can't get his personal life together.He is quickly thrust into saving the life of a computer nerd (Justin Long), and wouldn't you know it...this is no ordinary case. This is another world-shaking, cataclysmic terrorist event in the making...and only McClain can save the day! Yep, you just want to roll your eyes...but 99% of you just smiles, kicks back and relaxes. You know you're in good hands.Willis really delivers. He knows how to play this part with his eyes closed...but the great thing is, he doesn't coast. (He has coasted in the past...but to his credit, Willis is one of the most physically committed actors around...he seldom just phones in his work.) And he is well-matched with Justin Long. Talk about an odd-couple! Naturally, as the movie progresses, and Willis saves Long's life for about the 100th time, Long grows to respect this artifact of a by-gone era. And Willis grows fond of this nerdy kid. Nothing earth-shattering there...but their by-play is so well-done that it feels, if not fresh, at least well-thought out.Maggie Q is in the Alexander Gudonov role...you know, the henchman to the main bad guy...the one who almost never talks but can sure kick some serious butt. She is extremely physically in her role, and she and Willis have a brutal and brilliantly stage (and super exciting) fight scene. This alone almost makes the entire movie worth seeing. It's one of the best fight scenes in a long time. Outrageously unlikely...but only made more enjoyable for that fact.Speaking of bad guys...Timothy Olyphant plays the master criminal, and it's an odd casting choice. He's supposed to be one of these mild-mannered, soft-spoken but oh-so-dangerous psychos. Sadly, he mostly comes across as mild-mannered and maybe a little peeved. The plan he's executing is a lot of fun (I won't spoil it...but suffice it to say that he wants the world to go REALLY low-tech), and the details of it are enjoyable to follow...but Olyphant is only really weak link in the acting chain here.The stunts in this movie are among the most jaw-dropping I've ever seen. Apparently, the more ridiculous the better...and again, it's that sense of glee, that sense that the filmmakers know perfectly well that what they've constructed is entirely without credibility...that makes it WORK! I've never laughed more at stunt work...but in a good way. I was almost like a little kid, ready to just clap my hands and stamp my feet in delight.LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is a totally "big-studio, money-grabbing, escapist summer movie." But it shows that sometimes, that kind of film, well-done, is exactly what the doctor ordered. If you enjoyed DIE HARD...you should love this film too. It doesn't reinvent the wheel...but it sure makes the biggest, loudest, most awesome wheel you've seen in a long time!!

Bruce Willis. What's not to love? Another one of his great Die Hard movies

Great movie

The original of course, and this movie.Sure, it's a bit over-the-top, but so was the original.Probably the only Samuel Jackson movie that he does a great job in. He's much better as a serious actor than in movies where he's supposed to be humorous.There are lots of great lines in this movie, although the casual watcher is probably not going to catch them. This movie has no forced humor unlike every other movie you see these days. Looking at you Star Wars and Avengers.There is one scene that is a bit too gory, and I always skip over it, but it only lasts about 10 seconds. Otherwise it's normal Die Hard style violence, that is to say, there is a lot of graphic violence.I highly doubt Hollywood could make a movie this good these days. They wouldn't even be able to figure out the Harlem scene without watering it down. Instead they would show tons of male nudity, nothing offensive, and jokes thrown in every minute.This is a more realistic view of what humans are really like. John is practically an alcoholic that has a hard time making his boss and his wife happy. But he comes through when needed even though he didn't have to. Zeus is a hard working guy with deeply seated issues that he puts aside to save the city.The action sequences are mostly very well done. I imagine it was a ton of work to coordinate with all the different filming locations to complete the scenes. It was also probably very hard to cast so many tall Germans or Eastern Europeans. The aqueduct filming, the trucks, the subway, the sets built, the helicopters, the bridge, the ship, etc. Just tons and tons of coordination and hard work.The kind of effort put into this movie would be too much for a modern film studio. They would just put their budget into CGI instead. This movie is 27 years old and holds up better than any modern movie. Even the original holds up better and that's even older.

I think the best of the Die Hard movies

Bruce was awesome