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| Release Date: | June 27, 2007 (US), July 4, 2007 (UK) |
| Runtime: | 130 min |
| Rated: | PG-13 |
| Genres: | Action, Adventure, Thriller |
| Directed by: | Len Wiseman |
| Written by: | Mark Bomback |
| Starring: | Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long, Maggie Q, Kevin Smith |
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 Let me first just say that I was very skeptical going into the long awaited 4th installment to the Die Hard franchise. I was very surprised that even Die Hard with a Vengeance was so good not to mention it has been over 10 years since that even came out. John McTiernan wasn’t directing this one either; he directed with a Vengeance and of course the first movie but skipped out on Die Harder which I thought was the least successful. That all aside, the most vulnerable quality I saw in the movie was the fact that it was rated “PG-13” instead of “R”. Let me be the first to tell you, it really didn’t hurt it that much.
Yes, John McClane is back in Live Free or Die Hard and he is completely bald. Yes, he is a bit older and slower but that’s ok. He’s still the same wiseass flatfoot he has been since Bruce Willis played the cop stuck in the Nakatomi Plaza nearly 20 years ago. Like the previous films, this one pits him against more high tech terrorist baddies that he stumbles across in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I mean the plot isn’t the most feasible story ever told, but that’s ok. The story follows a conspiracy against the US Government’s digital infrastructure partly supported by a lowly hacker played by Justin Long. McClane is sent on a routine pickup of the cyber-geek to take him to the FBI for questioning but is intercepted by terrorist baddies that want to erase Long’s character along with any evidence of his support in the crime. From there McClane and Long take a long journey to foil any chance of these terrorists’ scheme to destroy the United States as we know it.
Ok, if you’ve seen the trailers for this and are thinking that this is nothing but an over-the-top action flick, you’re only partially right. The ad-campaign was to inspire new, younger filmgoers to go see a character that most 13 year old weren’t allowed to see till now. I can forgive this just because the movie is really good and the characters are really interesting as they have always been in Die Hard movies.
I can’t say that all old school McClane fans will like the film because there are a lot of plus and minuses. I favored the movie because of the plus factor but you might see more negative. Either way, I’ve thought it would be easier for you to make your mind up if I listed the pros and cons for you to decide. I’ll still promise you that you’ll like it if you liked any of the sequels. This movie stands proudly with the other films in the series.
| Pros |
Cons |
 | • Willis is in this movie. It could be worse; could you imagine Ben Affleck playing McClane? |
 | • This movie is rated PG-13 so it automatically knocks this movie a hardcore point. |
 | • Justin Long is a likeable guy. He keeps the movie going with his wimpy comical antics. |
 | • Again, the rating caused the language to be less hardcore and intense. |
 | • McClane gets his ass kicked. As with every Die Hard movie, this is the most important ingredient. |
 | • The rating also cut a lot of the blood; luckily it was still violent as hell. |
 | • Maggie Q is in this movie. She is hot and kicks Willis around for 15 minutes. It’s fantastic. |
 | • Timothy Olpyhant is the villain and he is way less cool than Alan Rickman or Jeremy Irons. |
 | • They actually reference a lot of the previous films including McClane’s estranged divorce from Holly Gennero. |
 | • We are introduced to McClane’s grown daughter; luckily she is a chip off the old block. |
 | • This movie is balls to the wall action the only way McClane can do it. |
 | • Kevin Smith has a pretty decent part in the flick. |
 | • Live Free or Die Hard comes prepackaged with some of your favorite McClane phrases like “What are you doing John”, “This is a bad idea”, and of course “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.” |
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