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"Yippee-Ki-Yay!" [Live Free or Die Hard] |
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Sunday, 15 July 2007 |
By Frederic Germay
 It nearly pains me to admit it, seeing as I've received much ridicule on the subject, that I have never seen any of the "Die Hard" movies before. I'm a pretty young guy, and those movies were probably beyond my comprehension or appreciation at the time. Also I tend to look with disdain on movies where the phones are bigger than the individual's head, despite the fact that the movies may have been classics or have had great visual effects for their time. However, after seeing "Live Free or Die Hard" and hearing critics claim that the original "Die Hard" was better, I decided that the "Die Hard" movie must be some kind of cinematic legend.
"Live Free" has all the ingredients for a summer blockbuster -- snappy one-liners, terrific performances, a surprisingly captivating plot, and action scenes that top any other movie of the year so far. What's even more shocking is that 20th Century Fox didn't overload the world with trailers and TV spots, in fact, the movie was quite under promoted. Hopefully, this won't affect the amount of viewers, since this is the best film currently in theaters.
Seeing as I'm unfamiliar with the previous "Die Hard" films, I won't bother to compare it or to suggest that it revives the dynasty. I will say that if you want to be enthralled for 2 and half hours, then this is the movie to see.
The plot involves a hacker known as Gabriel wreaking havoc on the world by shutting down all phones, manipulating transportation, eliminating electrical power, and infiltrating National Security Buildings. The government immediately assumes that these acts of terrorism are the fault of various computer hackers across the world. Since they are low on manpower, they request the aid of the local law enforcement in rounding up these particular hackers. One of these local responders is burnt-out detective, John Maclane, and his assignment is to bring in hacker Matthew Farrell, played by Justin "Hi, I'm Mac" Long.
Unfortunately, Gabriel also wants these hackers dead, and he wastes no time in killing them off. With the aid of Maclane, Farrell narrowly escapes Gabriel's cronies, and the two of them embark on a thrilling quest to uncover what is going on and how to put an end to it.
Although "Live Free" is a hard-core action epic, the multitude of hilarious exchanges between Farrell and Maclane, who are obviously on opposite sides of the technological gap, are beyond amusing. Bruce Willis proves why he was catapulted into fame by this role every time he delivers one of his guffaws and clever insults. Justin Long has long been typecast as the computer nerd, yet he still manages to deliver a rock solid performance and proves that he is a valuable addition to the "Die Hard" saga.
The villains in this film certainly have very little of a human side to them, and the justifications for their actions barely seem to escalate beyond their greed for money, despite claims of personal vengeance. Gabriel's emotional range is barely visible, and whatever actor that’s playing him seriously needs to rethink his career choice. However, his female assassin assistant is quite enjoyable to behold, and I found myself wishing that she had played a more central and prominent role in the film. The varying masses of Gabriel's henchman and their rather remarkable fighting techniques even had Maclane marveling, "Where do they get these guys?"
In the end, "Live Free or Die Hard" is definitely worth the price of an admission ticket. Even if you couldn't possibly care about character performances, then watch the movie because of its awe-striking action set pieces. If you've ever wondered how one man in a semi-truck could fend off a F-35 Fighter Jet, then you need to see this film. The only problem I had is that parts of this movie are just downright unreal. Just keep in mind that a grand suspension of disbelief is required to watch some of the rather extreme scenes. Other than that…Yippee-Ki-Yay!
I give this movie a 9/10
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