Live Free or Die Hard

The original "Die Hard" was released in 1988. It is not only my favorite action movie of all-time, it's also my favorite Christmas movie. Yes I'm serious. Just edges out "It's a Wonderful Life." "Die Hard" worked tremendously well and holds up today because it had characters and a story we actually cared about and despite the fact that it was an action movie it felt grounded in some kind of reality. It was sort of plausible...ish. Then two years later "Die Hard 2" came along and...well the less said about that one the better. "Die Hard with a Vengeance" was fun and casting Jeremy Irons as Alan Rickman's brother out for revenge was a brilliant piece of casting.
Twelve years have passed since we last saw New York cop John McClane. He's still wisecracking, still old-fashioned, still a killing machine. And that's exactly who we want John McClane to be. "Live Free" opens with computer whiz Matt Farrell ("Dodgeball's" Justin Long) inadvertantly helping a computer terrorist organization begin their new operation.
Meanwhile McClane is, as usual, not in his jurisdiction. He finds his daughter Lucy ("Grindhouse's" Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in a car with a guy he doesn't know up in New Jersey. More angry than embarrassed Lucy turns her back on her father and insists that her last name is Gennero (well that sounds familiar). Just then McClane gets informed by his captain that the FBI needs him to go pick up a suspect who just happens to be nearby. McClane's job is to pick up Farrell and take him down to Washington for questioning. McClane arrives at Farrell's apartment and it doesn't take long for "Live Free or Die Hard" to become the all-out action extravaganza that we were all hoping it would be. Forget about the realism of the original film, this movie has no interest in plausibililty and it displays that proudly. This would be Danny Butterman's new favorite movie. "'Point Break,' 'Bad Boys II,' or 'Live Free or Die Hard'?" McClane after all, is the hot fuzz.
The many action sequences as directed by "Underworld's" Len Wiseman are out of control to the twelfth power. It's like "Crank" or the first "XXX," "Die Hard" style. McClane may be over fifty but he can still throw down, with his gun, his fists, or even by blowing up a helicopter with a police car. There's also a scene involving a car and an elevator shaft that will cause the kind of gleeful appreciative laughter that we go to over the top action movies for. Crazy fun for all.
The weakest link of the film is its villain, the not terribly menacing Timothy Olyphant ("Scream 2"). He may be a digital genius but McClane has outwit the Gruber brothers. This guy is not exactly formidable.
It's no classic, but "Live Free or Die Hard" is a fun ride with a character we've been away from for far too long. 7.5/10