Yippee Ki Yay! Bruce Willis is Back
Written: Jun 29 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Bruce Willis and plenty of action, and a plot that thrilled!
Cons: No one will win any academy awards I suppose
The Bottom Line: This is a top notch action film.
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| shopaholic_man's Full Review: Live Free or Die Hard |
Growing up in the eighties, Bruce Willis was one of my favorite action stars. I own the Die Hard box set, and my son has seen the first two Die Hard movies. When we saw the trailers to Live Free or Die Hard, we both knew it was a movie we wanted to see.
From the trailers I expected an aging Bruce to look a bit too old for this sort of film, and I thought that a thin plot would exist to support a lot of over the top action scenes. I got one out of three.
The basic story
Live Free or Die Hard takes some of our worst fears about modern technology and puts them into play. What if terrorists attacked us not with bombs but with viruses, computer viruses? How many things do we use every day that rely on computers? Traffic control systems, cell phone networks, communication systems, the stock market, financial transactions, social security information, pension funds, even our power companies use computers to control a great deal and if those computers could be hacked, well we'd be in the nightmare presented in Live Free or Die Hard. No, this isn't the first time I have seen cyber terrorism in films, but I have to admit, I thought it was very well done, and when I watched whole cities go into gridlock at a few clicks on a keyboard, I sat glued to the screen.
When the first of these cyber attackes occurs, the FBI demands that local law enforcement bring in the top known hackers to D.C. for some intense questioning. Detective John McLane (Bruce Willis) is assigned to bring in hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long). You know you are in for a heck of a ride, because just as Willis arrives, the bad guys that hired Farrell to write a bit of their code are tying up loose ends with lots of machine gun fire. Of course they escape and McLane brings Farrell all the way to D.C. which is under a lot of problems with cyber attacks on all systems. The bad guys use traffic and surveillance cameras to keep track of everyone, and the film keeps you guessing as to their identities and motives. All we know in the beginning of the film is that they want Farrell dead, and they are intent on wreaking some major havok in the U.S. Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) does a great job as a young very arrogant villian who is a very talented computer hacker. Mai Lihn (Maggie Q) played his girlfriend and martial arts expert accomplice. Her show down with McLane was one of the highlights of the movie. (you have to see it to believe it)
If you've seen a Bruce Willis movie you know that its up to McLane to save the day, and he will, but it was one wild ride watching it. Although some of the plot elements were cliched, they felt fresh in this film, and kept me interested right to the end. Live Free or Die Hard did a good job at taking several very current topics and incorporating them into the film.
Was there Action?
Oh, yeah! Bruce proves that age doens't interfere with being an action star, and made me proud to have his hair style. Machine gun shoot outs, fight scenes, car chases were all over the top, only possible in the movies and completely riveting and exciting. The action in this movie should have your adrenaline flowing from the opening scenes to the end.
Was there Humor?
One thing I enjoy about Bruce Willis is that he brings a dry sense of humor to his movies, and this was especially true in the Die Hard series. Numerous references are made to the earlier Die Hard films that drew laughs, and of course Bruce Willis's dead pan deliveries make him fun to watch. None other than Kevin Smith appeared as Warlock (Freddy to his mom) a laid back top notch hacker that helps McLane and Farrell in the film. His basement, a geeked out command center alone was a fan boys dream replete with lots of computer hardware and Star Wars and other sci fi memorobilia. It was clear that Smith had fun in this film even with a minor part.
Rating
This film was Rated PG-13 so I could bring my 12 year old son Nick with no worries. Although he has seen Die Hard and Die Hard 2, the difference here is mostly one of language. I think we all know the ending to the expression Yippee Kay Yay ----- ----------. Basically, the movie forgoes the R rating by cutting out the language. Some bad language is still in the film, but it is a movie you can take young teenagers to see. I wouldn't recommend it for young kids as the violence is up to the usual Die Hard standards. In any event Nick truly enjoyed the film and was glad I took him to see it.
Summary
My son and I didn't want to leave our seats for this movie, as an action film, Live Free or Die Hard delivered. Bruce Willis proved that he still has the chops for being an action star. The action was outrageous, the dialogue was fun, and the plot was actually pretty intelligent for this genre of action film. Although this film isn't going to win any Academy awards, I rate it as five stars in its genre. As an action film, Live Free or Die Hard was excellent and was one of the first films this summer that delivered all the action and excitement that its trailers promised.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
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