live and let die

Detective John McClane is challenged with foreign speaking terrorists, exploding buildings, and intense car chases for the fourth time in Len Wiseman's latest from the Die Hard series, Live Free or Die Hard. However, don't forget his challenges also include a weak plot and outrageous, unbelievable stunts. Even so, if the audience is expecting to see an action-packed 130 minutes full of ridiculous Bruce Willis fight scenes that would be impossible for any NYPD cop in real life, and doesn't care about the actual quality of the story line, they will not be disappointed.

The plot, which is obviously third on the list of importance after exploding helicopters and smoking hot Asian girls that know kung-fu, revolves around an attack on the United States where hackers have infiltrated the FBI. The team of "bad guys," a few of which speak some unidentifiable language for no apparent reason, is headed up by Thomas Gabriel, played by Timothy Olyphant. After breaking into various government controlled computer systems and files, they begin wreaking havoc by messing with Wall Street, cell phones, traffic lights, and more. As always, it's Detective John McClane, every 18-year-old boy's role model, to the rescue. Bruce Willis plays this character well, slamming terrorists into dumpsters, launching a car into a helicopter, battling a fighter plane from a semi, and beating the fire out of anyone that's within reach of his fist. His assistant, young computer genius Matthew Farrell (Justin Long), constantly cracks one-liners throughout the movie, providing some comic relief to the blood dripping down Bruce Willis' forehead. It gets personal when the hackers involve McClane's daughter, bringing the chase to a climax.

Bruce Willis's performance ranks this movie right up there at the top of the Die Hard series. True, in this movie he's a little older. Alright, more than a little older…but he still has the strength and power of John McClane in the first movie. His serious expressions and "badass" attitude make the character; nobody else could even attempt to play it. Unlike James Bond, John McClane will die with Bruce Willis.

Overall, the film was toned down a little from the original two Die Hard movies. Not quite as violent, and the famous line, "Yippie-kay-ay, motherfu****," was bleeped out by gunshots so the rating could stay PG-13. But the crazy stunts make up tenfold for the lack of blood and gore, which is refreshing for an action movie of this day and age. The plotline was pretty thin, with lots of confusing computer stuff that didn't really make sense. The audience just had to assume that everything the hackers were doing was completely possible, which was probably not the case. But really, who goes to see a Die Hard movie for the award-winning story line? It's not about classy acting or an intricate plot. It's about first-class special effects and explosions, hot chicks, and an NYPD cop that let's nothing stand in his way of beating the crap out of whoever crosses the line. Live Free or Die Hard carries on the tradition. Even though audience members will laugh about the impossibility of Bruce Willis making it through the movie alive, true Die Hard fans will walk out feeling satisfied.