REVIEW: Live Free or Die Hard
Live Free or Die HardMother of God, this movie was a non-stop adrenaline rush of action sequence upon action sequence, and I loved every second of it. I doubt the movie could be any more ridiculous (especially with that hilarious hacking bullshit), but for some reason, I was having so much fun that I didn't care.
Bruce Willis is back in top form as the wise-cracking McClane, laughing off the prospect of death whenever it's near (which is a lot). This guy's no longer just a normal dude who's been thrown into a horrible situation. He's a fucking superhero. The final half hour of this film confirms this, with quite possibly the most over-the-top action sequence I've ever witnessed. But really, you'll have decided way before that point if you're willing to simply have fun and "go with" the outrageousness of what's happening. For me, it was an easy choice.
As far as comic relief goes, there's a lot. I mean, McClane himself is sort of comical character. Justin Long is the contrast to Willis' ass-kickin' character, a terrified hacker who stutters a lot and is completely unready for what's coming his way. I know a lot of people see Long as nothing more than "that annoying Mac guy", but I've always liked him. And here, he plays opposite Willis perfectly. Half way through the film though, Kevin Smith pops up as another comic character. It's a little bit overkill, but then again, so is the rest of the film. If you like Smith (which I totally do), it probably won't bother you too much.
Olyphant doesn't exactly have his work cut out for him when it comes to playing the bad guy, seeing as how it's sort of hard to beat Alan Rickman. Still, he does a decent job holding his own; could've been a bit more menacing though. (Still not sure how he's gonna pull off "Hitman".)
For a PG-13, the violence here was insanely hardcore. The only aspect of the film that felt toned down was the language, which led to some moments of horrendous dubbing (I get the feeling there was a lot of cursing they had to take out). Rest assured though, they'll probably have this fixed up for the unrated cut when the flick hits DVD. And I'll definitely be buying it.
7 out of 10
Labels: Reviews
