Live Free or Die Hard: Unrated (2007)

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is a bitter man. After years of serving his country dutifully, Mcclain has nothing to show for it. Divorced, estranged from his college-aged daughter, Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), McClane still hits the law-enforcement beat. He kicks it old school. When the FBI asks him to pick up computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long), the two barely escape an explosion to meant to kill Farrell. McClane and Farrell soon uncover a plot to cripple the country by an Internet terrorist organization. It's up to down-and-dirty McClane and the Internet weakling to thwart the terrorists before harm befalls the country. {patriotic score swells}

Live Free or Die Hard is an action-packed and predictable thrill ride. Thanks to a commanding performance by Willis and Star Wars-caliber special effects, there is something worth seeing in the bloated 2+ hour movie.

As McClane, 52-year old Willis owns it. He is a gritty bastard with attitude--best not piss him off. Cocky. Surly. Willis brings the McClane swagger back, just a little slower. Alongside the scrawny Justin Long, Willis looks great. Long looks lost, but fortunately for him, the writers took pity and tossed a few scraps his way. Timothy Olyphant and Maggie Q star as the terrorist lovers. Both manage the demented 'trying-to-take-over-the-world' look solidly. Kevin Smith makes a cameo; brilliantly so as 'The Warlock', a Hacker Jedi.

Director Les Wiseman obviously had the Die Hard checklist nearby. McLane takes on super-terrorists? Check. Comedic sidekick? Check. Maximum carnage? Check. Hot chicks? Check. Family drama? Check. Slight ridiculousness? Check. "Yippee Ki Yay, Mother F******"? Check.

Live Free or Die Hard fits well in the iconic series. I say that days AFTER viewing the movie. The mind-numbing, ridiculous plot {that is never really explored} really annoyed me. During the middle of the movie, I say aloud to my friends "why are we still watching this?". Despite being about to predict every last minute of the film, I watched every moment. There is no pseudo-intellectualism to get. It's just intense action and a good time-- just like the others in the series. Try to make the movie anything more and you'll be grossly disappointed. {Like I was at first.}

Ultimately, Live Free or Die Hard is a vehicle for Willis and his bald head to shine. He gets every opportunity to kick ass, drive cars, pump lead and trade barbs with the terrorist-- and we, the viewers, like it!! If only our current conflicts could be solved by a resilient smart-ass in two hours or less. {Interested, B?}