Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

"Live Free or Die Hard" -- a review (Spoilers)
Viewing | 6/27/07 | ltn72

Posted on 06/27/2007 1:59:47 PM PDT by pabianice

SPOILERS ********************************************

.

.

.

.

.

The latest Die Hard movie is a bit of energetic nonsense that's fun to watch and as substantial as a sand castle. Bruce Willis does his John McClean again ... surviving over two hours of gunshots, broken bones, and high-speed impacts, any one of which would kill a real person. We've seen it before.

The plot -- what there is of it -- involves what hackers call a "fire sale" -- a cyber attack upon the country so complete and devastating that it would throw us back into the 17th century; i.e. 'everything must go.' Computers, transportation, utilities, finance, fire and police -- all toast. Tim Olyphant -- the wonderfully played lawman and hardware store owner from "Deadwood" -- plays the villian with some nice sneers and scenery-chewing. McLean's daughter channels the character of Jack Slater's kick-ass daughter from "Last Action Hero." And the female lead villian is fun to watch in several impossible chop-socky sequences right out of a Hong Kong low-budget flick. Even Tim Russ -- 'Tuvok' from the late "Star Trek: Voyager" -- puts in what must have been just one day's work on the set. It is almost at the film's end that we find out what the bad guys want -- revenge for being treated with lack of respect and money. Duh! They have downloaded the entire U.S. financial database on a laptop (BIG laugh here, unfortunately) and plan to live at ease on some unnamed tropical island after destroying the U.S.' economy. But by the time we learn this, we've pretty much lost interest. Josh Long, very watchable as a hacker with a heart of gold, also does some good work in the film, and is, in fact, its most watchable asset. But all is submerged in impossible action scenes, including a semi being chased through the highway system in DC by an F-35, with spectacular if aerodynamically impossible results. Perhaps one problem is that with each "Die Hard" film, the stunts have gone from merely spectacular-but-possible to just bad scicnce fiction.

Worth seeing? Sure. Like watching 4th of July fireworks. Fun flames and bursts of color. Fits the season pretty well.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: brucewillis; diehard; moviereview
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

1 posted on 06/27/2007 1:59:48 PM PDT by pabianice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: pabianice

Yippie Kay-Yay.......


2 posted on 06/27/2007 2:00:59 PM PDT by dfwgator (The University of Florida - Still Championship U)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pabianice

Well I’m there...


3 posted on 06/27/2007 2:01:50 PM PDT by The Blitherer (What would a Free Man do?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pabianice

Thank you so much!
It’s nice to see a review that states what I want in a movie. Nothing deep, just eye candy and some escape for a few hours!


4 posted on 06/27/2007 2:03:21 PM PDT by netmilsmom (To attack one section of Christianity in this day and age, is to waste time.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pabianice

Sounds great! :-)


5 posted on 06/27/2007 2:03:38 PM PDT by Dr. Frank fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pabianice
This movie looks like it will be painful to watch.

Die Hard was great. II was watchable, if you didn't think too hard about it. I missed III. Likely will be missing IV, as well.

6 posted on 06/27/2007 2:04:07 PM PDT by wbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pabianice
I liked the first Die Hard, little to no computer generated scenes, lots of believable action. This one however looks like a bunch of bad computer generated scenes.

While I might spend the money to rent the DVD, I refuse to spend 10 bucks at the theater. Now Transformers, thats a whole different ball of wax. I foresee lines around the block, hopefully I can get in during the Sunday matinee.

7 posted on 06/27/2007 2:04:58 PM PDT by Post-Neolithic (Money only makes Communists rich Communists)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: netmilsmom
It’s nice to see a review that states what I want in a movie. Nothing deep, just eye candy and some escape for a few hours!

And no ambiguity: here's the good guys, and here's the bad guys. They're gonna duke it out until the good guys blow the bad guys away in spectacular fashion. What's not to like?

I wonder if any of the hollywood types that produced even understand the reference of the movie's title.
8 posted on 06/27/2007 2:06:31 PM PDT by JamesP81 (Romans 10:9)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Post-Neolithic

I’m a little dubious on Transformers. I really, really hope that it’s going to be a good flick. But I’m not holding my breath...


9 posted on 06/27/2007 2:07:01 PM PDT by wbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Post-Neolithic
I liked the first Die Hard, little to no computer generated scenes, lots of believable action.

That's one thing I liked about Die Hard 1: the hero actually could get hurt. If you walk barefooted across broken glass your feet will bleed. By the end of the Movie McClean looked like he had been through hell.

10 posted on 06/27/2007 2:09:48 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (A base looking for a party.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: KarlInOhio
"By the end of the Movie McClean looked like he had been through hell."

Heh, and thus the "Yippy Ky ay *****" was born. Had to be one of the better scenes in the picture.

11 posted on 06/27/2007 2:12:29 PM PDT by Post-Neolithic (Money only makes Communists rich Communists)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: JamesP81
What's not to like?

My personal ratings system is generally based around 3 things, in no particular order:

1. Fast Cars

2. Big Explosions

3. Naked Women

Generally the movies that I watch, don't bog you down with a whole lot of details, like plot or character development.

Mrs. WBill dragged me to an "Independent Film Festival". It was like watching paint dry, only less fascinating. I told her that the movies were all going to be about gays, and have subtitles. She said "No No No. This is QUALITY cinema".

The First Movie? Something about a bunch of German Lesbians. It had subtitles.

I stand vindicated.

12 posted on 06/27/2007 2:12:38 PM PDT by wbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: pabianice

As long as Danny Glover isn’t in it...


13 posted on 06/27/2007 2:12:49 PM PDT by Vinnie (You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Jihads You)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Post-Neolithic

Don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard and read that LFODH uses very little cgi effects.


14 posted on 06/27/2007 2:14:02 PM PDT by GSWarrior
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Post-Neolithic

I’m not convinced Transformers is going to have that big an audience. It wasn’t that popular 20 years ago, and Michael Bay has such a long history of underperforming movies (largely because he’s a terrible director) I don’t think it’s going to make that much.

According to Willis the majority of the effects in DH4 are physical, only one major CG scene. I’m heading out tonight, works been sucking lately and I need to see things blow up.


15 posted on 06/27/2007 2:14:23 PM PDT by discostu (only things a western savage understands are whiskey and rifles and an unarmed man)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: pabianice
The latest Die Hard movie is a bit of energetic nonsense that's fun to watch and as substantial as a sand castle.

Okay, that's all I needed to know. What time's the next show??!!

16 posted on 06/27/2007 2:14:34 PM PDT by Tanniker Smith (I didn't know she was a Liberal when I married her.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pabianice

Ho hum.... Another shoot ‘em up, blow ‘em movie. Whoopie.


17 posted on 06/27/2007 2:15:30 PM PDT by From The Deer Stand
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wbill

Die Hard II was good because there was a solid story behind it. The movie had already been written before it had been adapted into a Die Hard sequel. The sequence of events wasn’t laid out as well as the first one and a bit more violent, too. The events in the first were choreographed well right from the time Holly slams John’s picture face-down on the desk.


18 posted on 06/27/2007 2:16:59 PM PDT by Tanniker Smith (I didn't know she was a Liberal when I married her.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Vinnie

Danny Glover was in Lethal Weapon ... this is Die Hard (though Sam Jackson was in III).

Hemorrhage


19 posted on 06/27/2007 2:18:54 PM PDT by SnakeDoctor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: wbill
The first movie? Something about German lesbians, with subtitles.

"Munching in Munich?"

20 posted on 06/27/2007 2:21:11 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson