My Thoughts on Die Hard 4.0 (Live Free or Die Hard)

[DjfunkmasterG]

This is not a complete review of the film, but more or less my thoughts on the character of John McClane as he is portrayed in the film. I do touch upon some other members of the cast and some scenes, but... well read on.


THIS IS NOT A DIE HARD FILM, HAS THE NAME, BUT NOT DIE HARD!

I just returned from the 2:00 show and while the rating issue did bother me I was willing to give it a chance. Chance given, film didn't deliver. Len Wiseman has pussified John McClane. yeah he still kills people, and tries to save the day, but Bruce Willis wasn't being John McClane. he was some toned down, anger management treated version of John McClane and to be frank it was really sad.

Bruce Willis always had a fire when playing the part of McClane and here in Live Free or Die Hard he plays a toned down version of him. There was no anger in him, no fire. It felt like he was just collecting his paycheck and moving on to the next project. McClane would never be calm with someone doing what Tim Olyphant's character was doing, especially when the guy takes his daughter. Instead John speaks to him in a clear and calm tone... maybe the battle hardened years of being an NYPD detective has caught up with him, I dunno, but the John McClane on the screen today was not the same McClane from 20 years ago, hell even 12 years ago. John is the type of person when he doesn't understand whats happening or its moving faster than he can think he usually blows his top and thats when he is at his best. Here you will find nothing like that.

This is a sad excuse for a film, it really was, I mean I wanted this to be good, and while some of the stunts and set pieces were nice to see they were totally off the wall, the entire F35 sequence was laughable. I'm sorry but even if this was Rated R I would have been slamming it for not living up to the Die Hard Legacy.

As far as the rest of the cast, Justin Long was pretty funny and very likable, even Mary Elizabeth Winstead did great... actually when you watch her you see the old John McClane just screaming to get out. Tim Olyphant was ok as the main baddie, but he will never live up to the villians of previous Die Hard films. I will say two things positive... Len Wiseman can do action, and the score by Marco Beltrami was passable and close to the original films style and vibe.

If you want action, you will get it. If you want John McClane... go to your DVD collection and Pull out one of the three original Die Hard films.

And for those asking, or curious... The Line is done as follows.

Yippie Ki-Ya Mut(Gunshot) He muuters MUT! then a really loud, I mean obnoxiously loud Gunshot rings out.

It makes me sad to write a bad review for a Die Hard film, they are a staple of action cinema. I truly thought this day would never come.

5 out of 10

[EvilNed]

Yippie Ki-Ya Mut(Gunshot) He muuters MUT! then a really loud, I mean obnoxiously loud Gunshot rings out.



This is really all I wanted to know. **** YOU FOX!

[bassman]

From the reviews that i've been reading, John McClane shines through in full colors in this flick....

Perhaps you are once again judging a flick on it's predecessors rather than the film itself, DJ?:p I'm hopefully going to check it out this evening if I have the time.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Well it does have a huge legacy to stand up too, and IMHO it failed miserably. My suggestion, change the title to "Fire Sale" and give Bruce's character another name and it would be a decent summer no brainer popcorn action flick, but in its current incarnation it is not worthy to be in the Die Hard legacy.

[bassman]

I'm not expecting it to be as good as McTiernan's two films, but I highly doubt that it's any worse than Renny Harlin's "Die Hard 2: Die Harder". Or I guess I should call it Renny Harlin's clone of the first film?

[MinionZombie]

Speaking of Die Hard, I can't remember where I read it (in Total Film I think), and there was something about people who make knock-off clones, and they were talking about clones of Die Hard and the 'pitch line' for it - e.g. "die hard on a plane" or "die hard on a boat"...and what I read next just left me aghast and laughing my ass off at the stupidity of Hollywood:

"LIKE DIE HARD, IN A BUILDING!" :rolleyes:

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez....

[EvilNed]

I thought Die Hard 2 is one of the best christmas movies around! They show it every christmas around here, and it's pure holiday fun!

[bassman]

"Die Hard 2" was just a cheap knock off of the first. You could basically cut and paste scenes and they would be the same. The first is a much better Christmas movie.

Speaking of "Die Hard 2"......anyone ever noticed Cholo(John Leguizamo) in there as a henchman? It's a smaller role, but he's there.

[MinionZombie]

I noticed that Robert Patrick is in Die Hard 2, but aye, Die Hard 1 is the Xmas movie, DH2 is just DH1 again...it's still fun, but it's not bringing anything all that new to the table.

Die Hard 3 however, noiiice! So much fun!

[EvilNed]

DH1 is better, true. DH2 is still ace! I don't think it's much of a rip-off actually. Except for the fact that both feature a gun-toting Bruce Willis in a stellar role whos fighting terrorists - much the same as in many films actually.

DH3 was a long time ago since I've seen it. Can't remember what I thought about it.

[DjfunkmasterG]

I personally feel the films Rank as follows


Die Hard
Die Hard 3
Die Hard 2
Die hard 4

To me Die Hard 4 is a poor 4th entry, much like Land was a poor fourth entry to Romero's trilogy.

[bassman]

:lol:
"Die Hard 12"
AGfmfPYiO1w

I miss the Ben Stiller Show...

[Danny]

damn thats funny bassman:lol:

and ned said all i had to its YIPPIE KI-YAY MOTHER****ER! or nothing!:cool:

[MikePizzoff]

Thanks for the review, DJ. Now I'm DEFINITELY not going anywhere near this flick. Ugh. :mad:

[capncnut]

Yippie Ki-Ya Mut(Gunshot) He muuters MUT! then a really loud, I mean obnoxiously loud Gunshot rings out.
I do believe I predicted this a few months ago, that the "f**ker" bit would be muffled by gunfire. How horrifically candy-assed and lame is that? :dead:

[bassman]

Well...I just saw it.

Dj, I'm sorry brother but I think you put WAY too much pressure on sequels.

Was this the same movie that Mctiernan directed in the eighties? Nope. Was it the same as the first sequel or the second? Nope. This is a very good thing. This movie stands alone as it should and proudly screams to the fans that Officer(now detective) John McClane is back.

Now was it as good as the first and third films in the series(my favorites)? That's a tough question. I can't possibly make that decision being that I've had a love for the character and series for about....what is it....20 years or so. This is where I feel you made a bit of a harsh decision about the movie, DJ.

This movie is basically nothing like the previous three. It treads new ground. It doesn't follow the same bread crumbs that wrere left behind from the previous films(Renny Harlin didn't understand this). The main and most important thing that was carried over from the past films was McClane. He's not as we last saw him with Zeus Carver, but a sober and divorced man trying to do what's right for the greater good even if it's not to his benefit.

The action was incredible. I was surprised at the amount of action they actually fit into this film. It basically starts from the beginning and never lets up. This isn't to say that there isn't any plot or character development. There definitely is. They just found a way to sneek it in there between the action. Some of that action was a bit over the top......but who doesn't expect that? It's all in good fun. And it was loads of fun.

There are several references to the past films (Genero, anyone?) and it's great for fans like myself. Aside from the references, I think Bruce Willis took the original script for this film and filled in some areas with his character's wise cracking, gun shooting, comedian that he set up in the original film. Near the end of the film it occured to me that amongst the action I had been laughing my ass off. More so than the previous films. They definitely didn't leave the comedy out. And they damn sure didn't leave McClane out.

Now I know alot of people whine and bitch about the PG13 rating.....so what? I didn't even notice the difference, honestly. There were plenty of curse words......just because the F-bomb isn't dropped every two seconds doesn't mean it's a bad film. The famous quote from McClane was just fine, I would say. It fits the situation and feels just like the headshot, plane, helicopter from the earlier films. So he doesn't finish the word f*cker"....oooohhhhhhh....SO WHAT?

Anyways, I'm dragging this out. Just to wrap it up I would say that this film is definitely worth the price of admission. Only thing is.....don't go in expecting Mctiernan's original "Die Hard" or "Die Hard With A Vengence". Len Wiseman earned a bit of respect from me because he obviously has respect for this series and the character of John McClane. There are flaws in this film but they're very easy to look over if you're not a perfectionist.

The film accomplishes what it was meant to do....entertain. It is also a love letter to the fans. It's a decent film and worthy of being included in the franchise. Dj.....try watching a sequel without expecting it to be exactly like the original, bro.:p

My rating of the "Die Hard" films(for now):

1."Die Hard with a Vengence"
2."Die Hard"
3."Live Free or Die Hard"
4."Die Hard 2: Die Harder"

[DjfunkmasterG]

Funny you say that Bassman because I went to see it again tonight and believe it or not I enjoyed it more on the second viewing. This definitely isn't a Mctiernan Die Hard film and the problem is I walked expecting to have the McTiernan flow because Len said he put the vibe and feel from the 1st film into this one... Actually he didn't, but as a stand alone film... this is actually a decent film.

I did enjoy Kevin Smith's cameo especially his blurb about CB's and the end of the world, zombies etc etc. So after a second viewing I am going to raise my initial score of 5.0 to a solid 7.5 out of 10. While I would prefer a more fired up McClane, he actually did do a passable job and the film does deserve more credit than I originally gave it.

[fartpants]

gotta agree guys i was pleasantly surprised by this film and totally dug it...

[EvilNed]

The famous quote from McClane was just fine, I would say. It fits the situation and feels just like the headshot, plane, helicopter from the earlier films. So he doesn't finish the word f*cker"....oooohhhhhhh....SO WHAT?

I grew up with the films, so for me it's very important to not let the studio water this film down, and that includes not having his trademark line watered down.

[bassman]

I did enjoy Kevin Smith's cameo especially his blurb about CB's and the end of the world, zombies etc etc. So after a second viewing I am going to raise my initial score of 5.0 to a solid 7.5 out of 10. While I would prefer a more fired up McClane, he actually did do a passable job and the film does deserve more credit than I originally gave it.

Yeah, that was a great scene. "Oh, you're a fan of the Fett?" "I was always more of a Star Wars guy".:lol: I nearly pissed myself.

Would you agree that the film doesn't actually feel all that watered down as we were all worried about, DJ? I mean, for a pg13 there was plenty of every other curse words besides f*ck. The action was pretty brutal....some of it VERY brutal, actually. If I hadn't been told that it was PG13 prior to seeing the flick....I wouldn't have ever questioned it. And quite honestly, I think the last word of his trademark quote is actually there. My girlfriend and I were talking about it on the way home and she said that she could still barely here the word underneath the gunshot. I thought that maybe I did, as well. I'll have to check it out closer.

"It's Credence....you know CCR":lol:

[capncnut]

Well, I've read a lot of the Sunday reviews and it's definitely getting high ratings. Fours and fives out of five.

[thxleo]

My rating of the "Die Hard" films(for now):

1."Die Hard with a Vengence"
2."Die Hard"
3."Live Free or Die Hard"
4."Die Hard 2: Die Harder"

You liked Die Hard 3 more than the original? WTF?

By the way, this new Die Hard is one of the silliest movies I've seen in a long time. It was like watching "Independence Day". Bruce Willis jumps out of a car going 100 miles an hour and gets up with a few scratches on his head. Some guy falls out of a helicopter and jumps right up. Some guy runs up walls like he is out of X-Men 2. Just flat out stupid. Also, one of the worst villains ever! I don't even remember his name. Also, the film has one of the most p.c. moments in a movie history. The villain says that it's better that he is doing these terrible things to the country rather than some "outsider or religious nut". Gee...I wonder who he could referring to with that statement? Maybe he meant those radical Australian Outback terrorists.
This move was made for those people who like to watch stuff blow up. If you like watching stuff blow up and get destroyed, this movie is for you. :bored:

[bassman]

You liked Die Hard 3 more than the original? WTF?



No, I really dont. I just put it there to see what kind of reaction it would get.:rockbrow:

And you say this movie is for people who like to see things blown up? Are you sure you saw the first three films?:confused:

[thxleo]

No, I really dont. I just put it there to see what kind of reaction it would get.:rockbrow:

And you say this movie is for people who like to see things blown up? Are you sure you saw the first three films?:confused:


Umm, yes. Yes I did see the first three. :rolleyes: The only one that is any good was the original film. The second and third films were not very good(IMHO). I think there is a little more going on in the first film than just stuff blowing up. It was well written, had great acting, had characters that I actually cared about, and had one of the best and funniest movie villains ever.