Yep, that's the way the iconic line is heard in this 4th installment of Die Hard. and you thought Melon Farmer is really creative censoring.
I really wanted to love the movie, I really do, especially since I saw the kickass trailer. For the most part, the movie seems to have everything a Die Hard movie should have: great action set pieces and Bruce Willis as the cool badass John McClane. However, in the end - maybe I was just expecting a great action movie, something that could kick Michael Bay and his robots' ass the next week - Live Free or Die Hard is just a so-so action movie.
Problems with the movie:
Story - The story is really ambitious and set up well. What if the whole technology infrastructure of the United States could be taken down within hours. It's definitely a thriller story worth exploring, except when it's a huge problem that could be solved by John McClane and his sidekick. That's really unbelievable and it requires a huge leap of faith from the audience. This story would work better if it was incorporated into a season of 24 where a team environment like CTU could handle the situation. A better story for this movie would be like the first one where the location is more confined.
Action, Directing and Editing - The movie had great action set pieces that are decently executed and done old school, but we should expect more. I never thought I'd say this but I think those action scenes were screaming for Michael Bay to come and make them more exciting. Len Wiseman had only directed Underworld movies and it shows; here, he's merely copying and following his preceding Die Hard directors. This is probably isn't much of a problem, but some of the exposition scenes are handled lazily too, it's like ok, here's the plot, get it? move along.
John McClane - I'll quote James Berardinelli in his review when he said it best: "John McClane is back - sort of. For, although this guy looks like McClane, sounds like McClane, cracks wise like McClane, says "Yippee kiyay" like McClane, and gets bloody like McClane, he doesn't always seem like McClane. Instead of an everyday guy getting the crap kicked out of him as he soldiers on to save his family, this guy is a superhero without the costume. "
... and just when I thought they saved the best for last, they mangled the iconic line at the very last scene. Yippee Kee Yay Motherfucker to everyone in the production indeed.
In some ways this film reminded me of Jackie Chan's New Police Story - an old action franchise getting reactivated one last time. Unlike that horrible film where its attempt to reinvent the main character failed spectacularly, at least this movie still knows what makes the franchise great. However it just never finds its greatness even if it had all the elements. Would there be another Die Hard? perhaps the last redeeming one like Rocky Balboa? One can only hope, but maybe by then Bruce Willis would be too old for that shit again.
Live Free or Die Hard (aka Die Hard 4.0)
Rating: 3 out of 5
2 comments:
Right on target. You should replace the E-Weekly reviewer. He sucks.
thanks for reading and the comment.
It's not a bad movie. But considering the reputation of the 1st movie and the franchise and the character John McClane in general, I say don't expect too much
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