Live Free or Die … What?
I’m fairly stoked to see Live Free or Die Hard. The first was the definitive modern American action movie. The second sucked a mighty wind. The third was deeply OK but way too convoluted.
I’m made a little uneasy by the TV trailers for this, though. It looks as if it’s very special effects-heavy. That could take it into Michael Bay territory, and nobody wants that.
The original was character-driven and offered up lots of well-shot and edited and mostly credible action. Giving all due credit to Bruce Willis for his surprisingly excellent (to me, at the time, anyway) portrayal of John McClane - resourceful, incredibly durable, and still thoroughly Everyman - the film was made by its suave, mellifluous-voiced villain, Hans Gruber. A perfect blend of scripting, direction, and Alan Rickman’s acting made Gruber one of the all-time best screen heavies.
This one - well, I’m eager to see how it turns out, whether it’s Die Hard or Blow Harder. I may even cut loose from my current Rogue Angel book and the new Wild Cards story and go catch a matinee.
I mean … it’s Die Hard. Yippee-ki-yay!