Live Free or Die Hard

Fans of John McClane rejoice! While he might look a few years older, our hero is back tougher and rougher than ever. He even makes Jack Bauer look soft. "Live Free or Die Hard" is the type of movie you look for in the summer. Sit back and relax as buildings explode, people fall down elevator shafts, and F-15s blow up highways. Pure entertainment!

It takes less than 15 minutes for the action to kick in as John McClane (Bruce Willis), now an NYPD detective, is sent to pick up a computer hacker (Justin Long). The FBI computers have been infiltrated and they are rounding up their favorite list of hackers. We quickly learn that these individual computer geeks are actually part of a much larger terrorist plan to take down the entire network around the country. McClane unwittingly gets pulled into the mix as the terrorists try to kill the young hacker just as the detective arrives to pick him up. Chaos ensues from there.

It is interesting to watch the hypothetical cyber-terror plot unfold as they start out changing traffic patterns and build to the point of knocking out the power throughout the East Coast. You also need to suspend your sense of reality as Bruce Willis survives one crazy scenario after another. Whether it's sending a car airborne to take out a helicopter or careening a semi over the edge of a highway only to land on the fighter jet shooting missiles at it, the action is somewhat ridiculous. But that's also what makes this so entertaining.

None of this would work if not for the chemistry between Willis and Long. They play off each other very well. Long's smart-aleck computer geek is perfect against McClane's tough old guy persona. They keep up with each other well, and the bad guys only keep them moving faster. This is what you look for in your summer movie-going experience. It certainly isn't Oscar-type stuff, but it is fast and fun. Certainly worth your time. I give it an A-.

"Live Free or Die Hard" is rated PG-13 with a running time of 130 minutes.