The first movie had Sgt. Al Powell (played by Family Matters' Reginald Vel Johnson) who McClane spoke to over a terrorist’s confiscated walkie-talkie. Die Hard: With a Vengeance, however, teamed Willis up with Samuel L. Jackson. It turned out to be exactly what that otherwise mediocre sequel needed. Willis' chemistry with Jackson was perfect and I doubt that chemistry could ever be duplicated in another Die Hard picture. Live Free…, though, teams Willis up with Long instead and the results are, again, phenomenal. Long's computer hacker complements Willis' grizzled crime fighter because they ARE so different. It also helps that both Long and Willis are given fantastic dialogue and have a great chemistry with one another.
I’ve been a fan of Bruce Willis for years, due in part to this series of films. So it should come as no surprise that I was particularly fond of his performance if no one else’s. Willis may not have made the character as quick-witted or sharp-tongued as the McClane we've come to love in the past, but his quiet maturity is a much better fit for his evident aging. Willis seems seasoned now, and with good reason. Co-star Long gives a terrific performance and he, too, gets many a good line. He’s infinitely likeable and not quite as annoying as you'd expect him to be in a role like this. Timothy Olyphant I could take or leave as Thomas Gabriel, the film's lead villain. Performances were solid all around, though they are not the bread and butter of such a film.
But if you shine up lump of coal, desperately trying your hardest to find a diamond in there, at the end of the day it will still be a lump of coal, correct? That is how I feel about Len Wiseman's direction. He did manage to pull his weight nicely, but as others have stated, this didn't feel quite like a Die Hard picture. Maybe its Wiseman’s heavy-handed, style-over-substance direction that makes the old fashioned stunt work on display here feel dated. But, oddly, this style-over-substance approach breathes new life into a franchise that’s been lying dormant for 10 years. As much finesse as Wiseman lacks, he makes up for it with deft, exciting, and downright eye-popping action sequences. Again, this film is much more modern than past Die Hard films and it certainly isn't celebrating its old school roots, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed for what it is — a good popcorn flick.
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