The Plot of the Movie Live Free or Die Hard

Who doesn’t know about the all-time action classic Die Hard series? Though at the time of the release of the movie, everyone was a bit skeptical about the performance at the box office, it was a blockbuster.

Bruce Willis, who had been known for playing comedy roles, left everyone stunned with his action-packed performance. There are many memorable action sequences in the movie that seemed realistic and made Die Hard franchise a success!

While the movie had a relatively unknown cast, it is today considered as one of the greatest films of Hollywood. Many action movie fans surely consider Die Hard as one of their most favorites. Fans of Die Hard have not just watched the movies a few dozen times but have also collected the series on DVD.

Background

While the first three sequels were somewhat interconnected, the general theme of the movies is based around the central character – Johan McClane (played by Willis), an instinct-based police officer who is strong on the will and goes the extra mile for his family and country. Even though his character shows him to be an action-junkie cop who puts his job before anything else, he ends up defeating the terrorists singlehandedly to save a particular family member.

Plot

The fourth of the Die Hard series – Live Free or Die Hard – is based in the late 2000s, where technology is playing a key role in managing the governance of the United States – from basic utilities, security, and communication to the financial sector. The movie showsMcClane as an old-timer cop trying to come to terms with his official vehicle being plugged with a tracker.

It’s at that point when the viewers are informed that the cop who has always been known to defeat all kinds of terrorists will have an uphill task trying to catch a tech-savvy criminal wanted by all Law Enforcement Agencies in the United States.

McClane gets a call from dispatch to collect a young, 21st Century hacker (Farrel) on behalf of the FBI and drive him to Washington DC. What seems like a useless yet event-free task turns out to be an action-packed adventure involving McClane and Farrel trying to come on the same page in terms of technology and going by instinct – something that’s been McClane’s talent throughout his career!

When McClane collects Farrel, they get attacked by terrorists trying to wipe off any type of digital print on the behest of their leader – Thomas Gabriel.

McClane saves Farrel, and along the way to DC, their discussion outlines the generational gap between the two. Gabriel is an ex-technology contractor for the US Govt. whose primary task was to digitize the country’s resources. When he had completed his assignment successfully, the concerned personnel of the Govt. cut him off. In his spite and rage, Gabriel made it his life’s mission to hunt back at the US Govt. through a series of hacks that would paralyze the country and bring the US lawmakers to their knees in front of him. What Gabriel didn’t realize was a persistent cop and a young hacker who will track him and derail his grand plan.

The team of McClane and Farrel playing cat and mouse with Gabriel throughout the movie keeps everyone engaged. Every scene includes extreme action, thrill, and adventure. It shows the evolution of technology and the way it has molded every inch of our lives!

Although the movie keeps the audience entertained, and at the edge of their seats, it’s also a showcase of how digital means of managing a county can be extremely sensitive. The movie, like many other Hollywood blockbusters, showcases the high-tech security details that are being utilized by the US Govt. with its domestic security agencies trying to ensure peace within the country.

One of the main criticisms of the movie is how one old-age cop and a young hacker do the unthinkable, which the US Govt., security services, and the army were unable to do. Hence, showcasing how individually everyone in the law enforcement agency can be a hero!

Nonetheless, Bruce Willis has done complete justice to his role by playing an old-school cop trying to cope up with the technological advancements. However, in all the parts of the series, he is shown to have the knack of making his way; he ensures to do whatever he can to defeat the technology and the individuals misusing it.

Lessons Learned

The primary lesson throughout the movie is young tech-driven individuals can never outsmart experience and maturity. The movie is a clear story of how you can’t teach old dog new tricks yet have the old and experienced cop use all his years of training to save the day for family and country!

Secondly, the relationship between McClane and Farrel is nicely balanced as a father-son, where the former is trying to keep pace with the Gen-X kid. It also drives home how McClane’s daughter may not overthink her possessive father but remains strong to her family name and ends up standing tall as a McClane. This shows that the genes between parents and their children are stronger than what meets the eye.

Lastly, regardless of how technologically advanced any country gets, there is still a constant requirement for the human-based intellect to save the day. Therefore, reliance on technology is not always the best bet!