Live Free or Die Hard parents guide

Live Free or Die Hard Parent Guide

Overall C-

In this next installment of the Die Hard franchise, Bruce Willis reprises his role as Detective John McClane. This time the veteran police officer is trying to track down a group of computer-hacking terrorists who have taken control of America's basic infrastructure.

Release date June 26, 2007

Violence D
Sexual Content B-
Profanity C
Substance Use A

Why is Live Free or Die Hard rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Live Free or Die Hard PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and a brief sexual situation

Run Time: 130 minutes

Parent Movie Review

It’s bravado versus brains in this resurrection of a franchise that hasn’t seen a new entry for over a decade. It may also be the MPAA’s movie ratings versus parents in what may be the most violent PG-13 film ever released—a strange anomaly considering the rest of the movies in the Die Hard family were profitable and well positioned in an R-rating category.

Enjoying his time off, hard working cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is reluctantly begged to come back and save the nation after a terrorist geek squad begins taking control of the country’s electronically networked infrastructure of traffic, utilities, broadcasting and virtually every other aspect of society. But while McClane is able to somehow protect himself from hurtling bullets, cars, and any bad guy imaginable, he’s not so hot with a computer. Thus he unwittingly takes on partner Matt Farrell (Justin Long), a computer networking genius and hacker who is suspected by federal agents as being part of the plot.

Together, the unlikely duo begin putting their heads together with the hopes of tracking down the operating location of Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), the devious mastermind behind the organized takedown of everything wired in this hyper-sensitive post 9/11 society. Working with a small army of recruited thugs and nerds, Gabriel’s motivation isn’t immediately obvious (a point he reminds us of with amazingly droll lines like, “You have no idea who I am or what I’m capable of”) and that’s a good thing because once we find out what he’s really after, the script takes an immediate detour down Stupid Street.

Perhaps expecting a reasonably believable situation was a mistake to begin with. This film exists for two reasons—to create a myriad of implausible and unimaginative situations that justify the “good guy” pummeling and shooting every enemy that comes his way, and to prove Bruce Willis is still able to hold his own as the hard working middle-aged hero. All the computer stuff, right down to the flashing lights on walls of equipment that look akin to late 1960s props, is merely bait to engage a new young audience who may not have bought the recently released trio of Die Hard DVDs.

Obviously putting those teens (and even younger viewers) into theater seats was important to the MPAA as well. Unlike other violent PG-13 outings that feature wide views of carnage and avoid one-on-one shootings, Live Free and Die Hard takes no prisoners—instead it blasts them in plain sight. Literally dozens of people are shot on screen with detailed blood. Hand-to-hand combat results in bodies violently tossed against concrete, pipes, and any other stationary object available. It also promotes equal opportunity for genders, with one nasty female character who puts up the biggest fight against McClane, which adds extra justification for her eventual violent demise. Strangulation, burning, torture—it seems this movie has carte blanche to maim in whatever way it wants without facing the US Restricted rating.

As well, the film provides bevy of mild and moderate profanities, and a sexual situation in the opening minutes portrays two young people fondling each other (we see a man’s hand on a woman’s clothed breast).

Artistically, this fourth installment starts with well-paced action but then the rather empty plot catches up with itself. Other than offering a small lesson on the evils of computer hacking, Live free or Die Hard explodes onto the screen, then quickly fizzles and dies fast.

Starring Bruce Willis, Justin Long. Running time: 130 minutes. Theatrical release June 26, 2007. Updated

Live Free or Die Hard
Rating & Content Info

Why is Live Free or Die Hard rated PG-13? Live Free or Die Hard is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for intense sequences of violence and action, language and a brief sexual situation

This intense action thriller contains very high levels of violence for a US rated PG-13 film. Dozens of primary and secondary characters are killed by gunfire, beatings, vehicle accidents and other means. Often, we see brutal beatings and injuries on screen—like a man’s head smashing through a windshield, a person being slammed against a wall, or someone getting shot with blood effects. Some of these physical confrontations involve women, and one female character is portrayed as being nearly invincible until she meets a violent death at the hands of her male opponent (which involves being strangled with a cable and then dropped down an elevator shaft). Frequent profanities include many moderate and mild expletives along with terms of Christian deity. Sexual content is limited to one scene where a couple is seen kissing in a car and the man places his hand on a woman’s clothed breast (an action to which she objects).

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Live Free or Die Hard Parents' Guide

How does this film justify the high level of violence it contains? What other ways of stopping the “bad guy” might have been used? How does having one person responsible for saving the entire country create a more exciting scenario than what would likely happen in reality?

What stereotypes do you see in this film—especially in the areas of government officials and computer experts? What techniques are used to make it seem permissible to portray violence against women?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Live Free or Die Hard movie is November 19, 2007. Here are some details…

Live Free or Die Hard comes to DVD in either a single (full screen theatrical cut) or double disc (widescreen, unrated and rated editions). Both versions offer an audio commentary with actor Bruce Willis, director Len Wiseman and editor Nicolas De Toth, the music video Die Hard by Guyz Nite and a behind-the-scenes with the band.

The Live Free or Die Hard Two-Disc Edition also includes Analog Hero in a Digital World (a making-of featurette), a 23 minute long conversation with actors Bruce Willis and Kevin Smith, theatrical trailers and an excerpt from the Fox Movie Channel Presents Fox Legacy. Both DVD choices provide audio tracks in English (Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1) French (Dolby Digital Surround) and Spanish (Dolby Digital Surround), with subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Live Free or Die Hard is available in Blu-Ray as well. This format presents the PG-13 rated theatrical version of the film, all of the above mentioned special features, plus D-Box motion sensor capabilities, several high-definition trailers and the high definition BD-Java multi-level strategy game Black Hat Intercept! The disc will be authored in BD-J with AVC (MPEG 4) compression and presented on 50 GB dual-layer disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio plus English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound.

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Computer criminals also create huge problems for a banking company in the movie Firewall. Another unlucky woman gets her personal life entangled in The Net.