Live Free or Die Hard
Encyclopedia
Live Free or Die Hard is a 2007 American action film
, and the fourth installment in the Die Hard series. The film was directed by Len Wiseman
and stars Bruce Willis
as John McClane
. The name was adapted from the state motto of New Hampshire
, "Live Free or Die
". The main plot finds McClane fighting a gang of cyber terrorists who plan to hack FBI computers. The film was based on the 1997 article "A Farewell to Arms" written for Wired
magazine by John Carlin
. The film's North American release date was June 27, 2007.
After the project was stalled due to the September 11, 2001 attacks
, production eventually began, and the film's title was switched several times. A variety of visual effects were used for action sequences, even though Wiseman and Willis stated that they wanted to limit the amount of CGI
in the film. In separate incidents during filming, both Willis and his stunt double
were injured. Unlike the prior three films in the series, the US rating was PG-13 rather than R. An unrated version of Live Free or Die Hard containing profanity and violence not included in the theatrical version was made available for the DVD release.
The film received generally positive reviews, earning an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes
and 69/100 from Metacritic
. The film had total international box office gross receipts of $383.4 million. For the DVD release, 20th Century Fox
pioneered a new kind of DRM
, Digital Copy
, that tries to weaken the incentives for consumers to learn how to rip
discs by offering them a downloadable version with studio-imposed restrictions. The score for the film was released on July 2, 2007.
upload programs they were paid to code to a woman named Mai Linh. Soon, all of the unknown hackers are killed by explosives wired to their computers. Mai uses the programs to cause a brief computer outage at the FBI Cyber-Security Division in the J. Edgar Hoover Building
. The FBI
responds by initiating a nationwide roundup of all known top hackers. NYPD detective John McClane
is assigned to bring a hacker from Camden, New Jersey
, Matt Farrell (Justin Long
), into FBI custody. McClane's unexpected arrival stops Farrell from unknowingly triggering the explosives meant for him. Mai has assassins as backup, but McClane protects Farrell and kills most of their attackers in a shootout, although in the course of events, the explosives are triggered. The next day, Mai's boss and companion, Thomas Gabriel, gives her orders to initiate his plot. The first phase involves taking control of the transportation grids (including the airports, the railroads, and traffic lights) and the stock market. Gabriel also broadcasts a message threatening the nation, using spliced video clips from speeches given by the last twelve presidents.
McClane takes Farrell to the FBI headquarters
in Washington, D.C.
, where Farrell is questioned. FBI director Miguel Bowman is uninterested in his surmise: Farrell believes the terrorists are mounting a "fire sale" (where "everything must go") attack, exploiting the vulnerability of the nation's computer-controlled infrastructure.
McClane and Farrell drive away in an FBI cruiser to a secure building, but Gabriel and Mai locate Farrell and hijack the signal to lure them to gunmen waiting in a helicopter. The firefight brings down the FBI agents escorting them, and McClane and Farrell manage to evade the helicopter by driving into a tunnel, at which point Gabriel has the toll plazas at both ends of the tunnel remotely opened, trying to sandwich them in a pile-up. They are able to escape, and McClane launches the cruiser at the helicopter, destroying it. The damage is so significant that the one terrorist who survives mistakenly tells Gabriel that their targets have been killed.
Gabriel next televises a national broadcast of a fake video of the United States Capitol
exploding, setting off a public panic. Farrell believes that the power grid will be the next target, and directs McClane to a utility superstation in West Virginia, where they find Mai and her henchmen, who have killed the guards and operators while posing as FBI agents. McClane and Farrell fight their way to the station's command center, McClane fights Linh, and Farrell manages to abort the shutdown sequence. McClane finally kills Linh by driving a car into her and down an elevator shaft, where the SUV explodes. Farrell saves McClane by killing another thug, knocking him from behind down the shaft. When Gabriel tries to contact Mai, he reaches McClane instead, who taunts him with the news of his girlfriend's demise. Farrell transmits Gabriel's image to the FBI, allowing them to identify him. Enraged, Gabriel redirects all the natural gas
in nearby pipelines to the station, but McClane and Farrell escape just before the resulting explosion causes a power outage across the East Coast. Farrell suggests they get help from his hacker friend in Baltimore
, Frederick "Warlock" Kaludis.
Warlock locates the program Farrell created for Gabriel. It is being used in a Social Security Administration
building at Woodlawn, Maryland
, an unlikely target. They discover that it is actually a front for a highly classified government facility which Gabriel instituted during his tenure at the National Security Agency
(NSA). In case of a total computer systems failure—such as the one Gabriel manufactured—every critical personal and financial record across the country is sent to servers there to create a backup. Gabriel's men take over the facility and start downloading a copy. Warlock is also able to explain Gabriel's motivation: a talented hacker, he was once a top expert for the NSA. However, he was fired and his reputation was tarnished when he tried to sound the alarm about America's vulnerability to cyber-warfare
.
Gabriel detects Warlock's hack and speaks with him, McClane, and Farrell; he reveals that he has taken McClane's estranged daughter Lucy hostage. After Warlock traces Gabriel's location to Woodlawn, McClane and Farrell head there, where Farrell triggers an alarm in the facility to alert the FBI. As McClane deals with Gabriel's forces, Farrell encrypts the downloaded data to block access to it, but is captured. Gabriel and his men leave the facility, Farrell and Lucy in tow, before the FBI arrive. McClane hijacks Gabriel's semi
and pursues. During the chase, McClane uses the truck's CB to contact Warlock who connects him to Bowman. McClane gives the license plate number of Gabriel's hazmat van to Bowman so he can use the vehicle's LoJack
to locate Gabriel and bring help. Gabriel hacks into the military's computers to deceive a United States Marine Corp F-35B Lightning II pilot into believing that McClane is a terrorist. The pilot attacks McClane's vehicle, but he inadvertently destroys the aircraft with falling debris. Escaping the destruction, McClane spots Gabriel's van pulling into a warehouse and heads there.
McClane dispatches all but one of Gabriel's henchmen, Emerson, who shoots McClane in the right shoulder. Gabriel makes McClane watch as he prepares to kill Lucy and Farrell. However, when Gabriel grinds his gun into McClane's wound, McClane fires it through his own shoulder and into Gabriel's heart, killing him. Emerson is killed by Farrell. Afterwards, to McClane's chagrin, Lucy and Farrell show romantic interest in each other.
, screenwriter of Enemy of the State. Using a Wired article entitled "A Farewell to Arms" by John Carlin, Marconi crafted a screenplay about a cyber-terrorist attack on the U.S. The attack procedure is known as a "fire sale", depicting a three-stage coordinated attack on a country's transportation, telecommunications, financial, and utilities infrastructure systems. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the project was stalled, only to be resurrected several years later and rewritten into Live Free or Die Hard by Doug Richardson
and eventually by Mark Bomback
.
Willis said in 2005 that the film would be called Die Hard 4.0, as it revolves around computers and cyber-terrorism. IGN
later reported the film was to be called Die Hard: Reset instead. 20th Century Fox
later announced the title as Live Free or Die Hard and set a release date of June 29, 2007 with filming to begin in September 2006. The title is based on the state motto of New Hampshire
, "Live Free or Die
", which is attributed to a quote from General John Stark
. International trailers use the Die Hard 4.0 title, as the film was released outside North America with that title. Early into the DVD commentary for the film, both Wiseman and Willis note a preference for Die Hard 4.0, and subtly mock the Live Free or Die Hard title.
. One VFX producer said that "Len was insisting on the fact that, because we’ve got Transformers and other big CG movies coming out, this one has to feel more real. It has to be embedded in some kind of practical reality in order to give it that edge of being a Die Hard." Companies such as Digital Dimension, The Orphanage
, R!ot, Pixel Magic, and Amalgamated Pixels assisted in the visual effects of the film.
Digital Dimension worked on 200 visual effects shots in the film, including the sequence that shows characters John McClane and Matt Farrell crouching between two cars as another car lands on top of the other cars. To achieve this effect, a crane yanked the car and threw it in the air onto the two cars that were also being pulled by cables. The shot was completed when the two characters were integrated into the footage of the car stunt after the lighting was adjusted and CGI glass and debris were added. In the same sequence, John McClane propels a car into a hovering helicopter, which crashes to the ground. This was accomplished by first filming one take where an assassin with a rifle jumps from the helicopter, and in the next take the car is propelled into the stationary helicopter as it is hoisted by wires. The final view of the shot overlays the two takes, with added CGI for the debris and moving rotor blades. The company also assisted in adding cars for traffic collisions and masses of people for evacuations from several government buildings.
The Orphanage developed a multi-level freeway interchange for use in one of the final scenes of the film by creating a digital environment and a 1000 feet (304.8 m) long spiral ramp that was built in front of a bluescreen
. When a F-35 jet is chasing McClane on the freeway, a miniature model and a full-size prop were both built to assist in digitally adding the jet into the scene. The nine-foot model was constructed from November 2006 through February 2007. When the jet is shown hovering near the freeway, editors used the software 3D graphics program Maya
to blur the background and create a heat ripple effect.
In order to prevent possible injuries and be in peak condition for the film, Willis worked out almost daily for several months prior to filming. Willis was injured January 24, 2007 during a fight scene, when he was kicked above his right eye by a stunt double for actress Maggie Q who was wearing stiletto heels. Willis described the event as "no big deal" but when Len Wiseman inspected his injury, he noticed that the situation was much more serious than previously thought—in the DVD commentary, Wiseman indicates in inspecting the wound that he could see bone. Willis was hospitalized and received seven stitches which ran through his right eyebrow and down into the corner of his eye. Due to the film's non-linear production schedule, these stitches can accidentally be seen in the scene where McClane first delivers Farrell to Bowman.
Throughout filming, between 200 and 250 stunt people were used. Bruce Willis' stunt double, Larry Rippenkroeger
, was knocked unconscious when he fell 25 feet (7.6 m) from a fire escape to the pavement. Rippenkroeger suffered broken bones in his face, several broken ribs, a punctured lung, and fractures in both wrists. Due to his injuries, production was temporarily shut down. Willis personally paid the hotel bills for Rippenkroeger's parents and visited him a number of times at the hospital.
. Live Free or Die Hard, however, was edited to obtain a PG-13 rating. In some cases, character dialogue was cut or muted in post-production to reduce profanity. Director Len Wiseman commented on the rating, saying "It was about three months into it [production], and I hadn't even heard that it was PG-13... But in the end, it was just trying to make the best Die Hard movie, not really thinking so much about what the rating would be." Bruce Willis was upset with the studio's decision, stating, "I really wanted this one to live up to the promise of the first one, which I always thought was the only really good one. That's a studio decision that is becoming more and more common, because they’re trying to reach a broader audience. It seems almost a courageous move to give a picture an R rating these days. But we still made a pretty hardcore, smashmouth film." Willis said he thought that viewers unaware that it was not an R-rated film would not suspect that, watching it, due to the level and intensity of the action, and the usage of some profanity, although less than the previous films. He also said that this film was the best of the four: "It's unbelievable. I just saw it last week. I personally think, it's better than the first one."
In the United Kingdom the BBFC awarded the film a 15 rating, the same as Die Hard With A Vengeance (the first two films in the series received an 18 certificate). The film was released with no cuts made and advice that it 'contains frequent action violence and one use of strong language'.
based on 198 reviews with the consensus being it is "an efficient, action-packed summer popcorn flick" and a score of a generally favorable 69% on Metacritic based on 34 reviews. A review on IGN stated "Like the recent Rocky Balboa
, this new Die Hard works as both its own story about an over-the-hill but still vital hero and as a nostalgia trip for those who grew up with the original films." On the television show Ebert & Roeper, film critic Richard Roeper
and guest critic Katherine Tulich gave the film "Two thumbs up," with Richard Roeper stating that the film is "not the best or most exciting Die Hard, but it is a lot of fun" and that it is his favorite among the sequels to the original Die Hard. Roeper also remarked, "Willis is in top form in his career-defining role." Michael Medved
gave the film three and a half out of four stars, opining, "a smart script and spectacular special effects make this the best Die Hard of 'em all."
Among the more unfavorable reviews, Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer
stated: "I can safely say I've never seen anything as ridiculous as Live Free or Die Hard." Toppman also wrote that the film had a lack of memorable villains and referred to John McClane as "just a bald Terminator with better one-liners".
, was released on July 2, 2007 by Varèse Sarabande (which also released the soundtracks for the first two Die Hard films), several days after the United States release of the film. This was the first film not to be scored by Michael Kamen
, due to his passing away in 2003 - Beltrami incorporates Kamen's thematic material into his score, but Kamen is not credited on the film or the album. Other songs in the film include "Rock & Roll Queen" by The Subways
, "Fortunate Son
" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
, "I'm So Sick
" by Flyleaf
, "Goth (Remix)" by 615 Music
and Craig Sharmat
, "Cycler" by RipTide Music, and "War Zone" by Audiomachine. Eric Lichtenfeld, reviewing from SoundtrackNet
, called the score's action cues "in which the entire orchestra seems percussive, flow well together."
magazine's Richard Corliss
named it one of the Top 10 DVDs of 2007, ranking it at number 10.
The DVD for the film was the first to include a Digital Copy of the film which could be played on a PC or Mac computer and could also be imported into several models of portable video players. Mike Dunn, a president for 20th Century Fox, stated "The industry has sold nearly 12 billion DVDs to date, and the release of Live Free or Die Hard is the first one that allows consumers to move their content to other devices."
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
, and the fourth installment in the Die Hard series. The film was directed by Len Wiseman
Len Wiseman
Len Ryan Wiseman is an American film director best known for his work on the Underworld series and Live Free or Die Hard. His latest project, Total Recall, is set for release in summer 2012...
and stars Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
as John McClane
John McClane
John McClane is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Die Hard film series, portrayed by Bruce Willis.-Development and description:...
. The name was adapted from the state motto of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, "Live Free or Die
Live Free or Die
"Live Free or Die" is the official motto of the U.S. state of New Hampshire, adopted by the state in 1945. It is possibly the best-known of all state mottos, partly because it speaks to an assertive independence historically found in American political philosophy and partly because of its contrast...
". The main plot finds McClane fighting a gang of cyber terrorists who plan to hack FBI computers. The film was based on the 1997 article "A Farewell to Arms" written for Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine by John Carlin
John Carlin
John Carlin is a journalist and author, dealing with both sports and politics. His book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation about former South African president Nelson Mandela is the basis for the 2009 film Invictus.-Personal life:Carlin was born to a Scottish father...
. The film's North American release date was June 27, 2007.
After the project was stalled due to the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, production eventually began, and the film's title was switched several times. A variety of visual effects were used for action sequences, even though Wiseman and Willis stated that they wanted to limit the amount of CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
in the film. In separate incidents during filming, both Willis and his stunt double
Larry Rippenkroeger
Larry Rippenkroeger is a stunt double. He was previously a jet-ski champion.During the filming of the film Live Free or Die Hard, Rippenkroeger was the stunt double for Bruce Willis. Rippenkroeger was seriously injured when he fell twenty-five feet to the pavement. He suffered broken bones in his...
were injured. Unlike the prior three films in the series, the US rating was PG-13 rather than R. An unrated version of Live Free or Die Hard containing profanity and violence not included in the theatrical version was made available for the DVD release.
The film received generally positive reviews, earning an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and 69/100 from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. The film had total international box office gross receipts of $383.4 million. For the DVD release, 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
pioneered a new kind of DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
, Digital Copy
Digital copy
Digital Copy provides consumers who purchase a film on DVD or Blu-ray Disc with an additional, digital copy of the movie for devices capable of operating with a file in contrast to a DVD.-Features:...
, that tries to weaken the incentives for consumers to learn how to rip
Ripping
Ripping is the process of copying audio or video content to a hard disk, typically from removable media. The word is used to refer to all forms of media. Despite the name, neither the media nor the data is damaged after extraction....
discs by offering them a downloadable version with studio-imposed restrictions. The score for the film was released on July 2, 2007.
Plot
A number of computer hackersHacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
upload programs they were paid to code to a woman named Mai Linh. Soon, all of the unknown hackers are killed by explosives wired to their computers. Mai uses the programs to cause a brief computer outage at the FBI Cyber-Security Division in the J. Edgar Hoover Building
J. Edgar Hoover Building
The J. Edgar Hoover Building is located in Washington, D.C. It is the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation . The building, named for former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, is located at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The building received its official name, the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I...
. The FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
responds by initiating a nationwide roundup of all known top hackers. NYPD detective John McClane
John McClane
John McClane is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Die Hard film series, portrayed by Bruce Willis.-Development and description:...
is assigned to bring a hacker from Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, Matt Farrell (Justin Long
Justin Long
Justin Jacob Long is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Galaxy Quest, Jeepers Creepers, Dodgeball, Live Free or Die Hard, He's Just Not That into You, Drag Me to Hell, and Youth in Revolt, and his personification of a Mac in Apple's "Get a...
), into FBI custody. McClane's unexpected arrival stops Farrell from unknowingly triggering the explosives meant for him. Mai has assassins as backup, but McClane protects Farrell and kills most of their attackers in a shootout, although in the course of events, the explosives are triggered. The next day, Mai's boss and companion, Thomas Gabriel, gives her orders to initiate his plot. The first phase involves taking control of the transportation grids (including the airports, the railroads, and traffic lights) and the stock market. Gabriel also broadcasts a message threatening the nation, using spliced video clips from speeches given by the last twelve presidents.
McClane takes Farrell to the FBI headquarters
J. Edgar Hoover Building
The J. Edgar Hoover Building is located in Washington, D.C. It is the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation . The building, named for former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, is located at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The building received its official name, the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where Farrell is questioned. FBI director Miguel Bowman is uninterested in his surmise: Farrell believes the terrorists are mounting a "fire sale" (where "everything must go") attack, exploiting the vulnerability of the nation's computer-controlled infrastructure.
McClane and Farrell drive away in an FBI cruiser to a secure building, but Gabriel and Mai locate Farrell and hijack the signal to lure them to gunmen waiting in a helicopter. The firefight brings down the FBI agents escorting them, and McClane and Farrell manage to evade the helicopter by driving into a tunnel, at which point Gabriel has the toll plazas at both ends of the tunnel remotely opened, trying to sandwich them in a pile-up. They are able to escape, and McClane launches the cruiser at the helicopter, destroying it. The damage is so significant that the one terrorist who survives mistakenly tells Gabriel that their targets have been killed.
Gabriel next televises a national broadcast of a fake video of the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
exploding, setting off a public panic. Farrell believes that the power grid will be the next target, and directs McClane to a utility superstation in West Virginia, where they find Mai and her henchmen, who have killed the guards and operators while posing as FBI agents. McClane and Farrell fight their way to the station's command center, McClane fights Linh, and Farrell manages to abort the shutdown sequence. McClane finally kills Linh by driving a car into her and down an elevator shaft, where the SUV explodes. Farrell saves McClane by killing another thug, knocking him from behind down the shaft. When Gabriel tries to contact Mai, he reaches McClane instead, who taunts him with the news of his girlfriend's demise. Farrell transmits Gabriel's image to the FBI, allowing them to identify him. Enraged, Gabriel redirects all the natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
in nearby pipelines to the station, but McClane and Farrell escape just before the resulting explosion causes a power outage across the East Coast. Farrell suggests they get help from his hacker friend in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Frederick "Warlock" Kaludis.
Warlock locates the program Farrell created for Gabriel. It is being used in a Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
building at Woodlawn, Maryland
Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland
Woodlawn is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 36,079 at the 2000 census. It is home to both the headquarters of the Social Security Administration as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...
, an unlikely target. They discover that it is actually a front for a highly classified government facility which Gabriel instituted during his tenure at the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
(NSA). In case of a total computer systems failure—such as the one Gabriel manufactured—every critical personal and financial record across the country is sent to servers there to create a backup. Gabriel's men take over the facility and start downloading a copy. Warlock is also able to explain Gabriel's motivation: a talented hacker, he was once a top expert for the NSA. However, he was fired and his reputation was tarnished when he tried to sound the alarm about America's vulnerability to cyber-warfare
Cyber-warfare
Cyberwarfare refers to politically motivated hacking to conduct sabotage and espionage. It is a form of information warfare sometimes seen as analogous to conventional warfare although this analogy is controversial for both its accuracy and its political motivation.Government security expert...
.
Gabriel detects Warlock's hack and speaks with him, McClane, and Farrell; he reveals that he has taken McClane's estranged daughter Lucy hostage. After Warlock traces Gabriel's location to Woodlawn, McClane and Farrell head there, where Farrell triggers an alarm in the facility to alert the FBI. As McClane deals with Gabriel's forces, Farrell encrypts the downloaded data to block access to it, but is captured. Gabriel and his men leave the facility, Farrell and Lucy in tow, before the FBI arrive. McClane hijacks Gabriel's semi
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...
and pursues. During the chase, McClane uses the truck's CB to contact Warlock who connects him to Bowman. McClane gives the license plate number of Gabriel's hazmat van to Bowman so he can use the vehicle's LoJack
LoJack
The LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System is an aftermarket vehicle tracking system that allows vehicles to be tracked by police, with the aim of recovering them in case of theft. The manufacturer claims a 90% recovery rate...
to locate Gabriel and bring help. Gabriel hacks into the military's computers to deceive a United States Marine Corp F-35B Lightning II pilot into believing that McClane is a terrorist. The pilot attacks McClane's vehicle, but he inadvertently destroys the aircraft with falling debris. Escaping the destruction, McClane spots Gabriel's van pulling into a warehouse and heads there.
McClane dispatches all but one of Gabriel's henchmen, Emerson, who shoots McClane in the right shoulder. Gabriel makes McClane watch as he prepares to kill Lucy and Farrell. However, when Gabriel grinds his gun into McClane's wound, McClane fires it through his own shoulder and into Gabriel's heart, killing him. Emerson is killed by Farrell. Afterwards, to McClane's chagrin, Lucy and Farrell show romantic interest in each other.
Cast
- Bruce WillisBruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
as Detective John McClaneJohn McClaneJohn McClane is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Die Hard film series, portrayed by Bruce Willis.-Development and description:... - Justin LongJustin LongJustin Jacob Long is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Galaxy Quest, Jeepers Creepers, Dodgeball, Live Free or Die Hard, He's Just Not That into You, Drag Me to Hell, and Youth in Revolt, and his personification of a Mac in Apple's "Get a...
as Matthew "Matt" Farrell - Timothy OlyphantTimothy OlyphantTimothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
as Thomas Gabriel. Olyphant filmed his role in three weeks. - Jonathan SadowskiJonathan SadowskiJonathan Sadowski is an American actor. He is best known for playing Viola Hasting's best friend Paul Antonio in the movie She's The Man, Trey in Live Free or Die Hard, and Blake in the 2009 film The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. In July 2010, he joined the cast of the CBS comedy $#*! My Dad...
as Trey, Gabriel's main hacker - Mary Elizabeth WinsteadMary Elizabeth WinsteadMary Elizabeth Winstead is an American actress. She is best known for her scream queen roles in the horror films Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Death Proof, and The Thing...
as Lucy Gennero-McClane, McClane's estranged daughter. The inclusion of McClane's daughter was previously considered for Die Hard with a Vengeance, and she was in the video game Die Hard: VendettaDie Hard: VendettaDie Hard: Vendetta is a first-person shooter video game that was exclusive to the Nintendo GameCube. It has since been released for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and is not to be confused with the PC-exclusive Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza, also a first-person shooter.Taking place after the first...
. It was speculated that Willis' real life daughter RumerRumer WillisRumer Glenn Willis is an American actress, the oldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore and the stepdaughter of Emma Heming and Ashton Kutcher.-Personal life:...
, who was born the same year that the original Die Hard was released, was a prime candidate for the part of Lucy McClane. Jessica SimpsonJessica SimpsonJessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
, Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, and Taylor FryTaylor FryTaylor Fry is an American actress. She played the role of John McClane's estranged daughter Lucy in the first Die Hard film, and had regular roles on the television series Nightingales, Get a Life and Kirk.-Filmography:...
, who played Lucy in the original Die Hard film in 1988, had all previously auditioned for the role. - Maggie QMaggie QMargaret Denise Quigley , professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American-born actress and former fashion model. She currently stars as the titular character on the action-thriller TV series Nikita.-Early life:...
as Mai Linh - Cliff CurtisCliff CurtisClifford Vivian Devon "Cliff" Curtis is a New Zealand actor who has had major roles in film, including The Piano, Whale Rider, and Blow, and most recently has appeared in NBC's television series Trauma. He is also co-owner of independent film production company Whenua Films...
as Miguel Bowman, FBI Deputy Director - Kevin SmithKevin SmithKevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
as Frederick "Warlock" Kaludis, Farrell's hacker friend - Cyril RaffaelliCyril RaffaelliCyril Raffaelli is a French traceur, martial artist and stuntman.-Biography:Utilizing shotokan karate and wushu, Raffaelli has been a regular in films with Luc Besson and David Belle, the latter being a friend of his.-Filmography:...
as Rand, Gabriel's henchman - Željko IvanekŽeljko IvanekŽeljko Ivanek is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes....
as Agent Molina, Bowman's assistant and friend - Edoardo CostaEdoardo CostaEdoardo Cicorini , better known as Edoardo Costa, is an Italian actor, entrepreneur and former model. His career began in the fashion industry as a model in the early 1990s for the modeling agency Why Not. Desiring something more, he began studying acting in Paris and Milan as well as in Los Angeles...
as Emerson, Gabriel's main henchman - Yorgo Constantine as Russo, Gabriel's henchman
- Andrew FriedmanAndrew FriedmanAndrew Friedman is the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Rays franchise in Major League Baseball. In that position, he acts as the team's General Manager.-Early life:...
as Casper - Christina ChangChristina ChangChristina Chang is a Taiwanese American actress.Chang was born in and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. Her father is Chinese Filipino and her mother is American...
as Taylor - Sung KangSung KangSung Kang is an American actor, known for his role as Han Seoul-Oh in the films Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, and Fast Five....
as Raj - Tim RussTim RussTimothy Darrell "Tim" Russ is an American actor, film director, screenwriter and musician. He is known for his roles on Star Trek: Voyager, as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Samantha Who?, as Frank, and on the Nickelodeon live-action teen sitcom iCarly, as Principal Franklin, a recurring...
as Agent Summers
Script and title
The film's plot is based on an earlier script entitled WW3.com by David MarconiDavid Marconi
David Marconi is an American screenwriter and film director. His writing credits include the screenplays for Enemy of the State and Live Free or Die Hard.-Filmography:*Rumble Fish...
, screenwriter of Enemy of the State. Using a Wired article entitled "A Farewell to Arms" by John Carlin, Marconi crafted a screenplay about a cyber-terrorist attack on the U.S. The attack procedure is known as a "fire sale", depicting a three-stage coordinated attack on a country's transportation, telecommunications, financial, and utilities infrastructure systems. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the project was stalled, only to be resurrected several years later and rewritten into Live Free or Die Hard by Doug Richardson
Doug Richardson
Doug Richardson is an American screenwriter known for his ability to write action movies.He first made an impression with his so-far unproduced spec script Hell Bent... and Back which sold for one million dollars...
and eventually by Mark Bomback
Mark Bomback
Mark Bomback is an American screenwriter originally from New Rochelle, NY. Bomback is a graduate of Wesleyan University, where he studied English Literature and Film Studies.- Screenwriter :*The Night Caller...
.
Willis said in 2005 that the film would be called Die Hard 4.0, as it revolves around computers and cyber-terrorism. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
later reported the film was to be called Die Hard: Reset instead. 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
later announced the title as Live Free or Die Hard and set a release date of June 29, 2007 with filming to begin in September 2006. The title is based on the state motto of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, "Live Free or Die
Live Free or Die
"Live Free or Die" is the official motto of the U.S. state of New Hampshire, adopted by the state in 1945. It is possibly the best-known of all state mottos, partly because it speaks to an assertive independence historically found in American political philosophy and partly because of its contrast...
", which is attributed to a quote from General John Stark
John Stark
John Stark was a New Hampshire native who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.-Early life:John Stark was born in Londonderry, New...
. International trailers use the Die Hard 4.0 title, as the film was released outside North America with that title. Early into the DVD commentary for the film, both Wiseman and Willis note a preference for Die Hard 4.0, and subtly mock the Live Free or Die Hard title.
Visual effects
For the visual effects used throughout the film, actor Bruce Willis and director Len Wiseman stated that they wanted to use a limited amount of CGIComputer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
. One VFX producer said that "Len was insisting on the fact that, because we’ve got Transformers and other big CG movies coming out, this one has to feel more real. It has to be embedded in some kind of practical reality in order to give it that edge of being a Die Hard." Companies such as Digital Dimension, The Orphanage
The Orphanage (company)
The Orphanage was a visual effects studio located in California. It had offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was co-founded in 1999 by Stu Maschwitz, Jonathan Rothbart and Scott Stewart, who all previously worked at Industrial Light and Magic. Scott Kirsner at Hollywood Reporter...
, R!ot, Pixel Magic, and Amalgamated Pixels assisted in the visual effects of the film.
Digital Dimension worked on 200 visual effects shots in the film, including the sequence that shows characters John McClane and Matt Farrell crouching between two cars as another car lands on top of the other cars. To achieve this effect, a crane yanked the car and threw it in the air onto the two cars that were also being pulled by cables. The shot was completed when the two characters were integrated into the footage of the car stunt after the lighting was adjusted and CGI glass and debris were added. In the same sequence, John McClane propels a car into a hovering helicopter, which crashes to the ground. This was accomplished by first filming one take where an assassin with a rifle jumps from the helicopter, and in the next take the car is propelled into the stationary helicopter as it is hoisted by wires. The final view of the shot overlays the two takes, with added CGI for the debris and moving rotor blades. The company also assisted in adding cars for traffic collisions and masses of people for evacuations from several government buildings.
The Orphanage developed a multi-level freeway interchange for use in one of the final scenes of the film by creating a digital environment and a 1000 feet (304.8 m) long spiral ramp that was built in front of a bluescreen
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
. When a F-35 jet is chasing McClane on the freeway, a miniature model and a full-size prop were both built to assist in digitally adding the jet into the scene. The nine-foot model was constructed from November 2006 through February 2007. When the jet is shown hovering near the freeway, editors used the software 3D graphics program Maya
Maya (software)
Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...
to blur the background and create a heat ripple effect.
Filming and injuries
Filming for Live Free or Die Hard started in downtown Baltimore, Maryland on September 23, 2006. Eight different sets were built on a large soundstage for filming many scenes throughout the film. When recording the sound for the semi trailer used in one of the final scenes of the film, 18 microphones were used to record the engine, tires, and damage to the vehicle. Post-production for the film only took 16 weeks, when it was more common for similar films to use 26 weeks.In order to prevent possible injuries and be in peak condition for the film, Willis worked out almost daily for several months prior to filming. Willis was injured January 24, 2007 during a fight scene, when he was kicked above his right eye by a stunt double for actress Maggie Q who was wearing stiletto heels. Willis described the event as "no big deal" but when Len Wiseman inspected his injury, he noticed that the situation was much more serious than previously thought—in the DVD commentary, Wiseman indicates in inspecting the wound that he could see bone. Willis was hospitalized and received seven stitches which ran through his right eyebrow and down into the corner of his eye. Due to the film's non-linear production schedule, these stitches can accidentally be seen in the scene where McClane first delivers Farrell to Bowman.
Throughout filming, between 200 and 250 stunt people were used. Bruce Willis' stunt double, Larry Rippenkroeger
Larry Rippenkroeger
Larry Rippenkroeger is a stunt double. He was previously a jet-ski champion.During the filming of the film Live Free or Die Hard, Rippenkroeger was the stunt double for Bruce Willis. Rippenkroeger was seriously injured when he fell twenty-five feet to the pavement. He suffered broken bones in his...
, was knocked unconscious when he fell 25 feet (7.6 m) from a fire escape to the pavement. Rippenkroeger suffered broken bones in his face, several broken ribs, a punctured lung, and fractures in both wrists. Due to his injuries, production was temporarily shut down. Willis personally paid the hotel bills for Rippenkroeger's parents and visited him a number of times at the hospital.
Rating
In the United States the first three films in the Die Hard series were rated R by the MPAAMotion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
. Live Free or Die Hard, however, was edited to obtain a PG-13 rating. In some cases, character dialogue was cut or muted in post-production to reduce profanity. Director Len Wiseman commented on the rating, saying "It was about three months into it [production], and I hadn't even heard that it was PG-13... But in the end, it was just trying to make the best Die Hard movie, not really thinking so much about what the rating would be." Bruce Willis was upset with the studio's decision, stating, "I really wanted this one to live up to the promise of the first one, which I always thought was the only really good one. That's a studio decision that is becoming more and more common, because they’re trying to reach a broader audience. It seems almost a courageous move to give a picture an R rating these days. But we still made a pretty hardcore, smashmouth film." Willis said he thought that viewers unaware that it was not an R-rated film would not suspect that, watching it, due to the level and intensity of the action, and the usage of some profanity, although less than the previous films. He also said that this film was the best of the four: "It's unbelievable. I just saw it last week. I personally think, it's better than the first one."
In the United Kingdom the BBFC awarded the film a 15 rating, the same as Die Hard With A Vengeance (the first two films in the series received an 18 certificate). The film was released with no cuts made and advice that it 'contains frequent action violence and one use of strong language'.
Box office
Live Free or Die Hard made $9.1 million in its first day of release in 3,172 theaters, the best opening day take of any film in the Die Hard franchise (not taking inflation into account). On its opening weekend Live Free or Die Hard made $33.3 million ($48.3 million counting Wednesday and Thursday). The film made $134.5 million domestically, and $249.0 million overseas, for a total of $383.5 million, making it the twelfth highest grossing film of 2007. To date, it is the most successful film in the franchise.Critical reception
The film has a score of 82% with a certified "Fresh" rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 198 reviews with the consensus being it is "an efficient, action-packed summer popcorn flick" and a score of a generally favorable 69% on Metacritic based on 34 reviews. A review on IGN stated "Like the recent Rocky Balboa
Rocky Balboa (film)
Rocky Balboa is the sixth and final film in the Rocky franchise, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film, which was also written by Stallone who plays underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, is the sixth film in the Rocky series that began with the Academy Award-winning Rocky thirty years...
, this new Die Hard works as both its own story about an over-the-hill but still vital hero and as a nostalgia trip for those who grew up with the original films." On the television show Ebert & Roeper, film critic Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
and guest critic Katherine Tulich gave the film "Two thumbs up," with Richard Roeper stating that the film is "not the best or most exciting Die Hard, but it is a lot of fun" and that it is his favorite among the sequels to the original Die Hard. Roeper also remarked, "Willis is in top form in his career-defining role." Michael Medved
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
gave the film three and a half out of four stars, opining, "a smart script and spectacular special effects make this the best Die Hard of 'em all."
Among the more unfavorable reviews, Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer, serving Charlotte, North Carolina and its metro area, is the largest newspaper, in terms of circulation, in North Carolina and South Carolina...
stated: "I can safely say I've never seen anything as ridiculous as Live Free or Die Hard." Toppman also wrote that the film had a lack of memorable villains and referred to John McClane as "just a bald Terminator with better one-liners".
Soundtrack
The score for Live Free or Die Hard, written by Marco BeltramiMarco Beltrami
Marco Beltrami is an American film composer.-Life and career:Beltrami was born in Long Island, New York of Italian and Greek descent...
, was released on July 2, 2007 by Varèse Sarabande (which also released the soundtracks for the first two Die Hard films), several days after the United States release of the film. This was the first film not to be scored by Michael Kamen
Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...
, due to his passing away in 2003 - Beltrami incorporates Kamen's thematic material into his score, but Kamen is not credited on the film or the album. Other songs in the film include "Rock & Roll Queen" by The Subways
The Subways
The Subways are an English alternative rock / indie rock band. Their debut album, Young For Eternity, was released on 4 July 2005 in the UK and February 14, 2006 in the U.S. Their second album, All or Nothing, was released on 30 June 2008 and their third album Money and Celebrity debuted on the...
, "Fortunate Son
Fortunate Son (song)
"Fortunate Son" is a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their album Willy and the Poor Boys in 1968. It was released as a single, together with "Down on the Corner", in September 1968. This song reached #14 on the United States charts. It won the RIAA Gold Disc award in December 1970...
" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
, "I'm So Sick
I'm So Sick
"I'm So Sick" is a song by American band Flyleaf. It was released on August 29, 2006 as the first single of their debut album, Flyleaf . It is their second song to have an accompanying music video and it has been shown on many mainstream television networks...
" by Flyleaf
Flyleaf
Flyleaf is an American alternative metal band, formed in the Belton and Temple, Texas regions in 2000. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop and Christian metal genres. They performed around the United States in 2003 until releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005....
, "Goth (Remix)" by 615 Music
615 Music
615 Music is a broadcast production music company based in Nashville, Tennessee. 615 Music composes television news music packages and custom image campaigns for many television networks around the world. 615 Music also operates out of Los Angeles...
and Craig Sharmat
Craig Sharmat
Craig Sharmat composes music for TV and Film, and also is an accomplished guitarist whose work has been noteworthy in the Smooth Jazz charts. He has scored a wide variety of reality TV shows, TV animation, television commercials, and documentary movies. He has also played guitar on thousands of...
, "Cycler" by RipTide Music, and "War Zone" by Audiomachine. Eric Lichtenfeld, reviewing from SoundtrackNet
SoundtrackNet
- History :Created in 1997 by David A. Koran and Dan Goldwasser at Carnegie Mellon University, the site has grown over the past decade to become one of the leading websites covering the film music industry in Hollywood....
, called the score's action cues "in which the entire orchestra seems percussive, flow well together."
- '"Out Of Bullets" (1:08)
- "Shootout" (3:41)
- "Leaving The Apartment (2:08)
- "Dead Hackers" (1:31)
- "Traffic Jam" (4:13)
- "It's A Fire Sale" (2:57)
- 'The Break-In" (2:28)
- "Farrell To D.C." (4:36)
- "Copter Chase" (4:41)
- "Blackout" (2:03)
- "Illegal Broadcast" (3:48)
- "Hurry Up!" (1:23)
- "The Power Plant" (2:01)
- "Landing" (2:28)
- "Cold Cuts" (2:00)
- "Break A Neck" (2:47)
- "Farrell Is In" (4:22)
- "The F-35" [4:13]
- "Aftermath" [3:12]
- "Live Free or Die Hard" [2:56]
Home media release
The Blu-ray and DVD were released on October 29, 2007, in the United Kingdom, on October 31 in Hungary, November 20 in the United States, and December 12 in Australia. The DVD topped rental and sales charts in its opening week of release in the United States and Canada. There is an unrated version, which retains much of the original 'R-rated' dialogue, and a theatrical version of the film. The Blu-ray release features the PG-13 theatrical cut which runs at 128 minutes, while the Collector's Edition DVD includes both the unrated and theatrical versions. TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine's Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
Richard Nelson Corliss is a writer for Time magazine who focuses on movies, with the occasional article on music or sports. Corliss is the former editor-in-chief of Film Comment...
named it one of the Top 10 DVDs of 2007, ranking it at number 10.
The DVD for the film was the first to include a Digital Copy of the film which could be played on a PC or Mac computer and could also be imported into several models of portable video players. Mike Dunn, a president for 20th Century Fox, stated "The industry has sold nearly 12 billion DVDs to date, and the release of Live Free or Die Hard is the first one that allows consumers to move their content to other devices."
External links
- Free or Die Hard at Cinema and ScienceCinema and ScienceCinema and Science is a European educational project of the Austrian physicist Heinz Oberhummer. It is funded by the European Commissionand was awarded of being a star project...
- Live Free or Die Hard soundtrack questions/answers at the SoundtrackINFO project
- "A Farewell to Arms", the Wired article on which the film's script was based
- Live Free or Die Hard trailer at Yahoo! MoviesYahoo! MoviesYahoo! Movies , provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production...