'Live Free or Die Hard' (aka 'Die Hard 4.0) was the fourth installment of the 'Die Hard' franchise. Released in 2007, it hit theaters 19 years after the original - the wildly entertaining daddy of too many lesser action extravaganzas to count - hit theaters and 12 years after 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' was released.
The three installments that preceded 'Live Free or Die Hard' all relished in their R-ratings, piling up the bloody body counts (without being trashily gruesome) and spouting off profanely. Each installment was an exercise in gleeful blockbuster action with attitude and sharp wit to match. It was curious then that the makers of the fourth installment sought a PG-13 offering. Surprisingly, the decision didn't make 'Live Free or Die Hard' a lesser action spectacle or a mediocre offering; it is still very good in many of the same ways the others are great. A fan can't deny the compromise though, and the censoring of John McClane's trademark catchphrase was most egregious offender in the end.
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