It goes without saying that Die Hard is one of the greatest action movies of all time. Not only did Bruce Willis’ incredible character of John McClane embody everything that audiences wanted to see in an action hero, but it created a formula that imitators have been replicating ever since. Some of these iconic reimaginings are classics in their own right; Speed is just “Die Hard on a bus,” and Air Force One is just “Die Hard on a plane.” The first two Die Hard sequels are actually held in fairly high regard as well. Die Hard 2: Die Harder dug deeper into the McClane family’s relationships, and Die Hard With A Vengeance featured the emergence of Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic character Zeus.

However, the critical praise for the series significantly declined in the later installments. While 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard is a completely defenseless disaster, 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard has been slightly undervalued. Sight & Sound stated that “there is a sense that the whole thing has become somewhat rote,” and The AV Club claimed that “none of the scrapes and bruises Willis sustains are as wince-inducing as the image of his younger self in the first film.” While obviously nothing compares to the original 1988 classic, Live Free or Die Hard deserves a healthy reconsideration from Die Hard fans.

Pushing ghe Boundaries of a PG-13 Movie

20th Century Fox

One of the main reasons that Live Free or Die Hard received critical blowback from longtime fans of the franchise was that it was the first entry in the saga to receive a PG-13 rating. Considering that the original Die Hard was renowned for its gruesome death sequences and McClane’s near-constant profanity, cutting those elements out entirely felt like a betrayal. While neither Die Hard 2: Die Harder or Die Hard With A Vengeance topped the first film in the series, they retained their core values.

That being said, Live Free or Die Hard certainly included much more blood and gore than most PG-13 movies. PG-13 is a very odd rating; the MPAA has given it to everything from family-friendly fare like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to grizzly dramas like Captain Phillips. Additionally, Live Free or Die Hard finds a clever way to work in Willis’ iconic one-liner by having McClane’s catchphrase cut off by a gunshot.

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If A Good Day to Die Hard proved anything, it was that an R-rating does not guarantee a good movie. Even if McClane is swearing and there’s a lot of bloody carnage, A Good Day to Die Hard feels like any other R-rated action movie. It loses what made Die Hard unique in the first place, and Live Free or Die Hard retains the integrity, wittiness, and earnestness of McClane that made him so beloved in the first place. Additionally, those interested in seeing a more graphic version of the film might be pleased to learn that there is in fact an R-rated cut that was included on the home media releases that also includes several deleted scenes.

Showing a Different Side of John McClane

20th Century Fox

The Die Hard films are ultimately about family; the original film centers on a broken marriage and how it is saved, and the best of the sequels narrow in on McClane’s interpersonal relationships. Live Free or Die Hard introduces his daughter, Lucy Gennero-McClane (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who remains estranged from her father. This created an interesting dynamic where Willis was able to show a protective, yet sensitive side. Despite taking down villains and going on many adventures, he still can’t find a way to connect with his daughter emotionally.

This also creates many funny scenarios where Willis showed his sense of humor; unlike other action stars of his generation, Willis has a comedic charm to him and nails the shifts in tone. It’s also fun to see that Lucy retains a lot of her father’s defiant attitude, and it’s a shame that she wasn’t given more to do in the series. A Good Day to Die Hard introduced Jai Courtney as McClane’s son, who by comparison wasn’t nearly as interesting.

Related: Every Die Hard Movie, Ranked

Each of the Die Hard sequels is influenced by the filmmakers behind them. While the original film’s director, John McTiernan, returned to direct Die Hard With A Vengeance, Renny Harlin brought a completely different energy to Die Hard 2: Die Harder that was more over-the-top and fast-paced. Similarly, Len Wiseman has his own stylistic preferences that he utilizes in Live Free or Die Hard that accentuate the slow motion, technophobia, and urban environment of his Underworld films. It gave Live Free or Die Hard a unique flavor, as it would have been dull to try and replicate the tone of the original films. It feels like a modern action movie that has to adapt to a changing world, which is fitting considering McClane’s journey within the story.

Legitimately Interesting Supporting Characters

Cheyenne Enterprises

While Willis doesn’t miss a beat reprising his most famous role, the new characters introduced are interesting in their own right. Justin Long’s character Matt Farrell represented a completely different type of sidekick than anyone McClane had ever worked with before. Matt is a young hacker who has never been in a death-defying situation, but knows how to use technology much better than McClane. This creates a lot of fun banter between them. McClane is overwhelmed and confused by the technology, but he needs Matt’s help to take down the film’s antagonists in their plot to wreak havoc on Washington, D.C. This is made even funnier when the pair is forced to team up with the hacker known as “Warlock,” played by Kevin Smith in an amusing cameo.

Timothy Olyphant is also terrific as the villain Thomas Gabriel, a former government employee who has formed a cyber-terrorist syndicate. Gabriel utilizes weapons like surveillance that McClane has never been faced with before, and he makes his attack a personal one when he threatens to harm Lucy.