Live Free or Die Hard
The latest instalment in the Die Hard saga featuring Hollywood 'hard man' Bruce Willis in that renowned role John McLean, the in-law outlaw. Again John has taken it upon himself to be thrown in to the middle of a terrorist battle, this time however, unlike the previous Die Hard films, John is fighting a more internet based criminal, a mass computer hacker that is "Doing the world a favour" this shows his seriousness, and perhaps means that he is a man you shouldn't take lightly, and that this antagonist McClane is going against could be his toughest yet. The quote "Is your country willing to pay?" is also very serious, and reflects the antagonists thoughts on what he is doing. He also says that he's "doing world a favour." Again proving the previous point.
This teaser begins with the norm for this type of film, the voice ,of what appears to be, the male antagonist. The uncommon thing in this is that the antagonists face is shown from the very beginning, possibly signifying the lack of fear, this tells the audience that the antagonist sees no need to hide and he wants to be recognised as the man with a mission. Typically, the antagonist seems to be an upper class, you can see this in the manner in which he dresses, his good posture and his manner of speaking. This is stereotypical as the antagonist tend to be a rich and powerful male, as with other Die Hard Films.
The protagonist of the entire Die Hard series, John McLean, fans of the previous three films will remember his typical character, the humorous, cocky and arrogant hero, similar to the antagonist, McLean fears little, such as in this film, jumping on to a jet plane whilst it speeds down a highway in an attempt to attack the pilot. This shows the shear will power and devotion, this point is further proved when the main plot of this films comes in to play when his daughter is held hostage, he puts it on to himself to chase down the terrorists, claiming "He will kill all of them".
A major similarity between antagonist and protagonist is the determination shown, however in different ways, the antagonist showing determination to do America a favour, with John, the protagonist determined to stop him.
Touching on Marxist theories, John seems to be a middle classed American citizen, in comparison to the protagonist, that as stated before, seems to be a richer, upper class citizen. This may suggest the struggle in the attempt of overthrowing of the upper classes, however not the search for equality.
In the antagonists opening speech, you can see McLean walking through a door in slow motion. This clearly indicates he is the main character. The character of John McLean is very 'old-school', by this I mean he sticks to the olden way of practice, for example where his opponent uses very high-tech computers and technology to his advantage, John remains keen on using only guns, cars and his fists.
Feminist theories are also covered in this film, as another of the films antagonists is a strong, devoted female. In the few moments you can see her in this trailer. This may be seen as a positive expression of female equality. She is seen showing some authority as she steps away from a helicopter, indicating her wealth, with a good posture and emotionless facial features. Strangely though one scene that is leaked in this trailer is one showing the normally strong antagonist in a weak position, laying on top of a moving car driven by McLean. This may show her as weak, as many women are portrayed in media works this adheres to stereotypes regarding gender.
The trailer also shows the female antagonist using a very 'high-tech' gadget, this implies she may have been given authority. We can only assume the authority is given by the male antagonist, this therefore adheres to stereotype.
The daughter of John, is shown as a little more stereotypically female, as she is found in danger, she is found in a weak position appearing to have been kidnapped by the male antagonist. This juxtaposes the position of her father, John, as he is never found in a vulnerable position or in one that he cannot fight his way out of. Also adhering to the stereotype Johns daughter relies purely on the male protagonist to save the day.
The soundtrack throughout the trailer is frequently loud but it fits in nicely with the mise-en-scene. The trailer shows John killing several 'villains', with a very well known tune played over the action, implying the 'action' is a regular thing to John.
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