Live Free or Die Hard - Rating

Rating

In the United States the first three films in the Die Hard series were rated R by the MPAA. 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, 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 for both versions, 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'.