Olympus Has Fallen
Even when Olympus Has Fallen comes up short, it’s still an immensely entertaining (and very brutal) lone gunman action film.
Director Antoine Fuqua ’s latest film , Olympus Has Fallenfollows former Secret Service private investigator Mike Banning ( Gerard Butler ) who is tasked with a sudden return to active duty - when a hostile force takes over the White House and lays downfall to Washington D.C. desolate his desk problem at the treasury , Banning runs headlong into the fray , slip inside the ravaged White House ( codename : Olympus ) before the terrorists cut - off outgoing communication .
Out - manned and out - gunned , Banning coordinates with Speaker , and acting President , Allan Trumbull ( Morgan Freeman ) along with Secret Service head teacher ( Angela Bassett ) - restfully be active through the war - torn White House on a missionary station to free President Benjamin Asher ( Aaron Eckhart ) as well as name the terrorist group ’s true motivations .
InOlympus Has Fallen , Fuqua ( King Arthur , Brooklyn ’s Finest ) attempts to marry his gustatory perception for gritty character drama with a one - humans - army action at law storyline . In worldwide , the pairing is successful - balance enjoyable interaction and right-down brutal action for an relentless storyline that move quickly from apparatus to payoff . Most of the characters are one - banknote political cliches ( for example : a tough - as - nails full general played by Robert Forster ) , making room for the core terrorist narrative to take center stage - as one obstruction after another is send in front of Banning . As a result , Olympus Has Fallencould underwhelm moviegoer expecting one of Fuqua ’s engrossing character drama ( Training Day ) but should provide activity fan ( and flag - wave nationalist ) with plenty of learning ability , explosions , and machismo .
The White House / Washington D.C. setting decidedly adds to the film ’s machination . That said , with knowledge of the literal - world locale and scrupulous D.C. certificate quantity , discerning moviegoers will find job with plausibleness in certain plot of land - head - since the movie pushes the bound of suspension of disbelief while at the same time relying to a great extent on conversant twists that viewers will see telegraphed ahead of time . no matter , each setpiece is worthwhile , even when they ’re not especially fresh or unique , and the most far - fetched chemical element still succeed in hand over entertaining restoration on investiture - setting high stakes or providing Banning with an opportunity to spurt a one - liner and flex his ex - U.S. Army Ranger skill set .
Thanks to a no - nonsense carrying into action from Gerard Butler , Banning is the main hooking for the celluloid . After an explosive ravishment on Washington D.C. and the White House , the plate of the movie tightens significantly - leaving behind all-encompassing CGI pandemonium in favor of unrelenting boxing in dismal corners . There ’s not much to the Banning character , his motivations are unmistakable ( he ’s wrack with guilt from a past failure ) but the mental attitude that he confront when talking to his contacts at the Pentagon or while tormenting terrorist private investigator allow stack of memorable encounters ( and even laughs ) .
Olympus Has Fallenfollows the one - world - regular army film pedigree to the letter ( a resourceful hoagie facing - off against a well - arm villain ) and while Banning does n’t reach the time - tested marks of certain terrorist fighting do - gooders , he attend up spate of volatile gunplay and bone - crunch fights to submit a worthwhile action experience . alternatively of filling one role in a multi - faceted rescue mission , Banning ’s legal action express logical weight - every encounter is tense and the unfolding case make him credible as a solo killing force .
Most of the high - octane work is left to Banning ( and the masked terrorist he send off ) but an A - inclination batch of support players ground the personal dramatic event . As mentioned , some of the characters ( and their performing artist ) riff heavily on established political and military figures that audiences will have seen in alike fare , include Angela Bassett as sympathetic but tough head of the Secret Service or Dylan McDermott as swain - X Secret Service secret agent Dave Forbes . These characters act upon in the context of the story but pale in comparison to far more interesting personalities like Eckhart ’s altruistic President Asher or Melissa Leo ’s unwavering Secretary of Defense , Ruth McMillan . Morgan Freeman revisits his Commander - in - Chief role fromDeep Impact- as a similarly calm - under - dire circumstances Speaker of the House .
Given the bet of the concluding storey , along with a surprising amount of force , Olympus Has Fallenwould look to take its field of study matter very earnestly but , at the same metre , thin caricature and a one - liner spouting protagonist put the plastic film in a unusual middle primer coat that may be off - putt to filmgoers who are n’t able-bodied to switch - off their psyche .
Beyond suspension of skepticism , there ’s one major plot point that is developed and teased , only to be swap out at the last minute as an underwhelming and significantly less interesting red - herring - robbing one of the film ’s most important characters of an opportunity to make unspoilt on promised dramatic event . WhileOlympus Has Fallendoes include some great fibre mo , the film is often at odds with Fuqua ’s ambition - resulting in an exciting action movie that mismanages several central tale ideas and underserves central players .
Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart in ‘Olympus Has Fallen’
Even whenOlympus Has Fallencomes up short , it ’s still an vastly entertaining ( and very brutal ) lonely gunman action film . In several scenes , the movie checks all the necessary box and a provocative apparatus helps redo intimate history crush through a impudent approach . Certain game points and characters are underwhelming or muddled by a large trust on explosions and knife workplace but Fuqua keeps a sharp pace , moving from one tense pose opus to the next , rarely let TV audience time to detect the film ’s defect .
Still , it ’s exculpated that the conductor had challenging intentions forOlympus Has Fallen : aiming for a clever quality dramatic play with bite political relevance and riveting action mechanism . While the film does n’t quite deliver on every idea that it introduces , it excels in Fuqua ’s principle goal - a captivating and uncompromising assault on the senses ( where impertinent character consequence are just an supply incentive ) .
If you ’re still on the fencing aboutOlympus Has Fallen , check out the trailer below :
The White House under attack in ‘Olympus Has Fallen’
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Finley Jacobsen and Gerard Butler in ‘Olympus Has Fallen’
Olympus Has Fallenruns 120 minutes and is place roentgen for solid ferocity and spoken language throughout . Now playing in field of operations .
Let us love what you thought of the film in the comment section below . For an in - profundity discussion of the film by the Screen Rant editor delay out ourOlympus Has Fallenepisodeof theSR Underground podcast .
Olympus Has Fallen an natural action thriller pic and is the first in the dealership . The film follows former army Texas Ranger / exceptional service agentive role Mike Banning who turn a loss his place after the dying of the President ’s married woman . When a North Korean terrorist group attacks the White House , Banning must tune up back into his older skill coiffure to save the president and the country from nuclear devastation .
