After the release of Die Hard in 1988, movie critics began grading action films based on the scale set by the Bruce Willis thriller. The popular phrase "Die Hard in a _________" became the shorthand for all knockoffs of the genre. The impact of the movie is still being felt today; in fact, the latest thriller from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua can easily be described as "Die Hard in the White House". Normally, this denomination would lead to a negative review. But, in this case, "Die Hard in the White House" is actually a pretty entertaining movie.
And since that is exactly what it's aiming to be, that is the basis for which it should be judged.
As absurd as the premise is, Olympus Has Fallen still succeeds as a mindless action movie. The film takes the"one-man savior trapped with only bad guys in a confined building" premise from Die Hard, but the action is so entertaining that viewers probably will not care.
Gerard Butler plays a Secret Service agent named Mike Banning, who is forced to retire after he makes a life-or-death decision involving President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart). Months later, Banning is working a desk job at the Treasury Department, and learns that President Asher is meeting with the South Korean Prime Minster at the White House to discuss the future of the North Korean conflict.
Suddenly, a heavily-armed plane enters the "No-Fly" zone of Washington, D.C., and manages to cause major damage to the city's defenses. In the span of a few minutes, terrorists take over the White House and kidnap President Asher, holding him hostage in his own capital. Banning rushes to the building to try and help, and ends up being the only Secret Service agent able to enter the building without dying. Now, he must rescue the President, and secure the White House before the terrorists complete their diabolical plans. Meanwhile, Acting President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) is forced to try and negotiate with the terrorists before it is too late.
Olympus Has Fallen is the best action movie of the year so far. Despite it's Die Hard-esque familiarity, there are several aspects of this film that manage to provide surprisingly original material. Though the new stuff isn't exactly realistic, it still works within the confines of an action movie.
Gerard Butler plays the John McClane rip-off well, and gives comic relief to some of the more intense scenes. Eckhart plays a convincing President, but the real stars of the show are the minor characters that show up along the way. Rick Yune shines as the lead terrorist, and is one of the more memorable villains in recent action film memory. Angela Basset is also entertaining as the Secret Service director who vouches for Banning, as is Secretary of Defense Melissa Leo. The only acting disappointment is Morgan Freeman, who remains underused throughout the movie.
The action scenes are thrilling and intense, beautifully shot with steady cinematography. The set design is equally brilliant, making the White House seem very realistic. Plus, getting to see fight sequences on the White House lawn is pretty fun to watch.
The film is very patriotic towards the United States, and as such does portray other countries in a poor light. Nevertheless, the director still makes the terrorists a "country-neutral" group that fights for "justice" instead of ideologies. Fuqua handles the foreign issues as best he can, but the stereotypes do tend to leak at points.
It's a little disheartening and false that one plane can stop the United States capital, but beyond that fallacy, the movie still succeeds. Olympus Has Fallen is not a great film in and of itself, but as a mindless action film, it excels as popcorn entertainment. And for that, "Die Hard in the White House" will uncharacteristically receive a positive review.
Four out of five stars.
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