Olympus Has Fallen (15)

This deceptively dark film starts with a the death of a character who you might presume would be one of the leads played by Ashley Judd. But her departure heralds the fall from grace of the Security Chief played by Gerard Butler and who ultimately the President, played by an effectively real Aaron Eckhart, holds responsible for her death. Of course Butler does a fair amount of self reflecting, bordering on pity, before he is caught up in the attack that sweeps upon the White House to result in the President being held a captive in the bowels of the old building.

Yes, believe it or not, North Korean is attacking the White House and then has a master plan which could wipe out most of the American mainland. The story unravels in the shell of the defeated presidential building where we see the super efficient Butler taking on the enemy single handily.

The problem with Olympus has Fallen is that the concept is so fanciful that it is staggeringly unbelievable. In some unexpected way this makes it fascinating and it is strangely interesting to see how an aggressor might taken over such an icon building. It smacks of American paranoid propaganda and the aim is to show that even if you attack America at its symbolic heart it will overcome and stand strong in the face anti-democratic threat.

Rick Yune plays a completely unbelievable but fun villain and perhaps the slick kind of baddie that is currently very trendy. Morgan Freeman appears as the Speaker of the house and takes control of America, seeing the vice President is also trapped in the White House, and the amazing Radha Mitchell does her best with a bit part when really it might have been more interesting if she had been the one saving the President and the world as we know it.

But despite all this badly hidden double meaning the film is full of action and is more adult than child, the type of violence sometimes surprising. The thought that someone could have the balls to attack the white house is an entertaining idea and keeps you in the story, despite there being a predictable ending.

61/100

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