'OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
It's been a long time since we've had a good 'DIE HARD' rip-off! We used to get them all the time; 'DIE HARD on a bus' ('SPEED'), 'DIE HARD on a plane' ('PASSENGER 57'), 'DIE HARD on a boat' ('UNDER SIEGE'), 'DIE HARD on a train ('UNDER SIEGE 2'), 'DIE HARD at a hockey rink' ('SUDDEN DEATH') and many more. 'DIE HARD at the White House' was inevitable and it's the most preposterous and ridiculous 'DIE HARD' redo yet. It is entertaining though. Surprisingly it's the first of two movies dealing with the same subject matter this year. The Roland Emmerich helmed 'WHITE HOUSE DOWN' comes out in June in which Channing Tatum plays a cop touring the White House who must protect the president (Jamie Foxx) from terrorists there. I hope that's even better but this one definitely doesn't disappoint.
This White House invasion film revolves around a Presidential guard named Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) who's let go from his White House position after he fails to save the president's wife (Ashley Judd) in an automobile accident. President Asher (Aaron Eckhart) doesn't want to be reminded of the tragedy so he has Banning removed from his security unit. When North Korean terrorists take over the White House, and take the president hostage, Banning makes his way into the building without being noticed. He then takes on the terrorists one at a time as he communicates with the acting president, Speaker Trumbull (Freeman), and the Secret Service Director (Angela Bassett) outside. Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell and Cole Houser also co-star in the film.
The movie was directed by Antoine Fuqua (of 'TRAINING DAY' fame) and written by first time film writers Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt. As unbelievable as it is it's still somewhat suspenseful and the action is decent. Butler makes a good action hero and it's amazing how much he resembles Mel Gibson in his day. Fuqua definitely knows how to direct an action film like this, the impressive cast is a little underused but they do add some credibility to the laughable premise. Not nearly as cool or entertaining as a 'DIE HARD' film but it is a decent redo. If you're a fan of 'DIE HARD' rip-offs than you're almost sure to enjoy.
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75ldnaJSPKw
It's been a long time since we've had a good 'DIE HARD' rip-off! We used to get them all the time; 'DIE HARD on a bus' ('SPEED'), 'DIE HARD on a plane' ('PASSENGER 57'), 'DIE HARD on a boat' ('UNDER SIEGE'), 'DIE HARD on a train ('UNDER SIEGE 2'), 'DIE HARD at a hockey rink' ('SUDDEN DEATH') and many more. 'DIE HARD at the White House' was inevitable and it's the most preposterous and ridiculous 'DIE HARD' redo yet. It is entertaining though. Surprisingly it's the first of two movies dealing with the same subject matter this year. The Roland Emmerich helmed 'WHITE HOUSE DOWN' comes out in June in which Channing Tatum plays a cop touring the White House who must protect the president (Jamie Foxx) from terrorists there. I hope that's even better but this one definitely doesn't disappoint.
This White House invasion film revolves around a Presidential guard named Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) who's let go from his White House position after he fails to save the president's wife (Ashley Judd) in an automobile accident. President Asher (Aaron Eckhart) doesn't want to be reminded of the tragedy so he has Banning removed from his security unit. When North Korean terrorists take over the White House, and take the president hostage, Banning makes his way into the building without being noticed. He then takes on the terrorists one at a time as he communicates with the acting president, Speaker Trumbull (Freeman), and the Secret Service Director (Angela Bassett) outside. Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell and Cole Houser also co-star in the film.
The movie was directed by Antoine Fuqua (of 'TRAINING DAY' fame) and written by first time film writers Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt. As unbelievable as it is it's still somewhat suspenseful and the action is decent. Butler makes a good action hero and it's amazing how much he resembles Mel Gibson in his day. Fuqua definitely knows how to direct an action film like this, the impressive cast is a little underused but they do add some credibility to the laughable premise. Not nearly as cool or entertaining as a 'DIE HARD' film but it is a decent redo. If you're a fan of 'DIE HARD' rip-offs than you're almost sure to enjoy.
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75ldnaJSPKw