Movie: Olympus Has Fallen
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Ashley Judd, Robert Forster and Rick Yune
Rating: ***
It amazes me how someone who made an out-of-the-box film such as “Training Day” would even settle to make a film on the template of action films such as “Die Hard” among many more. This doesn’t make “Olympus Has Fallen” a bad film, but it definitely fails to pique the interest of the audiences as the much as the former did. The idea of White House under threat has been done to death over the years, and even today, it is sad to sit through a film trying to impress the audience with a story set against the same backdrop. That said, full scale kick-ass action makes this film as entertaining as any action film.
The film tracks the story of the loyal ex-handler of the President and a Secret Service Agent, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), who while protecting President Benjamin Asher (Aaron), takes on the North Korean terrorists who besiege the most protected building in the world – The White House.
Mike is relegated to desk duty after a tragedy involving the first family. But 18 months later, when North Korean terrorists headed by Kang Yeonsak (Rick Yune) storm the White House, Mike takes over the reins
The president’s son is also taken hostage. Mike needs to locate and rescue the President’s son, eliminate all the terrorists, save the President and stop the terrorists from initiating a global nuclear war.
Butler as the underdog with an opportunity to prove himself one last time is brilliant, especially in the action sequences. What makes Rick tick as the villain is his brutal, emotionless and calculating approach. His cold steely appearance superbly contrasts Butler’s soft humane demeanor.
There are several nail-biting moments in the film where you would jump out of your seats, and it was very important to get the perfect reactions of the actors in such scenes. Director Antoine Fuqua succeeds in the process and extracts the best from his actors, especially from Eckhart playing President Asher. Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo and rest of the cast chip in with decent performances. No wonder lot of expectations was riding on this project, courtesy an all star cast.
Thanks to a taut screenplay by first-timers Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, there were no dull moments in the film. The film progressed at brisk pace keeping one hinged to the seat till the very end.
On the production front, designer Derek Hill has executed an excellent job replicating the building details of the White House. The visuals are beautifully captured by cinematographer Conrad W. Hall. The computer generated images are passable and background score by Trevor Morris gives a boost to the film.
The film fails to elevate the panic and pandemonium initially created. Rather than giving us an outside reaction and view to the scene inside the White House, the film focuses only on the operation that happens on the inside.
With few ignorable flaws, “Olympus Has Fallen” graduates as a wholesome action entertainer.
