Olympus Has Fallen (DVD REVIEW)
Olympus Has Fallen
DVD Review
by Kam Williams
Gerard Butler Rescues President in Redemption Thriller
While serving as the President’s
(Aaron Eckhart) personal bodyguard, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) grew very
close to the First Family. During his tenure at the White House, the dedicated,
detail-oriented Secret Service agent also familiarized himself with every
aspect of the building’s layout.
Nevertheless, Banning was reassigned
to a desk job after failing to rescue the First Lady (Ashley Judd) before the
presidential limo plunged off a bridge into an icy river en route to a
Christmas party. Although the accident wasn’t his fault, he was left agonizing
over a snap decision that might have been the difference between her living and
dying.
A year and a half later, we find
Banning still riddled with guilt despite receiving assurances from the Secret
Service Director (Angela Banning) that there was nothing he could have done.
However, he soon gets that sorely needed shot at redemption when a swarm of
ninjas from North Korea
attack the White House, taking the President and his Cabinet hostage.
With the President and Vice President
(Phil Austin) abducted, the line of succession dictates that the Speaker of the
House (Morgan Freeman) assume power from a well-fortified bunker. Meanwhile,
the maniacal leader (Rick Yune) of the bloodthirsty terrorists proceeds to
torture his hostages, hoping to learn the codes controlling America’s nuclear arsenal.
The unfolding crisis is not lost on
Banning who observes the slaughter of his former colleagues from an office
window across the street. The disgraced agent springs into action and surreptitiously
enters the White House armed only with a handgun and a walkie-talkie. But he
still enjoys the advantage over an army of heavily-armed intruders by virtue of
his knowledge of the premises’ every nook and cranny.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Olympus
Has Fallen is a derivative action flick which might be best described as a
cross of Die Hard (1988) and In the Line of Fire (1993), except that instead of
Bruce Willis or Clint Eastwood, we have Gerard Butler playing the invincible,
two-fisted protagonist. The fast-paced film is engaging and entertaining enough
to come recommended provided you’re willing to put your brain on hold and not
question any of the picture’s implausible plot developments.
Featuring pyrotechnics worthy of a 4th
of July fireworks display, Olympus Has Fallen is an eye-popping, patriotic,
high-octane adventure that leaves no doubt about who’s the vindicated hero that
kept the world safe for democracy. The Butler
did it! Gerard Butler, that is.
Very Good
(3 stars)
Rated R for graphic violence and pervasive profanity
In English and Korean
with subtitles
Running time: 119 minutes
Distributor: Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment
To see a trailer for Olympus Has Fallen, visit:
PS: This critic happens to be blurbed [“An eye-popping, patriotic, high-octane adventure”] on
the cover of the DVD.
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