Remember how awesome 300 was? More importantly, do you remember how much ass Gerard Butler kicked in it? Well I’m proud to announce that after getting sidetracked with movies like The Ugly Truth and Playing For Keeps, Butler is back to his old self in Olympus Has Fallen. From director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), this brutal actioner holds no punches and has an all-star cast whom are not afraid to get roughed up for the safety of our country. Fuqua has made a movie in which every American will be inspired and entertained. The only thing missing is a song from Toby Keith and our American pride would be complete.
All kidding aside, Olympus Has Fallen is not about how actual politics work, but you probably already knew that. It is simply good versus evil with a hero who is there to save the day. Fuqua keeps it simple and action packed and I do not see anything wrong with that. It is a tense thriller that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. Olympus Has Fallen is what A Good Day to Die Hard should have been.
Butler plays Secret Service Agent Mike Banning who is personally in charge of protecting the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart) and his family. But after a deadly car crash that takes the life of the First Lady (Ashley Judd), he is put up at a desk job in the Treasury. It would be an understatement to say Banning is not enjoying his new gig and misses being out in the field where all of the excitement is. However, he is about to get more than he bargained for.
What is supposed to be a peace meeting between the U.S. and South Korea turns in to a terrorist attack lead by a mastermind named Kang (Rick Yune). The White House (Code name: Olympus) is half destroyed and taken over by the enemy with the President and his top officials kidnapped and held hostage in the White House bunker. And while the rest of the nation is devastated and trying to come up with a plan to respond, they have no choice but to rely on the disgraced Banning who is the only one on the inside left breathing to give America a fighting chance. Everything rests on his shoulders to prevent a terrifying crisis that becomes much bigger than saving the President. Yeah it’s that bad!
A tremendous cast surrounds Butler, but the one problem movies encounter when they have a lot of talent is most of them are limited in what they are able to do. Now for Eckhart, he gets quite a bit of time because it’s his house that gets broken in to. Unfortunately, for folks like Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, and Angela Bassett, they play pivotal parts yet never really get the chance to show their moves. They are all great and I cannot say their talent is wasted because they do serve a great purpose, but there is more to see from them. Time is just not on their side in this one. Plus, there is no mistaking this movie was built for Butler to run wild once again.
Banning loves his job and he was damn good at it before the wreck. And the accident was not his fault and did what he was hired to do: To keep the President alive. However, he was close to the First family so when the White House is taken over, this becomes his second chance. His shot at redemption. What is easily seen by most as a national security issue is more than that to Banning. It’s about as personal as it can be for him. Like I said before, it felt so good to see Butler as a bad ass showing no mercy on his enemies. He is back to being the hero in this one and the role still fits just right on him.
Fuqua knows how to do action for the big screen. He proved that early on with The Replacement Killers, his first feature film. And personally speaking, he has never really let me down with his movies (and yes I enjoyed King Arthur). He makes Olympus Has Fallen not only exciting but relevant. Now I can’t say everything that transpires in the movie would or could go exactly like that in the real world, but how can we know for sure. We live in a time where events we could have never imagined have occurred. We have seen it happen with our own eyes so the plot is plausible to a certain extent. With everything Fuqua takes the audience through, he is able to strike a nerve that makes us tense and at least a little frightened on the inside.
Olympus Has Fallen does not break any new ground, but it sure is a good time at the movies. It is relentless in its action and takes full advantage of its R rating. Fuqua sets the first part up only to watch it burn in the second half. Bullets fly while bodies pile up and for anyone who goes to see this should expect nothing less. Olympus Has Fallen is not built on false promises. It throws everything its got at you and you just have to try and hang on.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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