Olympus Has Fallen (2013) Film Review

Rated R For Strong Violence And Language Throughout.

1hr 59min/119min.

48 uses of the F-word.

Olympus Has Fallen Seems like it could be a summer blockbuster and a really well done action movie. However, the film plays like a mediocre yet fun action film. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua who also directed 2001's Training Day and 2010's Brooklyn's Finest, both films are riveting well made films. Olympus Has Fallen has a lot of opprotunities that Fuqua makes and many that he doesn't. Instead of a smart film, it plays off as a fun Die Hard Clone.

 

 

Mike Banning(Gerard Butler) is the bodyguard to President Ashby(Aaron Eckhart) who is fired after an accident in which the President's wife dies after a car accident on a snowy road. 2 years later he returns when the White House is taken over by a group of terrorists and hold the President hostage which leaves Speaker Trumbull(Morgan Freeman) as acting president. Mike decides to take matters into his own hands and fights his way through the White House and save the President before it's too late.

 

 

The acting is how you would expect in a film like this; not very good. The performances are sub-par with only 2 standout performers, Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart. However even though Eckhart is credited as the main performer, he is only in the film for 25 minutes, which is not enough time to develop a strong President. Why is Banner fighting for him? Why do the terrorists care the most about him? We never know. Morgan Freeman is good in any movie he is in but only in it for 15 minutes. Gerard Butler plays the typical bad-ass in an action film and Dylan McDermott plays a typical villian. But I will say that it has a very diverse assortment of actors.


The story is what redeems the film. I will say that they had some serious balls to make a movie about a national monument being attacked which might provoke images of 9/11. You also have some terrific action scenes and some great special effects. However we do have he stereotypical foreign terrorists, but they are surpisingly mor brutal then the usuall movie terrorists, Is the film worth seeing. Yes. I would say that I would buy it on Blu-Ray when it comes out because it was fun even though we have not-so strong performances.