Olympus Has Fallen

Description

Product Description A terrorist mastermind kidnaps the President of the United States inside the White House, and a disgraced former Secret Service agent must save the President and take down the terrorists. desertcart.com One of the great virtues of the Die Hard action movie model is its compactness, with the limited surroundings giving filmmakers license to explore--and often detonate--every nook, cranny, and air duct of a confined space. The techno thriller Olympus Has Fallen doesn't deviate much from the established lone wolf/terrorist formula, but the White House setting adds a definite kick to the proceedings. Even when the plot starts to get a bit too implausible, the novelty of seeing, say, a knife fight in the Lincoln bedroom keeps it humming right along. Following a tragic prologue set at Camp David, the film wastes little time in getting to the main event, as the president (Aaron Eckhart) and his staff are held hostage by an army of mercenaries. Enter Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), a former Secret Service agent with deadly knowledge of the Oval Office's crawlspaces and ambush spots. Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) keeps the proceedings lean and fairly mean, with a sense of geography that allows the audience to clearly see the succession of national landmarks getting blown up real good. The director also makes expert use of an unusually qualified supporting cast, including Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, and especially Melissa Leo, who goes way, way beyond the call of duty as the secretary of defense. The film's ace in the hole, however, proves to be the amusingly surly Butler, whose habit of issuing oddly specific threats of bodily harm lends an unexpected touch of black comedy to the final act. Any good guy can take out a bad guy, but how many call the shot beforehand? --Andrew Wright Review: Good action, good acting, an overall good movie to see. - After seeing this movie, I had to purchase it and I've watched it many times. I have to view this movie in two lights: First, take it for what it is and just enjoy the action and watch it play out like you know it will. Gerard Butler, as always, gives a superb performance. Aaron Eckhart, I could have done without as president because of the demeanor and lines with which he was given to deliver. His language and expressions are not those of what we would like a president to be. Just as a side, I have to say a person's language, expressions, and actions are so indicative of their self-control, or lack of it. In this script, the president nor the over inflated general didn't have it whereas Morgan Freeman's and Gerard Butler's character did. Self control allows us to think/reason clearly, hopefully making good decisions. I will always watch a movie with Denzel Washington (even Training Day) and Morgan Freeman. You can't beat them (or Angela Bassett) for giving us entertainment we repeatedly watch. Another thought that kept running through my mind is I just can't believe, as a country, we're not smart enough to have offensive weaponry placed and used that doesn't waste so many lives. For the movie, it was part of the action but in reality, and I know there has to be those on the front line, but surely we can do better than to let an enemy pick off so many, especially in an environment (the White House) that is prone to enemy attach. Anyway, I hope you watch 'Olympus Has Fallen'. It's a great one to see. I'm always torn between this one and 'White House Down'. I've watched both many times. Review: Watching this is a great way to prepare for its sequel. - Because London Has Fallen (the sequel) is coming out on March 4th, I re-watched the DVD of Olympus Has Fallen. My opinion that it was a Five-Star film of pure entertainment held true. I saw this movie and White House is Down at the theater when both films came out in 2013. Everyone has their favorite of the two films. Mine, of course, is Olympus Has Fallen, and I'll tell you why. The first reason is Ashley Judd, who has a very short role in the beginning as the President's wife. She is so talented and beautiful in those first ten minutes that you literally fall in love with her yourself and understand why everything else follows. When she plays a short, supporting role, Ashley conveys a certain magic on screen that is utterly captivating The second treason is Gerard Butler who somehow manages to steal every movie he's in. Butler is the perfect "every man". He's able to project humor, drama, and action without any effort. He's also the type of actor that most men would like to have as a friend, while the ladies find themselves attracted to him for other reasons. He certainly sold me on being a Secret Service agent, who just happened to be ex-Special Forces. The fight scenes are showcased with great aplomb and display Butler's hand-to-hand combat skills to the fullest extent. I almost expected Butler to say, "Yippy ki ya" to the main villain, who's played by Rick Yune The third reason is the rest of the main cast with Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassatt, Morgan Freeman, Rick Yune, Raha Mitchell, and Robert Forster. They all bring their characters to the forefront of each scene, creating a realness to their roles and helping to move the film along. The fourth reason is Antoine Fuqua, who directed the film. I haven't seen a movie of his that I haven't enjoyed like Training Day and Tears of the Sun to name a few. He makes the impossible happen, and you're immediately swept up into the urgency of the situation with a roller-coaster type ride until the final scene is viewed in all of its majestic glory. This is not only a film worth seeing, but you will want to own it as well. Now, if only London Has Fallen is half as good as this one, I'll be a happy camper.