Olympus Has Fallen

If Die Hard were made today, it would look like Olympus Has Fallen, and action roles in films like 300, Law Abiding Citizen, and Reign of Fire have proven, Gerard Butler is as close to the action icon Bruce Willis was then. With any luck, Olympus will be able to usher in the next generation of great action movies. In Olympus Has Fallen a meticulously organized terrorist group not only attacks, but also takes control of the White House, taking the most secure building on the planet. From here, one man is the nation’s only hope of getting it, and the President, back safely.

On paper this may seem far-fetched, but in execution everything is done with a relative sense of believability. The writing is strong, the performances visceral, and the visuals are chilling. Just the image of the White House, Washington Monument and popular Washington DC landmarks under attack, collapse and destruction elicits strong emotional reaction from any American who may remember the attacks of September 11th, and the filmmakers use these images as an emphasis to the resolve of the protagonists in the film.

“We are never stronger then when we are tested.”

While the plot may be a bit predictable at parts, I doubt many viewers expect a surprise outcome. Instead, the filmmakers leave the surprises to the allegiances, motives, and plot devices of the film. While the trailers for the film seem to spell things out rather clearly, there are still more than a few surprises up their sleeves. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, who has an illustrious track record with action and drama films. I first took note of his projects after Training Day, Fuqua also has directorial credits on:

•Brooklyn’s Finest 2009
•King Arthur 2004
•Tears of the Sun 2003
•The Replacement Killers 1998

Even the title “Olympus Has Fallen” carries a strong emotional undercurrent, as a radio communication for the capture of the White House. The name “Olympus” is given as a fictional Secret Service Codename for the capital. In reality, referred to as “Castle” by the Secret Service, they have historically used a myriad of monikers for everything of importance they come in contact with, to mask radio chatter and simplify communications by radio. Names such as Angel (Air Force One), Evergreen (Hillary Rodham Clinton), Ramrod (Bob Dole), and Renegade (Barack Obama) are commonplace. Issued by the White House Communications Agency, originally used to mask their intentions, now used as a matter of clarity and tradition (as Secret Service communications are highly encrypted.)

Finally, Olympus also boasts some of the best names in the industry. Beyond Butler, Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) takes on the role of the captive US President, Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story, The Perks of Being A Wallflower) plays his Secret Security officer under the direction of Angela Bassett (Green Lantern, Notorious), and Morgan Freeman (Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series) plays the Speaker of the House, as acting President during the siege of the White House. As one may expect, the talent and ability of this cast need no further mention.

Short of some sketch special effects, which only gives some of the violence a cartoonesque feel, Olympus Has Fallen is as solid a film as one could ask for, and would have done just as well as a Summer blockbuster, rather than a strong action film to get us through the Spring hump. Olympus Has Fallen opened at number 2, Friday March 22nd 2013 on over three thousand screens. Bringing in over $30 million on its opening weekend alone, and is expected on DVD and Blu-ray home media in July of 2013, release dates subject to change.