Olympus Has Fallen looks like a big, loud and stupid movie, and that is exactly what it is, except that it is a hoot as well. I wasn't expecting much, and I wasn't disappointed. The movie is about a group of North Korean terrorists who take over the White House and make various demands. The only man who stands in their way is Gerard Butler, an ex-special forces secret service agent who somehow gets into the White House after the bad guys get in and gives them all a bad day. If this is beginning to sound like Die Hard or Air Force One, I'm sure it is a coincidence.
My question is, why does it seem so impossible for an American actor to play an American hero in an American action film? Batman, Lincoln, The Walking Dead, Thor, Blackhawk Down, Taken, the list goes on. Did American actors just suddenly become a bunch of sissies? There is nothing wrong with their performances, it's just where did all the actors go? Morgan Freeman plays his usual old, father-figure in charge. I only have two complaints about this film. First, most movies that have the President as a hostage seem to think the rest of the government would just lie down and capitulate. They seem to forget that we have continuity in command in our government. While we do not relish the idea of our chief executive as a hostage, we are not a dictatorship or monarchy. Our society and government will go on. The terrorists at one point make ridiculous demands and the government just gives in to save the President. This would never happen. I realize it is just a movie, but there are limits to my disbelief. The other is that director Antoine Fuquoi shoots most of the movie in the dark, so it is difficult to see what is going on and therefore the action tends to be confusing. Also, since it is confusing, it tends to not be very exciting.
So, overall, it is a fine romp, but it is not exactly a masterpiece.
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