Olympus Has Fallen (2003)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman

Running time: 119 minutes

Mike Banning was head of the security detail for US President Benjamin Asher until a car accident on Christmas evening. Banning managed to extricate the president from the limo before it fell over the side of a bridge, but the First Lady, who was knocked out and stuck, plunged to her death. Eighteen months later, Banning is working a desk job at the Treasury HQ. After a North-Korean guerrilla group attacks and takes control of the White House, all the while holding the president hostage, Banning will spring back into action to save his former boss and friend.

Olympus Has Fallen is your typical Hollywood action film, where the bad guys are foreigners and are extra evil, and where Americans are virtuous and courageous. There are lots of explosions and people getting shot. After a while, there are so many deaths and wounded people that it feels like a video game and you stop caring a little bit for the characters.

That being said, while not completely original and devoid of clichés, this film still offers some entertainment for the fans of fast-paced action. Gerard Butler’s performance also helps make this better than it should be.

This film would be followed by a sequel, London Has Fallen, already reviewed on this site.

Rating: «««