Olympus Has Fallen Review

Rated R (Strong Violence and Language Throughout)

Running Time: 2 Hours

Cast-

Gerard Butler-Michael Banning

Aaron Eckhart-President Benjamin Asher

Morgan Freeman-Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull

Angela Bassett-Secret Service Director Lynn Jacobs

Dylan McDermott-Dave Forbes

Melissa Leo-Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan

Rick Yune-Kang Yeonsak

Ashley Judd-First Lady Margaret Asher

Cole Hauser-Agent Roma

Radha Mitchell-Leah Banning

Finley Jacobsen-Connor Asher

Phil Austin-Vice President Charlie Rodriguez

James Ingersoll-Admiral Nathan Hoenig

Robert Forster-General Edward Clegg

Directed by Antoine Fuqua 

Considering what these two went through, it's amazing that there's not a scratch on them!

Note: Screened on Friday, March 8, 2013 at AMC Loews Kips Bay 15.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise when I say that Hollywood loves stereotypes and with a newly belligerent North Korea constantly provoking the West with threats of a preemptive nuclear strike, it seems like filmmakers have found themselves their new go-to villain. In his book North Korean Cinema: A History, author Johannes Schonherr writes that the reclusive country 'sets itself up as an ideal target: strange propaganda abounding, weird military-focused leader, blustering about their invincibility all the time, always trying to provoke international headlines with threats or actually small-scale military attacks on U.S. ally South Korea. Which moviemaker wouldn't love an enemy like that? It offers everything a movie bad guy needs to be convincing.' Films portraying North Koreans as villains have been relatively few and far between (off the top of my head, only 2002's "Die Another Day" and 2010's "Salt" comes to mind) but that trend is slowly reversing. Last November's long-delayed remake of "Red Dawn" featured a North Korean invasion on the United States and now we have "Olympus Has Fallen," the latest film from director Antoine Fuqua, who is best known for helming 2001's "Training Day." The rest of Fuqua's body of work isn't all that impressive as most of his films have received mediocre reviews. "Olympus Has Fallen" will likely share a similar reception from critics as it's little more than a second-rate "Die Hard" clone. Plagued by severe logic gaps, shoddy visual effects, and featuring every cliché in the action genre, not only is the film a mind-numbing experience but it verges dangerously close to being exploitative propaganda. 

Staying at Camp David on Christmas Eve, President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and First Lady Margaret (Ashley Judd) are preparing to leave for a reelection benefit despite a severe winter storm raging outside. Leading the presidential detail and motorcade is Senior Secret Service Agent Michael Banning (Gerard Butler) but a freak motor accident occurs along the way which results in the First Lady's death. Eighteen months later, a disgraced Banning has been demoted and transferred to the Treasury Department as Asher does not want to be reminded of the tragedy every time he sees him. Meanwhile, tensions are running high between North and South Korea. To avert a possible war, President Asher invites the Prime Minister of South Korea in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution. Not long after his arrival, an AC-130 Gunship is seen flying over Washington D.C. where it suddenly opens fire upon American citizens and the White House. Although the gunship is quickly shot down, terrorists dressed as tourists storm the front lawn, forcing the Secret Service to escort Asher, his staff, and the Prime Minister to a secret underground bunker. However, one of the Prime Minister's aides, Kang Yeonsak (Rick Yune), reveals himself to be the mastermind behind the attack. With Asher and the Vice President taken hostage, Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) is sworn in as Acting President. Hope arrives in the form of Banning, who not only has to rescue Asher but must also prevent an international incident. 

A blatant rip-off of the original "Die Hard" (with the White House replacing Nakatomi Plaza), "Olympus Has Fallen" is very much a work-for-hire gig for director Antoine Fuqua. Despite the $80 million production budget, the entire film exhibits a television-like vibe. Opening with a cheesy patriotic score and a simple title card, Fuqua pretty much dumps all the character development onto the prologue. Besides being close to the President and his family, especially their son Conner, we learn next to nothing about Michael Banning. It doesn't take long for the explosions to start going off and this is where the film fell apart for me. In order for the scenario presented here to be even remotely possible, the United States would have to have the most inept military force in the world. How can an AC-130 Gunship sneak into American airspace without anyone even noticing? The damn thing is almost thirty meters long, surely it can't be that hard to miss! However, questions regarding the film's implausibility are soon pushed aside as Fuqua starts indulging in action scenes that look like they were taken straight out of a "Call of Duty" video game. Watching American citizens being indiscriminately killed seemed almost exploitative. At one point, the terrorists use stationary machine guns on the White House's front lawn and it's completely ridiculous because all the Secret Service agents just run out into the open only to be killed in a hail of gunfire. Once the attack is over and Banning goes into John McClane mode, the film manages to become mildly entertaining yet there's never a feeling that he's in any actual danger. While this is going on, we get the usual talking heads acting all worried. You see, none of the characters actually speak English. Instead, they speak in clichés, with such gems like 'The United States Of America doesn't negotiate with terrorists!' or 'We've just opened up the gates of Hell!' I don't know if I should roll my eyes or laugh. "Olympus Has Fallen" is a prime example of unimaginative filmmaking; any hack director could've made this. It's a real shame because the film had the potential to be a fun, albeit cheesy, action flick but instead, it's just dumb. 

Despite the big-name cast, almost everyone is wasted in their roles. While it's nice to see Gerard Butler back in a more action-oriented role, the actor is given very little to do except pummel the bad guys and shout one-liners that would make John McClane himself cringe. Aaron Eckhart spends almost the entire film with his hands literally tied, as is Melissa Leo. Only Morgan Freeman and Rick Yune manage to survive with their dignity more or less intact. Freeman is clearly slumming for a paycheck but he still manages to deliver a more nuanced performance compared to most of the cast! As big bad North Korean terrorist leader Kang Yeonsak, Yune brings a sadistic brutality to his role and you really do grow to hate him. It's rather ironic that the villain is more memorable than the hero. Angela Bassett is reduced to sitting behind a desk, where she constantly reminds us that this is a 'very serious' film. Dylan McDermott largely hams it up, with Cole Hauser, Radha Mitchell, and Ashley Judd popping in for what amounts to a bunch of glorified cameos. 

"Olympus Has Fallen" won't be released until March 22, 2013 so there are currently no reviews. It's hard to gauge how critics will react but it'll most likely fall into the 30 to 40% range similar to Fuqua's other work. I will say this: one of the critics sitting behind me remarked that this was more entertaining than last year's "Zero Dark Thirty." I sincerely hope he was joking. FilmDistrict is obviously banking on the film being a box office hit but there's simply not enough buzz, plus the studio's biggest opening was only a mere $14.3 million for "Red Dawn." With its cheap aesthetics, uninspired action, and a script chock full of plot holes and tired clichés, "Olympus Has Fallen" would've been better served as a direct-to-video flick because that's where it ultimately belongs.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5 

"As a nation, we are never stronger when tested. Our government will remain united and strong."