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Health & Fitness

Movie Review: Olympus Has Fallen (R)

When North Korean terrorists invade Washington D. C., who will save the counrty from ruin?

Olympus Has Fallen (R)

Director  Antoine Fuqua taps into a gold mine with this intense action film that tugs at  patriotic heartstrings while it captures the audience as surely as the  terrorists in the plot take control of the White House. Be prepared, if you find  the first 20 minutes of the movie exciting, you are in for another hour and 39  minutes of exponentially extreme, breath-taking action and intense drama.

Secret  Service agent Mike Banning’s (Gerard Butler) White House duty ends abruptly  early in the film. Following an unfortunate accident, he relocates to the  Treasury Department where he pushes paper and tackles financial crimes. Boring  suddenly turns into an edge-of-seat, military-style invasion and Banning jumps  into action as North Korean terrorists succeed in attacking Washington D.C., capturing the White House and kidnapping  the president, Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his key cabinet  members.

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Former  military commando, Banning, wastes no time jumping right into the action and  going full “Die Hard” from inside the White House. Do not expect the wry humor  that Bruce Willis’ “Die Hard” McClane is famous for, but instead settle for  Gerard Butler’s Banning with its own brand of silent, grueling hand-to-hand  combat and extreme weaponry moves.

Though  there are many plot “similarities” to other action films, the audience does not  seem to mind a bit. The contemporary plot, loaded with patriotic references and  fierce, constant battles overrides the familiarity that permeates the action  scenes, especially those ambushes inside the White House. The fact that director  Fuqua made the terrorist invasion look so smooth and easy was probably the most  frightening part of the plot.

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The casting  of the film was spot on including a wise Morgan Freeman filling in for the  president and vice president as Speaker of the House Trumbell, the lovely Ashley  Judd as the ill-fated First Lady, Melissa Leo as the feisty Secretary of Defense  and Angela Bassett as the savvy Secret Service director. Young Finley Jacobsen  stole a few scenes as the president’s son.

Where was  Dennis Rodman when his country needed his Korean negotiating skills the most?

Three stars (or ground to earth missiles) for an  explosively great time at the movies!

 

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