Olympus Has Fallen - 3 smiles

Although there’s a predictability about “Olympus Has Fallen,” starring Gerard Butler, director Antoine Fuqua has crafted a taut political thriller that keeps you engrossed from start to finish with some excellent visuals and a few surprising twists that add to the suspense. The film’s title comes from the fictional Secret Service code for the White House, which is being led by President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart). The central character, however, is Mike Banning (Butler), once the head of the secret service detail for the First Family until a tragic event led him to be transferred to a pedestrian job in the Treasury Department. The president and his top advisers, including the vice president and the secretary of defense, are kidnapped by North Korean terrorists, who barricade themselves in the White House. Banning finds himself thrust into the center of the action and he quickly becomes the sole hope of saving the president and preventing a nuclear disaster that would end American life as we know it.

While the plot and dialogue are frequently predictable, the movie succeeds largely due to Butler’s believability as a Secret Service agent. Butler's Banning has the physical skills and mental cunning that allows him to become a virtual one-man army against seemingly insurmountable odds. The special effects and attention to detail are also effective. It really looks like the White House is being demolished. Fuqua is aided by an excellent cast of veteran actors, including Morgan Freeman, who portrays the Speaker of the House who must become the acting president. Angela Bassett is convincing as the head of the Secret Service and Melissa Leo excels as the tough-as-nails secretary of defense, who endures very rough treatment by her North Korean captors. Rick Yune is the charming and completely lethal Yang, the mastermind of the entire plot. “Olympus Has Fallen” is an exciting actioner that delivers. If you like this type of movie, it’s not to be missed. 3/22/13