“Olympus Has Fallen,” Antoine Fuqua’s latest, supplies non-stop action. It teases prospective viewers with a cataclysmic North Korean terrorist attack which leaves Washington, D.C. scrambling for defense and the White House in ruins.
“Olympus Has Fallen” soars as vehicle for tightly choreographed close-combat and hand-to-hand combat scenes, the likes of which viewers have seen in the Jason Bourne films. It adds an entertaining “Die Hard” element with Gerard Butler’s convincing portrayal of former U.S. Army Ranger Mike Banning, a Secret Service agent forced to desk duty after an accident leaves the First Family shaken. He has been sidelined, but he remains ever-ready to redeem himself, and does so by unleashing some serious fists of fury on ex-North Korean terrorist Kang Yeonsak (Rick Yune) and his invading hoard.
Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett and Dylan McDermott round out an all-star cast, each giving the high-quality performances fans expect. If only their characters were more fully developed.
“Olympus Has Fallen,” written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, heavily mines the threat of war with North Korea, but only superficially taps into the zeitgeist of 99-Percenter angst. Dave Forbes (Dylan Dermott), for example, says the recession and a loss of faith in America’s politicians have compelled him to team up with the terrorists. But his quick capitulation when confronted by colleague Mike Banning strips him of any real character. Other characters fold quickly when challenged, making “Olympus Has Fallen” take on the feel of a film based on a graphic novel or comic book.
“Olympus Has Fallen,” starring Gerard Butler, Rick Yune, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Cole Hauser, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell, is in theaters now and has grossed about $46 million at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo.