White House Down (2013) Columbia/Action-Adventure RT: 131 minutes Rated PG -13 (language, prolonged sequences of intense action and violence, a brief sexual image) Director: Roland Emmerich Screenplay: James Vanderbilt Music: Harald Kloser and Thomas Wander Cinematography: Anna Foerster Release date: June 28, 2013 (US) Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, James Woods, Garcelle Beauvais, Lance Reddick, Joey King, Rachelle Lefevre, Michael Murphy, Nicolas Wright, Jimmi Simpson, Matt Craven, Jake Weber, Peter Jacobson, Barbara Williams. Box Office: $73.1M (US)/$205.4M (World)
Rating: ***
I have to admit that I do like Olympus Has Fallen Again ….. I mean, White House Down, the second “Die Hard in the White House” action flick to hit cinemas this year. It does, however, leave me with this one burning question that I’m sure others are asking as well. What does the German-born Roland Emmerich have against this country? He obliterated the White House in Independence Day (1996) and makes a bloody mess of it in White House Down by way of a terrorist attack. Actually, “bloody” is a poor choice of words since we’re talking about a PG-13 action movie. There’s action, mayhem and destruction aplenty, but precious little bloodshed is actually shown. In any event, it’s of little consequence since the movie is darn entertaining.
I knew exactly what to expect going in, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. I haven’t been very impressed with Hollywood’s cinematic offerings so far this summer and, as the movie got underway, I had a sick feeling that it would be yet another letdown. Then something unexpected happened, I started to enjoy it. It hit me that White House Down is exactly what it’s supposed to be, a total popcorn flick. That means it’s silly, mindless, action-packed and, most importantly, not believable for a single second. It has OTT villains spouting goofball tough guy dialogue, a reluctant hero who proves to be a real bad ass, a President who proves to be a real bad ass and wall-to-wall stunts that defy all laws of gravity and physics. It even has a little girl who isn’t afraid to stand up to the gun-waving bad guys. It wasn’t too difficult to give myself over to White House Down and just enjoy the silliness of it all. I’d even dare to say that it’s the most fun I’ve had at the movies this summer.
White House Down is one of those films that can be succinctly described in a single phrase. As previously stated, it’s “Die Hard in the White House”. That’s right, another terrorist situation has arisen at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This second time around, they’re of the homegrown variety. And boy, have they picked the wrong day for an armed attack. In all their precision planning, they didn’t count on John Cale (Tatum, 21 Jump Street). The underachieving DC police officer has come to apply for a position in the Secret Service, bringing along his 11YO daughter Emily (King, Oz the Great and Powerful) with whom he shares a dicey relationship. She resents him for the same reasons that his application is ultimately rejected; he’s unreliable and never follows through on anything. All is forgiven, however, when he surprises her with White House passes. She’s obsessed with politics (she has a YouTube channel) and jumps at the chance to meet President James Sawyer (Foxx, Django Unchained) who recently announced a historic Middle East peace treaty proposal.
After we get a rundown on White House security protocols as well as a guided tour, an explosion rocks the Capitol. Tourists and staff members run for cover, Secret Service agents rush their charges to safety, the President’s head of security (Woods, True Believer) whisks him away and armed bad guys arrive on the scene, guns-a-blazing. It’s a paramilitary group led by Emil Stenz (Clarke, Zero Dark Thirty), another pissed-off nutjob with a beef against the American government. Ever hear of writing to your Congressman?
In all the confusion, Emily becomes separated from her father and he runs off to look for her, gun and cell phone in hand. Certain events transpire that necessitate Special Agent Carol Finnerty (Gyllenhaal, The Dark Knight) to take command. By some strange coincidence, she’s also the agent that interviewed and rejected Cale. Is it possible he might prove her wrong? It’s up to him to keep Sawyer alive and free from harm while he looks for his daughter. Do you think he might take out a few right-wing psychos and mercenaries along the way? Is there a traitor in the President’s midst? What could be the motive for all this? Are all the bad guys on the same page? Easy answers, all straight out of Action 101.
I really like White House Down, but it’s far from being flawless. It’s one thing for an action movie to lack any and all sense of verisimilitude; it’s quite another to try and get certain things past more observant audience members. For example, Stenz and his men enter the White House posing as workmen installing a new sound system in the White House movie theater. They just waltz right past the security guards with their toolboxes in hand without being stopped and searched. What’s the deal, is it part of their union contract to get a free pass when working at the White House? By the way, guess what’s really in those toolboxes? Except for one unexpected plot development, White House Down is fairly predictable. For example, anybody who understands Hollywood typecasting will immediately know which character turns out to be a villain based on the actor who plays him/her.
As far as performances go, I can’t complain too much. Based on physique, Tatum makes a pretty decent action lead. If only he had a bit more personality to go along with his muscles. Foxx does pretty well as the Commander-in-Chief who taps into his inner bad ass in the face of all the mayhem. Clarke makes a decent but hardly exceptional villain; he won’t be remembered as easily and as fondly as Alan Rickman (Die Hard) or Jeremy Irons (Die Hard with a Vengeance). Young Ms. King pretty much steals the show as a preteen who’s as fearless as she is intelligent. She manages to record footage of the terrorists in action on her cell phone and download it to her channel before getting caught. Naturally, it goes viral within hours and seriously pisses off the bad guys. Emily is no frightened little child, that’s for sure. The only weak link is a woefully miscast Gyllenhaal whose emotions run the gamut from A to A1 in this movie. She’s completely unconvincing as a Secret Service agent.
The main reason people will buy tickets for White House Down is the action. It’s a pretty exciting flick, whether it’s Tatum and Foxx taking part in a wild car chase around the White House lawn or Black Hawk helicopters flying along the busy DC streets to surprise the terrorists. Once the ball gets rolling, Emmerich doesn’t let up too much. He’s actually one of the better filmmakers who specialize in this kind of flick. His credits include Stargate, Independence Day (which gets a shout-out here), Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012. There’s absolutely no question that White House Down is as ludicrous as they come. Maybe that’s why it’s such a fun movie. Sometimes it’s best not to ask too many questions and just surrender to the entertaining silliness of a summer action flick. So what if it runs a bit longer than it should? It’s too hot to nitpick about a movie this fun.
