Attacco al potere - Olympus Has Fallen

We've asked for a real Die Hard movie, for a very long time.

We've asked for a real R rated action movie, for a while.

We've asked for a decent and crazy actioner for a long time.

There you have it. Olympus Has Fallen is the movie that has everything you were waiting to see. Thankfully, Bruce Willis is on vacation ( just like he claimed several times, in Die Hard 5). So, he is nowhere to be seen, thankfully. We have a good amount of violence, shootouts and action.

It's important and really honest if you like the movie for what it is, a fun, crazy and silly action movie with some good lines and some good acting. So, like it for what it is, but don't hate it for what it isn't. It's not meant to be a serious, edgy and visceral movie. It's Die Hard in White House, plain and simple.

You'll find the same old plot holes that similar movies had, but don't be scared. The flaws won't take away the fun you'll have with the flick.

The movie is not for kids or babies. It's very violent and they don't hold any punch regarding the display of violence and brutality on screen. Woman, men, that doesn't matter. Headshots, impalings, explosions and lots of deaths. That's about it.

Don't walk to the cinema, expecting to see a serious and complex thriller. This is a action movie that doesn't stop until its ending. You have 25 minutes of "building up" and after that, the action is pretty much nonstop.

Yeah, you'll see patriotism, but then again, a movie about the White Houlse wouldn't forget anything about it.

Finally: Go watch it for the action and some of the acting.

Olympus Has Fallen is yet an other US president oriented flick. A ton of action and special effects with almost as many logical flaws.

The acting is good, particularly Morgan Freeman (to a lesser extent: Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart) and there's no denying the roller coaster ride, but it has many shortcomings. Aside from the usual suspension of disbelief, logic fails at almost every turn. Then there's the poor dialogs, the easy retorts, the one dimensional underdeveloped characters, the incredible body count, and the overly flag-centric pride.

It's action based entertainment for sure, but not much else.

Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Former Presidential guard Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) finds himself going up against a group of terrorists who have overtaken the White House and now have the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart) held captive. Banning must go thru the White House to save the President's son as well as try to save the main man before the terrorists get ahold of what they're after. Look, if you're walking into OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN expecting some sort of heartfelt political drama then I'd recommend leaving before the trailers are over. If you're looking for an outrageous, over-the-top, corny, goofy madhouse then this here will be your cup of tea. There's no question about it but director Antoine Fuqua does a terrific job at keeping the action moving at a fast pace and giving us some characters to root for. The film really does seem like a throwback to those films of the 1940s that were made when the U.S. was involved in WWII. Those films were very patriotic, waved the U.S. flag proudly and didn't give a darn about anyone else. This film certainly waves the flag with the villain being North Korea and I must admit that I was a little shocked at how blazing the film was in painting them as pure evil. I was also shocked to see how many guts this film had because at no time did you ever know where the story was going to go because you even have women getting beaten, which is usually something that doesn't happen in these type of films. The action is pretty much non-stop after a somewhat silly opening where we see the "tragic" circumstance that leads Banning away from his job. It doesn't take long for the guns to start firing and we're treated to all sorts of fights, explosions and violent deaths. The film is really over-the-top in terms of its story but it's equally matched by the graphic violence, which just makes for a fun time. There's even a torture sequence, which contains some hilarious dark humor. The cast is another major plus as Butler has no problem playing a sympathetic tough guy and of course Eckhart can handle his part. The supporting cast is just as fun and includes Melissa Leo, Dylan McDermott, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett and Robert Forster. Again, the plot itself is pretty far-fetched and there's no question that the film doesn't try to be anything other than a popcorn movie. I think it really succeeds all around and is certainly one of the better action pictures so far in 2013.

Review: I quite enjoyed this Die Hard in the White House type of movie, but it doesn't have the wit and cockiness of Bruce Willis. That not to say that Gerard Butler didn't do a bad job, and its good to see him taking a break from them annoying Rom-Com's. The storyline is quite good and there is loads of action from beginning to end, which makes it feel shorter than 2 hours. The ending is a bit corny, and I'm sure that the body count is more than Rambo, but that's what makes the movie enjoyable. You can definitely tell we're the $70 million budget went with all of the explosions and plane crashes which looked pretty impressive. Enjoyable!

Round-Up: After watching Morgan Freeman in Oblivion, the make up team obviously went for the old look because he looks like he needs to make another bucket list. Gerard Butler really did buff up for this film and he does pull off the whole action hero thing. I also liked the guy who played the villain because he was quite cool and collected and he never got excited, even tough he was going to blow up America. All of the other actors seemed to be dropping like flies throughout the movie but its a great watch.

Budget: $70million Worldwide Gross: $161million

I recommend this movie to people who like there political action movies with a Die Hard concept!. 7/10

What a dumb, fun, entertaining movie this is. There really is no real story in this movie, other than an attack on the White House. Then it's just straight up "Die Hard" after that, and it's so beautiful to finally get to see a good "Die Hard" movie again. Gerard Butler plays Mike Banning, who is basically just British John McClane. And then we have Aaron Eckhart as Benjamin Asher, the POTUS and Morgan Freeman as Allan Trumbull, the public speaker. They are very good too. This is just a very dumb action movie, and those are the kind of movies that I really love to watch.