Invasão a Casa Branca

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.

Forget airs and graces here: OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN is a straightforward siege-based action flick, heavily indebted to DIE HARD and its ilk, offering maximum thrills and spills and little else besides. It's hardly a thinking man's movie but it does ably do what it sets out to do, which is to offer plenty of action, high stakes and suspense.

The story is, in essence, DIE HARD in the White House and there's no more or less to it than that. Gerard Butler is good value in the action stakes (as we already know from 300, so it's a shame he's been wasting away in dumb rom-coms ever since) and the intricate plot sees a huge squad of terrorists kidnapping the President (an unlikely Aaron Eckhart), leaving Butler the only man on the ground with the power to stop them.

The action consists of a handful of brutal hand-to-hand fights and shoot-outs augmented with some CGI stuff of plane attacks and missiles; the CGI isn't great but it's better than you'd find in a B-movie at least. Morgan Freeman shows up as one of those guys whose business it is is to offer sage advice and look worried in equal measure, while Rick Yune tackles the role of lead North Korean terrorist with relish.

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN isn't perfect by any means; it's occasionally cheesy, occasionally silly, and mostly far-fetched. It could also do with some more action, what there is is a little limited considering the running time of two hours. But it IS a perfect piece of action entertainment, the kind of switch-off-the-brain fun that I look out for in a movie.

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

Olympus Has Fallen is another film that focuses more on action than on the script , at least the action scenes are fun to watch , plus the script sins with many errors , the steering gets far more in the course of the film he loses control , the cast is interesting , is Gerard Butler who is making more action films , he's fine , have Aaron Eckhart which is good, and the excellent Morgan Freeman 's fine too , the special effects are competent , the action scenes are good , the plot is simple , the soundtrack is average , you do not notice it much , Olympus Has Fallen is no better action movie in done, more is far from bad, the action scenes are cool. Note 6.9

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.