Review of White House Down (2013) by Fuad M — 03 Jul 2014

Nobody slides over tables and across floors better than Channing Tatum. There are so many movies where the White House is destroyed, beaten up or taken over. Films that pop into my head are 2012, Independence Day, Salt, Olympus Has Fallen, G.I Joe and more. Now with the landmark in it's title the White House is taken down spectacularly in Roland Emmerich's latest action movie that mixes full-on spectacle, humour, drama and stunning visuals all for one great adventure.

Channing Tatum stars as John Cale, a service agent who takes matters into his own hands when the White House is invaded and his Daughter Emily played by Joey King is held hostage. President James Sawyer is rescued by Cale and together this unlikely duo set out to put an end to the ferocious siege and save the fate of the world. There's great character motives behind the attack, based on unjust and personal vendettas, America is made to be the bad guy in the enemy eyes. The bad guys mentioned are very dark and relentless, killing anybody that defies or gets in their way, James Woods and Jason Clarke are excellent and although they are not as memorable as Rick Yune's bad guy in Olympus Has Fallen, Woods and Clarke don't threat they just kill if necessary, there's no mercy with them and I like that.

You can tell the cast are having a blast, all the dialogue is realistic and the script is always witty, plus the one liners and smart ass smug comments are laugh out loud and it's all because of the committed cast! This is a fun and explosive adventure and they all deliver superbly, here's two giant thumbs up to Tatum, Foxx, Gyllenhaal, Clarke, Woods, Jenkins, King, Simpson, Reddick and all the supporting cast too. White House Down delivers a number of knockout action scenes and tonnes of explosions that seriously brought my inner child to light, I lose my shit when something explodes and this movie destroys everything and anything so you get a tonne of bangs for your buck.

There's load of action shots in slow motion of downed helicopters spinning out of control, and The Presidential Limo chase in the White House lawns is the highlight of the movie as it's seriously over the top and packed with 50 calibre's attached to SUV's, and Jamie Foxx takes control of an RPG, blows shit up and hits Tatum on the head with it, this movie mixes action with hilarious comedy elements very well, Emmerich's balance of these different themes works brilliantly, and he is the ultimate Director of disaster movies, and he can proves he can also direct a top notch action thriller with the same amount of carnage and quality as 2012 and his past movies.

Would I watch this again? Yes, thanks to an endless string of unforgettable quotes, total carnage, a cast to die for and a very well written script, White House Down is a perfect choice if you're looking for popcorn entertainment, and this will be one to watch again and again and it stands as tall as Olympus Has Fallen.