Olympus Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen is, for all practical purposes, a modern remake of Die Hard that replaces Bruce Willis with Gerard Butler and Nakatomi Tower with the White House. Butler puts in a respectable performance as Mike Banning. Director Antoine Fuqua did as well as could be done with the story, and some gripping action makes it almost watchable. But the downfall of the film was its lazy writing.

Almost no part of Olympus Has Fallen is remotely believable. A single airplane penetrates into protected airspace around Washington D.C. and riddles the White House with bullets. It takes 15 minutes for armed reinforcements to arrive. The President of the United States risks the annihilation of a peaceful ally nation to prevent an acquaintance of his from being beaten up. I could go on. And on.

For this reason, the movie is somewhat painful to watch. You will certainly find yourself complaining loudly at the screen. And yet the action is riveting. Watch this movie, then try to forget it. 5.5/10.