In the first half of 2013, an interesting anomaly occurred where two films with nearly the identical premise were released:Olympus Has FallenandWhite House Down. While this occasionally happens, as it did in 1998 whenDeep ImpactandArmageddonwere both released, it was interesting to see two movies that both attempted to do the “Die Hardin The White House” premise would be released within a few months of each other.White House Downembraced the over-the-top blockbuster style of Roland Emmerich, and starred Channing Tatum as an aspiring Secret Service Agent and Jamie Foxx as President James Sawyer. Despite the talented cast and crew, it was generally considered to be a disappointment.
However,Olympus Has Fallenbecame a surprise success thanks to the finely tuned direction of Antoine Fuqua and the pulpy, R-Rated action.Gerard Butler’s performanceas the Secret Service Agent Mike Banning felt closer to John McClane than any other character in years;Olympus Has Fallenfelt like a betterDie Hardmovie thanA Good Day to Die Hard, which was released only a month prior. The film’s success spawned two sequels withLondon Has FallenandAngel Has Fallen. The unpredictable saga has become a B-movie action series that’s worth paying attention to.
Brutal Action and Old-Fashioned Style
R-rated action movies are in short supply, as the box office tends to be dominated by PG-13 superhero movies and franchises likeThe Fast and the Furious, Star Wars,andJurassic Worldthat appeal to the widest subset of viewers.Olympus Has Fallenwas unafraid to get generally gnarly and brutal; it felt like a throwback to the great action movies of the 1990s. Skeptics may claim that it’s nothing more than a ripoff ofDie Hard, but that’s a criticism that could be leveled against many action classics.Speedis just “Die Hardon a bus” andAir Force Oneis just “Die Hardon a plane,” but they’re both action classics in their own right.
Another reason that theHasFallenfranchise works so well is that the film’s stories are relatively simple and straightforward; they don’t even require viewers to be caught up with the previous installments in order to know what is going on.Olympus Has Fallentakes place several years after a traumatic incident in which the President of the United States, Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart), loses his wife in a car accident. The tragedy is one that Banning takes responsibility for. However, the two men are forced to set aside their differences when an ultra-nationalist subsection of South Korean terrorists invade the White House and take hostages.
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The sequels continued this basic premise by showing Banning’s further exploits. InLondon Has Fallen, an international meeting of the world’s leaders that Banning and Asher attend together is overrun by an army of Islamic terrorists that attempt to spread anarchy; once again, Banning and Asher are left on their own to survive. In the third film,Angel Has Fallen, the former Speaker of the House, Allan Trumball (Morgan Freeman), becomes the President, but an attempted assassination attempt is incorrectly blamed on Banning, who must go on the run.
Gerard Butler’s Charisma
Butler is an interesting movie star, as he’s able to show a subtle self-awareness in his action roles without ever diluting his brand appeal. While some action stars like Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel will occasionally attempt to widen their viewership by making family films, Butler commits to absurd action movies likePlaneandDen of Thieves; while it’s unlikely that he’ll ever win an Academy Award, he’s nonetheless a very compelling presence on screen.
Butler is also accompanied by a great ensemble cast of great actors. In particular, the dynamic between Eckhart and Banning adds some emotional depth to the series. Eckhart shows the conviction and bold decision-making that marks him as a good leader without ever delving deep into his policies; it makes the films enjoyable for viewers, regardless of where they stand on the political spectrum. Freeman is also given a subsequently larger role in each sequel, and shows the wisdom of a man who has served his country for a long time. Even though Freeman is one of the best actors of all-time, he hasn’t had many interesting roles recently; theHasFallenseries has given him his best role since Lucius Fox inThe Dark Knighttrilogy.
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It’s also evident that theHasFallenfranchise isn’t attempting to compete with the other action sagas that have significantly more money and resources at their disposal. While the films’ action isn’t quite on the same level as theMission: ImpossibleorJohn Wickfilms, there was no way that a film likeAngel Has Fallencould compete withonly a $40 million budgetat its disposal. However, it is notable that while significantly larger action franchises likeThe Fast and the FuriousandThe Kingsmanhave become convoluted by disappointing sequels, theHasFallenfilms continue to get better.
Refreshing New Storylines and Directors
Similar to franchises like James Bond andMission: Impossible, theHasFallenseries has introduced different directors, each of whom have brought their own unique style to the series. Fuqua is often underrated as a filmmaker; while he can deliver gritty character dramas likeTraining Day, he can also create modern sports movies (Southpaw), medieval epics (King Arthur), and western adventures (The Magnificent Seven). His dexterity with genre made him the perfect filmmaker to moldOlympus Has Falleninto a refreshingly old-fashioned action thriller.
London Has Fallenbrought in Babak Najafi, whose more fast-paced style fit the intense storyline; ifOlympus Has Fallenwas comparable toDie Hard,London Has Fallenwas comparable toEscape From New York. When Ric Roman Waugh came in to directAngel Has Fallen, he already had an established career handling gritty crime thrillers likeShot CallerandSnitch. He created the grittiest and most brutal installment in the series thus far, which many fans also consider to be the best. Thankfully, it appears thatWaugh will return to directthe next film,Night Has Fallen.
