Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Richard Jenkins, Jason Clarke
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Synopsis: While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.
Lets just start by saying that this film is absolutely NUTS! It is like Roland Emmerich and gang sat down and decided that they needed to make the biggest, dumbest, most outrageous and outlandish action movie they possibly could. And man did they achieve it!
I’m not a huge fan of dumb action movies (if you gave me a knife and a copy of Expendables and told me to choose, I would be dead) and even less of a fan if, like the counterpart to this film (why are similar films always released at the same time?) Olympus Has Fallen, they take themselves seriously why simultaneously being stupid. The reason why I liked this big dumb action film is because it’s tongue seemed to be firmly planted in it’s cheek. Hell, there was even a reference to Emmerich’s own Independence Day (another White House destroying big dumb action movie).
I think, if you DESPERATELY want to see the following scenarios on screen, then you should watch White House Down:
- Jamie Foxx as a ‘hip’ president
- James Woods being James Woods
- The president of the USA firing a rocket launcher on the lawn of the White House
- Channing Tatum dispatching of bad guys ten times every five minutes
- The White House being blown up (probably don’t admit that one on the internet though)
- Close shaves with priceless items, tour guides and helicopter blades.
I think even that small list gives you a good idea of what to expect from White House Down. It’s stupid in the most obvious way possible, but it is enjoyable purely because it’s not pompous. It is what it is.
MOVIES & MUSIC CAFE 
Such a fun movie! My favorite blockbuster of 2013 so far and I’m not big on action movies myself, but I really dug it 🙂
Yeah, I definitely enjoyed it in a WTF!!! kind of way!
I seemed to have liked Olympus Has Fallen a bit better than this, however, Tatum and Foxx did make for a lovely duo and they kept me smiling everytime they had something to do or say. Just goes to show you the type of talent these two got. Good review Thomas.
Thanks Dan. I agree they were good together. Maybe the next buddy cop duo?! Lethal weapon reboot?
I’m with you. If they know they are stupid, I can enjoy it. Although sometimes, if they are really dumb enough, they are funny anyhow. We watched TWO Mel Brooks movies last night: History of the World and Blazing Saddles. I needed a laughter fix.
Blazing Saddles is classic! There is a TV show I watch called True Blood, about Vampires in the Deep South, and it is so stupid, outrageous and nuts that every new season I say “I’m not watching this any more” and then I forgive it because I know it’s tongue in cheek fun!
haha yes, I avoided this one. it kind of sounds like it would be funny, though. As for your question: “why are similar films always released at the same time?” I have often wondered the same thing. I suppose it is because you have a huge blockbuster that deals with a particular subject (such as Spielberg’s “Lincoln”), and then a second, “quirky” or independent film comes along and tries to capitalize on its success (Tarantino’s “Django Unchained).