1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has to be safer than Fort Knox – unlike Buck House, where loonies and burglars pop over the wall every now and again to liven things up.
The official res of the Pres should have security guards on every door, window and roof space with the most sophisticated weaponry known to man, not to mention laser whatnots and breath-sensitive alarm systems.
The elephant in the room is Olympus Has Fallen. Already twice this year The White House has been taken over by terrorists and a single hunky guy – Gerard Butler in Olympus and Channing Tatum here – saves the day.
White House Down adds a sentimental hook. Tatum has a 10-year-old daughter (smart, cute, brave, feisty) who is on the premises when the bad guys start killing people.
Take half a step back and think about it for a nanosecond. The plot has more holes than a junkie’s alibi.
Who cares? This is an action picture, directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla) who knows a thing or two about collateral damage, and it delivers up front and on screen with the efficiency of a heat-seeking missile.
Subtlety is substituted for lines like, “My daughter thinks I’m a hero; I guess I gotta earn that.”
Who wants to take The White House down, anyway? The answer is uncertain and confused, something about a dead soldier in Afghanistan. Daddy’s revenge?
Tatum appears indestructible, which is built into every hunky hero’s contract – bullets miss.
However, not all is wham bam. Jamie Foxx as Mr President is the perfect stand-in for Obama and Joey King as the smart, cute, brave, etc kid does better than well.
As for the CGI, full marks guys. And it’s not in 3D – phew!