London's Falling, and This Time It Goes With a Bang

London Has Fallen: “R” (1 h. 39 min.)

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Alon Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett

Directed by: Babak Najafi

Back in 2013, a group of (cinematic) Korean terrorists laid siege to (an equally cinematic) White House in the film Olympus has Fallen. In that film, President Benjamin Asher (Eckhart), was rescued from his attackers by his Secret Service bodyguard Mike Banning (Butler) while his Vice President, (Freeman) attempted to manage the situation from the safety of the Pentagon. Now, it two years later and President Asher, and Benning head to London when news of the British Prime Minister has recently passed away. While they are over there, the city comes under a coordinated attack from a Pakistani terrorist mastermind named Aamir Barkawi (Aboutboul) who is taking revenge for a U.S. drone attack on his daughter’s wedding that killed her.

So, what began as the most protected event on Earth, morphs into a deadly plot to assassinate the several of the world’s most powerful leaders. Barkawi’s team unleashes Hell upon London, devastating every known landmark in the British capital, and as they kill many of the gathered world leaders along with whoever happens to be standing nearby. Now it is up to Banning to keep the President alive. Hustling the president out of the city on Marine one, only to have the chopper shot down. Now the pair head to an MI6 safe house until the real British military can arrive to lend a hand.

Now, once again, we are treated to a series of implausible events as Banning rushes Asher through an impossible situation of bombs, guns, and death-defying situations. Still, none of that really matters as London is treated to the same kind of rampant destruction usually reserved U.S. cities in these types of films. For their parts both Butler and Eckhart play their rolls well (and yes, it is so uplifting to see a U.S. President act both Presidential and heroic, even if it is only in a film). Plus, it is also kind of fun to watch the good guys kick some terrorist butts. At least this time around, Banning has the help of a crack-force Delta team as well as a very capable MI6 agent.

Sure, sure it is all over-the-top, testosterone-fueled, alpha-male, fantasy heroics, but this film franchise (and — given the success of the two films, as well as the current state of the world — we’re reasonably sure that we can expect a third film set in yet some other foreign capital). All of which is beside the point. These films have always been a staple of the action/adventure genre, they just keep getting bigger, brasher, and bolder. (Need I point to the massive amount of superhero films that hit the silver screen each year? Superheroes have simply taken the hero paradigm to the next plateau.) So, yeah, we really did enjoy the film, and while the outcome in never really ever in doubt, the path taken there is certainly an outrageous thrill ride that is truly entertaining to watch.