White House Down (2013) – Encore Review 2

“Can you not hit me in the head with a rocket when I’m trying to drive?” – Cale

Number of Times Seen – 3 (1 Oct 2013, 7 Jul 2016 and 17 Nov 2019)

Link to original review – Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – An off duty police officer trying to get a job with the Secret Service gets trapped in the White House when terrorists take it over.

My Take on it – This is a film that I seem to appreciate less and less every time that I watch it.

Chaning Tatum does a fine job in the lead role but he too often tries to be funny and that hurts the way that the action scenes should play out especially due to his timing and delivery.

The film itself was overshadowed by Olympus Has Fallen (2013) which came out in the same year and the premise as presented here just doesn’t work as well and is less believable.

Jamie Foxx is a great actor, but he is well out of his depth here as the President ad comes across really poorly in this role.

The film is filled with some great action scenes that involve lots of spectacular stunts and with these scenes, they accomplish what they attempted; they created a popcorn film that is jam packed with great action.

The way tat the film adds in some really interesting political intrigue into the story line works well in keeping things constantly in motion because the characters never quite know who they can trust in any given situation.

Bottom Line – Fun film that doesn’t work as well as it’s “twin” that came out the same year. Tatum is fine in the lead but he tries too hard to be funny that the action scenes feel less thrilling due to his sarcastic remarks and the way he delivers them. Foxx is a great actor, but he is out of his league in this film at President. The action scenes and the stunts work well in helping establish what they wish to accomplish with the film; an all out action movie. The film mixes in some great political intrigue that keeps things moving along because none of the characters ever know who they can truly trust in along the way.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The book by author Vince Flynn, “Transfer of Power,” was basis for both of the movie plots used in “White House Down,” and “Olympus Has Fallen” in 2013. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10) (downgrade from original review)