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In 2013, Gerard Butler battled a band of Korean terrorists who invaded the White House in Olympus Has Fallen. For the follow-up, London Has Fallen, he travels abroad to protect the President from a massive, city-wide terrorist attack that threatens the future of the Western world.
London Has Fallen once again stars Butler as Secret Service agent Mike Banning, who’s preparing for the birth of his first child when he’s called in to execute a last-minute change of plans. The British Prime Minister has died, and President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) will be attending the funeral, along with numerous other world leaders. It’s a risky situation—a security nightmare—but there’s no way around it. And after several heads of state are killed in a massive attack on their way to the funeral, Mike finds himself racing through London, fighting to keep the President safe.
London Has Fallen is a big, violent, over-the-top thriller—a relentless torrent of shootouts, high-speed chases, knife fights, and earth-shattering explosions. The destruction of London landmarks is pretty spectacular, and the action never lets up. The story here is minimal, but there’s really no time for much more—because Banning and Asher rarely have more than a minute or two to collect themselves and catch their breath before another gang of assailants swarms in. And, anyway, additional plot would have done little more than slow down the action and add to the runtime—while most likely highlighting the story’s flaws.
Meanwhile, the film’s massive cast is generally underused—and most of the characters are restricted to watching the action play out on a screen from some distant command center or conference room—but Gerard Butler makes this bloody battle fun to watch. He still may not have mastered his American accent, but that doesn’t really matter here. What matters is that he makes an entertaining action hero. Banning is strong and confident and seemingly invincible—and he races through the streets, the buildings, and the underground tunnels of London, slinging sly one-liners as he guns down endless armies of ruthless terrorists.
Butler’s Banning and his steady stream of heavily-armed pursuers make for a brainless and brutal adventure. It’s action-packed and filled with rah-rah battle cries—and it’s so perfectly choreographed on such a massive scale that it’s wonderfully larger-than-life. It’s certainly effective—and adrenaline junkies will enjoy every improbably moment.
A smart and thoughtful thriller it’s not—but if you enjoy the extreme combat and wise-cracking heroes of classic action movies, London Has Fallen is an entertaining choice for your next movie night.
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