Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Mihai Toma Mike Banning, a former presidential guard must undergo a special operation of saving the White House from the clutches of a Korean terrorist organization which managed to take control of it a lot quicker than American security could do anything. As a commando, Mike rescues the president's son and one kill after another, he must force his way into the underground bunker in which the president himself is being kept hostage.It's a very good movie which features plenty of gun related action and killing, with some suspense and a bit of drama. If you can stand the violence presented in it, you will certainly enjoy this one, especially with Gerard Butler as protagonist and Morgan Freeman as president replacement. Although I really liked this one, it disappointed me with its finale, in which Mike doesn't receive anything for his courage, heroism and for saving the whole situation all by himself. No congratulations, no medals, no honoring, no nothing. That's not how you end this type of movie. A big shame when it comes to the finale

zafar142007 This is a pure action film with a very clear one-dimensional story-line. There is a villain out to take the White House (Olympus) and a hero to avert him and save the POTUS. I would say that despite the simplicity of the story-line, the film is gripping, to say the least. There is a sense of urgency, a sense of foreboding cunningly crafted into the narrative which makes you root for the good guy. Gerard Butler is as usual the tough Secret Agent who cannot die or lose. I would have liked the other subplots (for example Butler's girlfriend) to have gotten more attention. This is not a serious film with a layered plot. It is a genre film with obvious plot holes and inconsistensies, but they hardly matter when the drama is so well enacted and tightly scripted. I would have rated it a score of 6.5 but the system doesn't allow that. Overall, a nice action film that delivers with grace.

Screen_Blitz There isn't much novelty to be found here, nor does it come nearly as ambitious as many classic films of the action genre. It doesn't mean it can't be fun however, or at least entertaining for those who get pumped for watching hasty gunfights and explosions go off in the White House (take Roland Emmerich's 'Independence Day' for example). This patriotic action thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua, the master behind the acclaimed 'Training Day' and 'Shooter', sets viewers in a pulse-pounding shoot-em-up "man vs. terrorist" extravaganza, while borrowing familiar elements of the 'Die Hard' franchise; but perhaps without the humor and charisma of Bruce Willis' John McClane. This film stars Gerard Butler as Mike Banning, a former secret service agent for President Benjamin Asher (played by Aaron Eckhart) who reassigned from position after a tragic event left him emotionally scarred. Now he works for at a desk for the United States Department of Treasury. What starts off as a normal day turns horribly wrong when a fleet of North Korean fighter pilots lead by terrorist Kang Yeonsak (played by Rick Yune) launch an assault on the White House. With President Asher and many other government officials taken hostage, it is up to Banning with the help of House Speaker Allan Trumbull (played by Morgan Freeman) and Director of Secret Service Lynne Jacobs (played by Angela Bassett) through communication via earpiece to save them.An attack on the White House and the destruction of the national monument certainly feels a climatic sequence from a Roland Emmerich movie. But no need to worry, there is an entertaining, if unoriginal plot to be handed here; and not without an amazing plethora of special effects to feed the eyes of action flick junkies. The opening minutes of the North Korean guerilla attack on the White House are incredibly violent and do very little to hold back when sprouting plenty of blood splattering enough to hence an R-rating, and the bloodshed doesn't stop there. The action continues on the lead character's hunt for the ruthless Korean terrorist who has the President and many others taken hostage at gunpoint, as he (Gerard Butler) roams the dark halls through the White House taken out each gunman one by one; and the scenes achieve the blessings of solid cinematography by Conrad W. Hall rather than incoherent shaky cam that far too many action films are infamous for. Though the pacing eventually slows down a bit during the final half-hour, the action and occasional suspense do just enough to keep the film on its feet. Gerard Butler, an actor with a rather rough filmography of the past several years, breaths plenty of life and humanity as lead character Mike Banning. Though he may not obtain the same charismatic persona as John McClane, he nonetheless fits the bill. Rick Yune doesn't quite make a memorable villain either, but to say the least he does his best.Olympus Has Fallen is a pulse-pounding action thriller that though lack novelty, stands strong as an entertaining action popcorn flick with solid special effects and an surprisingly rewarding role by Gerard Butler. This movie is not something I would count on going down as a classic in the genre, but one to enjoy without feeling the need of a rich original action flick.

sol- Marketed as "Die Hard in the White House", the plot of this action thriller has a lone Secret Service agent taking on North Korean terrorists who have invaded the White House (codename Olympus), holding the President hostage. The film features several gripping action scenes and some of the smaller moments (a bullet-ridden US flag) are very effective, however, the project would have benefited from all the 'Die Hard' parallels being far less pronounced. As it is, Gerard Butler sorely lacks the charisma Bruce Willis brought to the iconic 1988 film, there is significantly less comic relief, and try as Rick Yune does with the part, he is no Hans Gruber. Issues of credibility weigh heavily more against 'Olympus Has Fallen' too; whereas Willis only had to take on board a handful of terrorists in 'Die Hard', here Butler comes off almost without scratch after intense encounters with three or four times as many antagonists! To the film's credit, it does at least attempt to throw some character study in the midst with Butler haunted by an earlier incident in which he was able to save the President, but not his wife, in a road accident. Butler's rapport with the President's son feels very real too. Then again, the film never maximises the potential of Butler and the son knowing all the ins and outs and secret passageways of the White House. Butler's big advantage here is his training rather than his insider knowledge, which in turns renders the film far less interesting than it could have been even if there is a nary a boring moment in the action-packed ride.