Olympus Has Fallen / White House Down

Despite me seeing these films many months apart I’m so behind with my reviews it made sense to wait until seeing the latter film (White House Down) before posting a few words as both productions are cut from virtually the same cloth. In this case that bit of garment being a blood stained Old Glory as each film depicts a terrorist attack on the White House. Frankly there isn’t much to call between the two and it probably comes down to whether you want to watch a film directed by Antoine Fuqua (starring Butler, Eckhart and Freeman) or one directed by Roland Emmerich (starring Tatum and Fox). Both films suffer from a huge (though understandable) reliance on GI imagery and the inevitable lashings of patriotic gruyère. Plot wise Olympus has a somewhat ludicrous guerrilla style assault whilst Down goes mainly for the classic insider job. Overall Down probably just shades it due to it occasionally hinting that all of this mayhem shouldn’t be taken too seriously (Olympus is a lot darker and more violent), though it appears respected performers Maggie Gyllenhall, Richard Jenkins and James Woods are taking it all at face value. Viewing pleasure of either demands takeaway and beers on a Friday night, otherwise steer well clear. Olympus Rating: 5/10, Down Rating: 6/10.