White House Down Review: A Disappointing Follow-Up to Olympus Has Fallen?

When a paramilitary group takes over the White House in Roland Emmerich's latest action flick, White House Down, one might expect an intense, heart-pumping ride. Unfortunately for fans of this genre, Channing Tatum and Jamie Foox fail to deliver what their predecessors did so well.

Following on from 2013's Olympus Has Fallen, which saw a similarly ill-fated plot unfold within the hallowed walls of Washington D.C., White House Down attempts to recapture some of that same magic. Alas, it falls flat in nearly every department.

The film centers around Capitol Police officer John Cale (Tatum), whose son is among those held captive by the rogue group led by President Sawyer's (Foxx) own brother-in-arms: Vice President Trunnitius 'V.P.' Daniels III Esq. MPBA... err, sorry about that – it sounds like too much work to remember his real name anyway.

As Cale navigates through a maze of corridors and secret tunnels beneath the White House in pursuit of his son, he must also contend with an army of heavily-armed terrorists hell-bent on causing chaos above ground. Sounds familiar? You betcha!

While there are plenty of explosive set pieces to ogle over – including a particularly memorable sequence involving an F/A-18 Hornet dive bomber taking out half-a-dozen black SUVs in one fell swoop – the action feels forced and artificial, lacking any real tension or stakes.

Tatum fares better than expected as our everyman hero; his Every-American vulnerability occasionally rings true even if he never quite manages to fully connect with audiences on an emotional level. Foxx, however, is miscast entirely as Sawyer's brother-in-arms turned traitor – his over-the-top hamming gratingly so.

In comparison to the likes of Independence Day or Armageddon (both also directed by Emmerich), White House Down feels disappointingly small-scaled and dated; even for a summer blockbuster, this is an underwhelming experience that fails to live up to its considerable promise. Perhaps it's just me being too harsh – after all, there are worse ways you could spend two hours than watching Channing Tatum shoot lots of bad guys in slow-motion while Jamie Foxx growls menacingly into his comms device.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Recommended for fans of: action flicks with a dash of politics thrown in; anyone looking to pass the time before their next blockbuster fix arrives at local theaters.

White house down review