White House Down

***
Release Date: September 6th 2013

While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.

Director: Roland Emmerich (2012, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day)

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Richard Jenkins

Now everyone will be thinking, 'not another White House takeover film!'. A couple of months after Olympus has Fallen's outing comes White House Down. Now although it doesn't take a lot of thinking to know that they are very similar, it's this can only be reviewed on the basis that OHF hasn't been seen.

Channing Tatum is Cale, down on his luck after a secret service interview goes awry. This takes place whilst on a tour of the White House; trying to win back the love of his daughter Emily. The tour runs somewhat smoothly, until Emily needs the toilet, splits up from her Dad, then sh*t goes down (literally).

The paramilitary takeover happens due to President James Sawyer's vote for removing all troops from the Middle-East in order to create a peace treaty. Jamie Foxx plays Sawyer, and comes across as a believable President, that would get many a vote. 

The biggest things that WHD lacks is a character-audience connection. More time (and money) is spent on shoot-em-up action and some poor CGI. Watch out for the military choppers and bullet proof limousine cruising the White House gardens. It's a wonder why White House Down didn't use its $150m and use other actors wisely. Maggie Gyllenhaal's Finnerty, the special agent who interviews Cale, is the most useless character that has no input in driving the story. James Woods' Walker, on the other hand, has a major input, but doesn't (spoiler) live up to the role of a villain.  

Tatum's Cale near on mirrors Die Hard's John McClane, both being stuck in hostile takeover situations, going through elevator shafts and having a family member personally taken as hostage due to the terrorists finding out the family connection. WHD would probably work out as a potential sequel to the DH Series.

Overview: I can't believe I'm actually saying it, but there's too much action, and lacks a strong relationship between the audience and the main characters.