The movie Olympus Has Fallen struck my mind when I first heard about White House Down. Hostage-taking will definitely be a highlight in this movie, I said to myself.
My curiosity peaked as the showing date got closer, and I was excited to confront my suspicions that the movie has similarities with Olympus Has Fallen. Of course, not forgetting that this new movie stars Channing Tatum—undeniably the most gorgeous man on earth!
In White House Down, Tatum plays Capitol policeman John Cale whose job is to protect the Speaker of the House (played by Richard Jenkins).
Cale has his eyes set on being a secret service agent to the president, while trying to be closer to his teen daughter Emily (Joey King). On the day of his interview, he takes the politics-obsessed Emily with him for a tour of the White House.
Little did they know that the place has been set up for one major hijacking targeting the president (played by Jamie Foxx) and that the tour was going to take a turn for the worst. That’s when the White House goes down and Cale becomes the president's accidental rescuer.
The movie, although action-packed, is not without some ludicrous scenes, such as when Cale—with a rocket launcher-armed president in the backseat—drives a limo across the White House grounds with armed terrorists in pursuit. That could have been a scene from Fast & Furious.
Foxx complements Tatum in the movie with just the right mix of seriousness and comedy. But Tatum nails the role with his charm: moving with ease from scene to scene. He’s tough in the action scenes, funny in the comedic parts, and believable in the emotional scenes.
The movie was very predictable at first but it has a surprising twist at the end. Comparisons with Olympus Has Fallen is inevitable, but unpredictably, White House Down got me hooked.
