But after a tragedy during the line of duty, Banning finds himself transferred to Treasury (the Secret Service's other duty being counterfeiting investigations). Banning gets a chance to redeem himself when a surprise attack on the White House cripples the U.S. government and leads to the capture of President Asher and his key staff during the visit by the leader of South Korea.
Not unlike the recent Red Dawn remake, Olympus Has Fallen's bad guys are North Koreans out to destroy the U.S. government and the American way of life. (Insert either jingoistic rants or claims of xenophobia here.) The villain is Kang (Rick Yune), a shadowy terrorist who wants to unite Korea and punish America. In a truly gripping, relentlessly brutal attack sequence, Kang's forces take out the White House security, randomly and indiscriminately slaughter civilians, before managing to kidnap Asher and his staff within their own secure bunker.
Quicker than you can say "yippee ki-yay," Banning is within the White House, taking out bad guys and covertly acting as the eyes and ears of the remaining government figures (led by Speaker of the House and acting President Trumbull, played by Morgan Freeman). Banning seeks to locate and get Connor to safety, and also kill Kang and rescue the President. You know, hero stuff.
Olympus Has Fallen may be an All-American feel good cartoon, but it's still rendered with sincerity and conviction by its director and cast, which also includes Ashley Judd as the First Lady, Angela Bassett as the Secret Service director, Melissa Leo as the Secretary of Defense, Radha Mitchell as Banning's wife, Dylan McDermott and Cole Hauser as fellow Secret Service agents, and Robert Forster as a general.
Still, as solid as the supporting cast is -- particularly Eckhart's earnest President, Freeman's beleaguered Speaker, and Leo's scrappy Defense Secretary -- this is Butler's show and he kicks some serious ass here, dismantling many opponents with his bare hands. This film, like Coriolanus, is a much needed change of pace from the rom coms that have killed his post-300 career momentum. His Banning is stoic, but not wooden, tough but tender, and humorous without being glib. He tries (sometimes in vain) to keep his Scottish accent from slipping, and you can see him literally twisting his mouth into shape in order to do that. If Butler plays his cards right this time perhaps he'll get his career mojo back.
Yune's work here is not too dissimilar from his turn as the villainous henchman Zao in Die Another Day, a stone-cold killer with military skills and cunning intelligence. Still, his character is Simply Evil despite a few "you're no better than us!" type jabs at Asher. If he had a mustache to twirl, he just might. I'm sure many will find his character unappealing for a variety of politically-charged reasons, but Olympus Has Fallen is painted in black and white not in shades of grey. This is a pro-America movie right down the line, and it will be curious to see how it plays overseas.
If you're in the mood for an old-fashioned, ass-kicking action film or like your movies doused in Red, White and Blue, then Olympus Has Fallen is the flick for you.
