London Has Fallen ***
Watch out Europe; beefy Banning (Gerard Butler) is back – and so are the rest of the White House crew. The action is no longer confined to one building, Olympus (code name for the White House) – as in the 2013 film, but London, a city under terrorist siege. London Has Fallen is more of the same carnage too, only more graphic than the first – and surprisingly still rated 15.
Banning continues to protect President Asher (Aaron Eckhart), but also contemplates resigning as a dad-to-be. However, when news of the British Prime Minister’s death reaches Washington DC, the President is invited to attend the state funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, along with other world leaders. Banning is there by his side.
Then tragedy strikes in a massive, coordinated terrorist attack, seeing Banning and Asher on the run in London’s city streets from a heavily armed enemy. Meanwhile, Vice President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) – formerly Speaker Trumball – tries to coordinate a rescue from back home in the States with the (over) use of drones.
The whole premise of a London-wide attack would seem utterly ridiculous two decades ago. However, since ‘terror’ has reached European streets as recently as the 2015 Paris attacks, it really isn’t much of a stretch of the imagination to buy into this film’s plot – however much we want to dismiss it as daft. After all, we Londoners are constantly told a threat is imminent and many attempts are thwarted daily. This film certainly pays lip service to security services’ need for greater online snooping powers – indirectly picked up on by one of the supporting characters.
There is also a need for a real-life action hero right now in a world of turmoil; to see ‘terrorists’ get their just desserts by a one-man killing machine. It’s the stuff of far-reaching fantasy. This is where Butler’s character Banning triumphs again, much like a pesky, latter-day John McClane. Butler certainly gets the job done – and in tailored style, being highly entertaining to watch. Although, the ‘terrorists’ are actually part of a rightly aggrieved family (however abhorrent their previous actions might be), they are the usual bogeymen to satisfy Western tabloid sensationalism. But enough on the politics for now.
London Has Fallen is untaxing action fodder that really has its tongue firmly in cheek – most of the time. It has to, what with some of the corniest lines delivered on screen in a while that will have you howling with laughter. It still holds as nice a pace as Fuqua’s 2013 film. This time the director is relative action newcomer, Iranian Babak Najafi whose only other equivalent feature project was Easy Money II in 2012. Still, the same writing team is guilty for this second instalment, but it’s a reactionary script designed to get the whoops and the groans as we go along for the ride.
The special effects are fantastic as London crumbles. There’s even a quaint throwback to wartime London that the writers touch on that supposedly clears the streets – something that just wouldn’t happen in this day and age as people would be out on their phones for social media documenting when the networks are back up.
The action is definitely grizzlier – and quelchier in effect, as Banning disperses with baddies in hand-to-hand combat even, while raising the body count. It also shows just what the US would like to do to a team of fundamentalist beheaders too, that’s sure to get the cheers. In fact, much of the later action is played out in Tour of Duty-style video gaming, so it’s titillating stuff. Widening the playing field this time just gives the writers more leeway to be grander in effect. The trouble is the end fight is held in a more constricted environment, so that’s a shame, considering all of London is at their disposal.
Will Asher be back – there’s a hint Banning might be. In the meantime, it’s down to that faultless tower of screen strength Morgan to settle our nerves and bang the drum of defiance that we just lap up and can’t help but grin at. London Has Fallen does do what it sets out to do for an action blockbuster; shamelessly entertain, free of consequence.
3/5 stars
By @FilmGazer
