“Die Hard” in the “The West Wing”
An action flick this improbable hasn’t hit our nation’s capital since Nicolas Cage stole the Declaration of Independence — or maybe since the exact same plot landed in theaters earlier this year in Olympus Has Fallen. Either way, the season of explosive summer blockbusters is here, and “White House Down” is no exception.
Single father John Cale (Channing Tatum, Side Effects, 21 Jump Street) is ambitious but underestimated in his job as a U.S. Capitol Police officer. After being turned down from a Secret Service position, he takes his daughter, Emily (Joey King, Oz the Great and Powerful, The Dark Knight Rises), on a tour of the White House, which is quickly taken captive by a well-organized and heavily armed paramilitary group lead by Emil Stenz (Jason Clarke, Zero Dark Thirty, The Great Gatsby, Lawless). It’s up to Cale to fight the terrorists, rescue the president (Jamie Foxx), and keep his daughter out of harm’s way.
Clearly, “White House Down” will receive no awards for believability. Between car chases on the presidential front lawn and the inevitable helicopter crashes (and subsequent explosions, of course) there’s more than enough action hoopla to push this movie over the top in terms of ridiculous scenarios. But all things considered, the film isn’t as dumb as it could’ve been.
Director Roland Emmerich is no stranger to mindless popcorn flicks filled with destruction (or pretending to blow up the White House), but he always brings a level of awareness to his films that makes them more fun to watch than the average Michael Bay mayhem. Emmerich himself seems to disbelieve the scenario he sets up for audiences, but he doesn’t appear to care.
Instead of aiming for plausibility, “White House Down” aims for laughs, and here it has some success. Tatum steps up to the plate, comically speaking, and some of the movie’s funniest moments occur when he is front-and-center with his self-deprecating, everyman charm.
Foxx brings his usual swagger to the office of the president, but his one-liners — like the “reveal” behind the intentions of the terrorists — are, at best, obnoxiously lazy writing, and at worst wade more than a mindless movie should into potentially offensive (and unnecessary) racial politics. Disappointing, especially, given Foxx’s most recent role in Django Unchained and his award winning turn in Ray.
But no one tops the annoying factor of precocious Emily Cale, whose attempt at being a strong female character is rendered ineffective by her melodrama and weepy eyes.
Fortunately, “White House Down” maintains a quick pace that gives the audience little time to stop and complain about the roses. Maybe it could’ve had a little more brain power behind its never-ending action scenes. But at the end of the day, it’s nice to see something getting done in Washington, even if it’s just another summer action flick.
The verdict: It’s a summer blockbuster filled with explosions, actions, and implausibility, and it does its job pretty well.
Pulp Diction 