Mike Banning must protect the president as they run through
​the streets of London following a massive terrorist attack.

ACTION

London Has Fallen (2016)

Directed by Babak Najafi

Written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt,
Christian Gudegast, Chad St. John

Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Jackie Earle Haley, Robert Forster, Alon Aboutboul,
Radha Mitchell, Colin Salmon, Patrick Kennedy, Charlotte Riley

Sequel to 2013's Olympus Has Fallen

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Connor Eyzaguirre

May 5, 2020

8/10

Gerard Butler seems to have finally found his niche after all these years. So far, this franchise has served up exactly what it promised. Mindless action, political thrills, and aggressive subtext jammed right in your eyes. London Has Fallen brings the expertly crafted thrills of the first film and puts the action in the streets of London, where a terrorist cell has assassinated several world leaders and blown up most of the city. With no backup, no plan, and no hope, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Butler) must protect President Asher (Eckhart) from being captured and executed by the terrorist threat.

This film got considerably panned upon release, mostly for its blatant xenophobia and pointless action. I don't see it that way. Action movies are supposed to be crazy. They amplify the real scenario and dial up the gunfights and car chases. Nobody is watching action movie looking for the next Citizen Kane. As for xenophobia, that's just not the case. The villain in this film is a Middle Eastern arms dealer whose family was killed in a drone attack. His terrorist cell is made up of people of all colors and creeds, mostly mercs for hire. Banning kills them all because that's what he does. He's an action hero.

London Has Fallen won't win over new fans, but fans of the first film will be pleasantly surprised. Some of the action scenes are insane, but I think the villain is a lot less intimidating and ruthless than the one from the first film. I plan to watch Angel Has Fallen soon, so I can finally finish this franchise. So far, so good. Two solid action flicks built on a solid pair of red, white, and blue American balls.