Angel Has Fallen Review
R: Violence and language throughout
Studios: Lionsgate, Millennium Media, G-BASE
Run time: 2 Hours and 1 Minute
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Screenwriters: Ric Roman Waugh, Matt Cook, Ric Roman Waugh
Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick, Tim Blake Nelson, Piper Perabo, Nick Nolte, Danny Huston
Secret Service Agent Mike Banning is framed for the attempted assassination of the President and must evade his own agency and the FBI as he tries to uncover the real threat.
When you think of badass action heroes in film, there are some recognizable names that will immediately pop up: Ethan Hunt, James Bond, John McClane, John Wick, and… Mike Banning? Hollywood will force Gerard Butler into being an action hero whether we like it or not. The man has great charisma but can’t be in a good movie to save his life, excluding the How to Train Your Dragon films. The “Has Fallen” series — I think that’s what they’re going by — has been one of the most bizarre franchises to ever exist in recent years. Let me share a story with you.
My pops and I live in an area close to this county in New York called Valley Stream, and a few years back there was a shitty theater called ‘Sunrise Cinemas’. It was one of those theaters that had a metal detector inside, auditoriums that smelled like a rusty bathroom, busted and uncomfortable seats, and popcorn that tasted so stale. The theater is closed down now (for obvious reasons), but back in 2013, when it was still running adequately, my dad took me to see Dreamworks’ The Croods for my birthday. I love animated films and my dad thought I was too damn old for them, but he knew what he was getting into when he showered me with videos of Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks movies as a kid while taking me to every other animated movie that would come out in theaters. We both liked it a lot, but he wanted to watch something else — something manlier — and few theaters down Olympus Has Fallen, the other new release of that weekend, was just starting. So, we walked in, took our seats, and had a blast. I mean, a mediocre action movie in a mediocre theater? That was perfection for us and we loved it. Never did I ever expect that, six years later, this measly action movie that kept getting compared to White House Down (another 2013 action film with the same premise) would garner two follow-ups, but here we are.
To be fair, I didn’t watch London Has Fallen simply because I just didn’t care. Whenever an action film has a sequel they always bring the hero to Europe and chaos ensues. It happened in Taken and Die Hard and I personally wasn't emotionally ready to deal with that for Gerard Butler. So, now we’re at Angel Has Fallen, a *sigh* third entry in the weirdest action trilogy of the 2000s. And you know what? It’s… not that bad.
After saving the White House and London from international terrorists, United States Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Butler) is now requested to become director of the Secret Service on behalf of President Allan Trumbull (Freeman), who apparently just took over after Benjamin Asher retired from his presidency, I guess. They never really address it, for his character (played by Aaron Eckhart) is completely absent in this. Unfortunately, Banning feels unworthy to take on the job due to suffering from constant migraines and insomnia. During a fishing trip with the President, an unexpected drone attack is unleashed, killing the Secret Service agents at base, putting the President in a coma, and leaving Banning as a lone survivor which makes him the suspect in the assassination attempt. Now, as a nation fugitive, Banning must outrun the law and find a way to clear his name.
I’m going to make this review quick because who gives a shit? It’s August and summer is ending, which means it’s dumpster season. You know, movies that nobody (including the studios themselves) have any financial faith in so they’re just dumped into theaters. In a surprising defense of Angel Has Fallen, it is one of those releases that is aware of what it is and puts a decent amount of effort into the production, which is saying a lot given this is from the same production company that bastardized Hellboy earlier this year.
For a franchise that boasts nothing but big explosions, bloody action violence, and excessive combat sequences, Angel is a bit more reserved than its predecessors. They still feature all the trappings of a Fallen movie, but it’s now more self aware of its corniness and has a good time with itself no matter how transparently predictable the story is.
From the get-go, you know the movie is stupid as characters assume that Mike Banning could be the mastermind behind a drone assault. But this is the third entry. If you’re criticizing the stupidity, what the hell are you doing in the theater? This franchise was built on stupidity; it just becomes more grand, but here it's more laid back and filmed with skilled precision. It’s not great by any means, but director Ric Roman Waugh applies a variety of techniques with each action sequence. Car chase sequences can be mundane, especially when it's a requirement in every action film, and Waugh incorporates shaky cam to make a car chase sequence where Banning must out-drive the police in a truck immersive. It’s not pulse-pounding or intense, but it’s admirable how well it’s shot and edited.
As far as entertainment goes, the adrenaline kicks in once Mike’s old man (played by Nick Nolte) comes into the picture as they bounce their separate masculine personalities off each other. The scenes between them are often humorous and at times intimate. Don’t get me wrong, the dialogue is piss poor as Mike obviously displays his resentment towards his dad who has been absent from his life, but where that leads is kind of heartwarming to me. As far as father/son action buddy dynamic goes, I’m surprised it was more meaningful than that fucking Shaft movie, for this actually goes into the consequences of being an absent parent and the trauma of both of their pasts. I didn't think I'd ever see Gerard Butler and Nick Nolte team up, nor did anybody ever ask for it, but hey we're working with what we’ve got and it’s okay.
Aforementioned, this entry is still pretty dumb as it forgets all of the realism of the leads’ illnesses for the sake of plot. There are so many moments in the opening act where Banning is suffering from chronic pain, but once he does what he does best (experiencing explosions firsthand), he’s perfectly fine, often going uninjured, even mentally. Then, the film has the audacity to enforce our real world issues for its own stupid benefit, thinking it’s breaking some ground with a subliminal message regarding Russia and how they aid traitors through hacking, which makes you eye-roll like the time Gaga rolled her eyes at the rumor of her and Bradley Cooper boning.
Some of the cast is wasted and not given much to do, such as Jada Pinkett as a cop who leads a manhunt on Banning or Tim Blake Nelson playing the typical role you’d expect Tim Blake Nelson to play.
I just have to mention this, but there are incredibly bizarre moments that make you unintentionally crack up. There is a baby in this movie who steals the entire scene with just the timing of her cry. That baby will go far because she made a scene escalate from 7 to 11 real quick.
If you have an IQ below 50 then you're gonna have the time of your life. It's an action movie for idiots and if you find yourself in a theater with a crowd going “OOH” at the ‘twists and turns’, then congrats: you're in a theater full of idiots. That said, the movie is endearingly aware of what it is and goes full bonkers when it needs to.
Sometimes a movie can succeed because of its release date. This third entry is the definition of an August release, for it sets expectations looooow by doing the bare minimum of being marginally more entertaining than anticipated. It's mediocre as hell, but flows in the same vein as the original film that had the same flawed qualities but managed to be fun nonetheless. It had me going, “OH SHIT” more than I expected and for that I say, “Good work Gerard Butler. You get a solid 3.”
Rating: 3/5 | 60%
