White House Down (2013)

When it’s over, I liked this film. I have heard so much criticism, that I wanted to see for myself why there was so much bad press. While touring the White House, Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) is separated from his daughter, Emily (Joey King), when the White House if overtaken by a team of paramilitary. It is up to John to save Emily, President Sawyer (Jamie Foxx), and the world. Quite a lot for one man to pull off, but he did, with the help of the people he was trying to save. WHD was not a one man show, but a collaboration of the trio, with some added help from a stuffy White House tour guide (Nicholas Wright). WHD was not mind-blowing or original, but it was fun. I liked it for its patriotism and the love story between father and daughter. There were two symbols defining patriotism – the American flag and the White House – both represented throughout the film and played crucial roles in moving the story forward. The love story made sense and was believable, since John had made a lot of mistakes with his daughter in the past, he was determined not to let her down, at all costs. With many people comparing this film to Die Hard, stating that it was a “knock-off”, I did not see the similarities or agree with the criticism. My advice would be to go into this film without expectations. Don’t expect a political thriller with depth, because it was not a thinking film. It was a summer action flick that was meant to entertain, and it did.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5