12
FILM
Issue 55 / 2013
guestlist.net
WHITE HOUSE DOWN
Roland Emmerich returns to the titular landmark he
so famously destroyed in 1996's Independence Day
for this action-packed romp.
September 13th
Anyone who has seen the trailer for
White House Down will already have
had a sense of déjà vu waft over
them, but fortunately the image of
Obama's abode flaming like a Jacko'-lantern still packs a punch. Other
Emmerich hallmarks – box-ticking
plotting, pointless characters, oodles
of cheese – are also in attendance,
but the overall tone is also more fun
and jovial than any of the director's
recent efforts.
It seems the key ingredient is the
chemistry between Jamie Foxx's
President Sawyer and Channing
Tatum's wise-cracking cop John Cale.
They team up to take on the terrorists
who have so rudely interrupted the
latter's tour of the White House with
his daughter (Joey King), after having
been refused a job with the Secret
Service thanks to a botched interview
with Maggie Gyllenhaal's bureaucrat.
Sawyer is obviously modeled on the
most lauded aspects of Obama, and
Foxx brilliantly packages the POTUS's
cool air and penchant for slick, witty
deliveries to create a crowd-pleasing
character that even right-wingers can
appreciate.
Tatum is on more immediately assured
ground, as his Cale is essentially a
tribute to Die Hard's John McClane
–sweat-and-blood-stained vest and
all. But in all fairness, if anyone could
conceivably pose a threat to Bruce
Willis, it could only be Magic Mike
himself. As the plot unfurls, King's
politically - not to mention YouTube –
savvy daughter becomes increasingly
embroiled within the terrorists'
scheme, allowing Tatum to flex his
acting muscles, as well as leaping
and crunching their way through the
film's many action scenes. For the
record, these are mostly strong and
consistent, with a bullet-laden car
chase on the White House lawn being
a particular highlight.
The attacker's motives may seem a
little glib, but White House Down is
blessed with the kind of title that both
entices and warns wary viewers of its
daftness. Leave your cynicism at the
door and you may just appreciate
this last-ditch stab at summer
blockbuster-induced euphoria.
