As I have seen the last three Channing Tatum movies to be released in the UK, Magic Mike, GI Joe Retaliation and Side Effects, with my friend who is a big Channing Tatum fan, I wanted to wait until she was free to see this one. Although I try to convince everyone, including myself, that I don't really like the guy that much, it's better for my reputation if I say that I only saw one of his movies because my friend wanted to. In this case though, the dirty white vest on the poster was enough to me.
From that point on I referred to this movie as Die Hard at the White House, and that's pretty much what it is. The film tells the story of police officer John Cale (Tatum), who takes his politically enthusiastic daughter Emily (King), with him to the White House where he has an interview for becoming part of the secret service. Despite knowing the interviewer for the job, Carol Finnerty (Gyllenhaal), since college, Cale strikes out and resumes his White House tour with Emily. It is then that terrorists strike and it is up to Cale, who joins forces with the President (Foxx), to protect the hostages which include his daughter.
Whilst I missed Olympus Has Fallen when it came out in March, I understand that there are some similarities between that movie and White House Down. Although I have it on good authority from the friend I saw White House Down with that despite their similarities, they are still very different storylines. In her opinion Olympus was the better movie, but she said she'd rather see Channing Tatum than Gerard Butler in a dirty vest. So I guess your choice really depends on which actor floats your boat.
For my opinion on this movie, I really enjoyed it. Yes it's cheesy, some lines are pure cheddar, but it knows it's cheesy. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. But unlike director Emmerich's last movie, 2012, White House Down is still both believable (in terms of the main plot anyway) and not so over the top that it harms the movie. My advice would be to go in with the idea of not expecting too much and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
Tatum and Foxx are both very likable and work well together, both comedically and in the action sequences. Gyllenhaal, Clarke, Jenkins and Woods all give strong support that lends more weight to the proceedings. King gives a capable performance for one so young, and is enjoyable to watch in her scenes with the tour guide Donnie, who lends most of the lighter moments to the film.
Overall, this movie had me laughing, it kept me engaged until the credits rolled, and Tatum in a vest is a sight I could get used to. 7.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 29th September 2013
UK Release Date - 13th September 2013
Cast Overview:
John Cale ~ Channing Tatum
President James Sawyer ~ Jamie Foxx
Carol Finnerty ~ Maggie Gyllenhaal
Emil Stenz ~ Jason Clarke
Eli Raphelson ~ Richard Jenkins
Emily Cale ~ Joey King
Martin Walker ~ James Woods
Donnie Smith ~ Nicholas Wright
Vice President Hammond ~ Michael Murphy
Melanie ~ Rachelle Lefevre
Director ~ Roland Emmerich
Writer ~ James Vanderbilt
