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EDITOR'S PICK
'London
Has Fallen': Strictly for Gerard Butler fans (IANS Review)
Rating:
**
Gerard Butler returns as Secret Service Agent Mike Banning in director Babak
Najafi's 'London Has Fallen', which is a sequel to director Antoine Fuqua's
2013 action thriller, 'Olympus Has Fallen'.
While both the films are deeply jingoistic, the earlier one had a simple and
convincing story line and this one with its relentlessly kinetic action is laid
on an unconvincing and implausible foundation which is predictable and difficult
to digest. And this probably, is the cause of its fall.
In 'Olympus Has Fallen', Mike protected US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron
Eckhart) from North Korean terrorists when they seized the most protected
building in the world. In this edition, he protects the President during the
"most protected event on earth".
The event is the state funeral of British Prime Minister David James, who died
under mysterious circumstances. The funeral is to be held at St. Paul's
Cathedral. And of course this occasion calls for the assemblage of world
leaders, a pure set up for an impossibly complicated terrorist attack.
The terrorist here is Pakistani arms dealer Aamir Barkawi (Alon Moni Aboutboul),
who engineers this massive attack that kills five world leaders, 125 civilians
and destroys several landmarks in London.
The canvas of destruction here is much wider, the suave and sleek action, with
cars and helicopters crashing, people getting killed with bullets, knives,
bombs, vehicles and the old-fashioned throttling. Director Najafi aims squarely
at an audience who like their action to be gory, brutal and rough.
On the performance front, Butler seems to have lost his sheen. Old, tired and
worn-out, he does not inspire the confidence of an invincible superhero. Torn
between his professional and personal life, he executes his emotions in a rather
dull manner.
Aaron Eckhart as President Benjamin Asher, Morgan Freeman as Vice President
Allan Trumbull, Melissa Leo as Secretary of Defense and Angela Bassett as Secret
Service Director Lynn Jacobs are all perfunctory.
Alon Moni Aboutboul as Aamir Barkawi and Waleed F. Zuaiter as his son, who lead
the attack in London, bring a novelty factor to this otherwise staid set-up.
Their menacing demeanour is palpable.
On the technical front, designer Joel Collins has done an excellent job in
replicating London, recreating Sana'a in Yemen and the huge set in the Punjab
province of Pakistan. The visuals are beautifully captured by cinematographer Ed
Wild. His frames seamlessly merge with Sean Farrow's computer-generated effects.
Paul Martin Smith and Michael Duthie's edits are worth a mention and the
background score by Trevor Morris definitely elevates the viewing experience.
Overall, 'London Has Fallen' will appeal only to Gerard Butler's fans and
those who like action-video games that deal with shooting and stabbing.