#37 & #42 OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (18.4.13)

Gerald Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Rick Yune directed by Antonie Fuqua. 

The film, in a gun shell. North Koreans attack the white house, capture the President of the United States prison, kill everybody and take control of America's nuclear arsenal. Now only one Scottish bloke with a shit, lisping, American accent stand between truth, justice and the American Way and a global nuclear apocalypse.  

Every now and then you go to the cinema and come out inspired by what you've just seen. For example, when I came out of Starship Troopers I wanted to join the space marines and kill intergalactic bugs and after Mad Max I wanted to be chase down nomadic homicidal brigades in a V8 Interceptor. Now, after Olympus has fallen I want to join the American Presidential Secret Service Security Detail and kill terrorists, in fact, I've already got my Gerald Butler accent down to a 't'.
 
All the reviews I've read of this film are written by critics too embarrassed to admit they enjoyed it and whinging on about the lack of irony, stereotypes and all sorts of guff as if it's not acceptable to just sit back and watch a balls-out two-hour long action film where a Scottish bloke with a shit, lisping American accent goes about killing 60 odd North-Korean terrorists with an assortment of knives, guns, fists, missile launchers, chain guns and rocket-propelled chainsaws (actually I made that last one up, but wouldn't it be cool if he did! I bet you'd go and see a film where someone used a rocket-propelled chainsaw!) all while spouting out a delight choice of classic one-liners like: 'Let's play a game of fuck off.' and 'I liked your friend. He was funny.'

This is the Die Hard film that Die Hard 5: A Good Day to Die Hard wasn't. If Bruce Willis had made this film instead of that one then no one would be going on about stereotypes, the lack of irony or any other such nonsense and would instead be praising it for being what it is. A big-bollocked, hilarious and gloriously violent, 15 certificate action film which goes from an 8/10 to a 7/10 thanks to the God Bless America bit right at the end.

Exactly what it says on the tin and for the first time in an absolute age a film not ruined or betrayed by the trailer.

7/10