Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh, Roadshow Entertainment.
Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick, Tim Blake Nelson, Piper Perabo, Nick Holte, Danny Huston.
The third film in the explosive ‘Fallen’ franchise, this is a reputable installment that doesn’t fail to deliver. It follows Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and London Has Fallen (2016).
Butler (London Has Fallen, Olympus Has Fallen, Law Abiding Citizen) expertly engages with the action and thrills we’ve come to expect. Based on characters by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, the storyline this time takes a different turn for Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Butler).
When there is an assassination attempt on U.S. President Allan Trumbull (Freeman), his trusted confidant, Banning is wrongfully accused and taken into custody. After escaping capture, he is a man on the run and must evade his own agency and outsmart the FBI in order to find the real threat to the president. Desperate to uncover the truth, Banning turns to unlikely allies to save the country from imminent danger, help clear his name and to keep his family from harm.
Butler, who also serves as producer, benefits greatly from Waugh (Felin, Snitch, Shot Caller) being in the director’s chair. The former stuntman imbues ‘Angel’ with a tidy insistence that complements the movie’s no-nonsense approach. The extensive bloodshed (of previous films) is less evident here, with more emphasis on the effective character dynamics.
Banning reunites with an old military buddy, the ageing Wade Jennings (Huston), and also seeks out his separated father, Clay (Nolte), who walked out on his family and now lives off the grid. It’s the gruff and grubby estranged father, who livens up the family interaction.
Three films in, Butler is totally at ease in the main action hero role, and he’s surrounded by performances that are equally uncomplicated.
