White House Down

It's déjà vu all over again in director Roland Emmerich's White House Down, which—just like this year's Olympus Has Fallen—finds terrorists invading the White House and an aspiring Secret Service agent stepping up to save the day. But the characters at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue here are far more fully developed and interesting in a film that also boasts humor and heart. Ex-Marine John Cale (Channing Tatum) has been turned down for his dream job of joining the President's Secret Service detail. But during a White House tour with his preteen daughter, Emily (Joey King), armed militants take over, after which Cale must save Emily, President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx), and the country. Foxx obviously models his POTUS on the current incumbent, giving Tatum most of the derring-do here. Memorable supporting performances are turned in by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Richard Jenkins, Jason Clarke, and James Woods. While the graphic destruction of treasured national monuments exploits Americans' terrorism paranoia (and here tweaks a growing suspicion of defense contractors and the military/industrial complex), these CGI scenes of spectacular demolition are the bread and butter of escapist action-adventures. Fortunately, this one also boasts some personality. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “A Dynamic Duo” on stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx (5 min.), “Men of Action” on stunt training (5 min.), “Meet the Insiders” on the cast (5 min.), “Roland Emmerich: Upping the Ante” with the director (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Recreating the White House” set design segment (10 min.), the production featurettes “The Beast” (5 min.), “Presidential Treatment” (5 min.), “The Full Arsenal” (5 min.), “Crashing the Oval Office” (4 min.), “Drowning the Beast” (4 min.), “VFX Boundaries Down” (4 min.), “Lights, Camera, Heart-Pumping Action” (4 min.), and “The Inside Story: From Script to the Big Screen” (3 min.), a gag reel (6 min.), and bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an entertaining popcorn flick.] (S. Granger)