Well...of course...if I write a blog about history as entertainment, I would have to write something about the new action film White House Down starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Fox. It's the story of a bunch of baddies taking over America's most iconic and important building with the president trapped inside. Movies don't get more "Americana" than that. So...did it blow my mind? Did it make me laugh? Cry? Clutch my armrests with white knuckles? Did it leave me stunned, speechless or spellbound? With ticket prices in the $10 to $15 range, audiences have certain expectations from their silver screen entertainment...especially during the Summer. And the question is...did White House Down deliver? Well...
If you grew up in the 1980s like I did, you're no stranger to over the top action films (in fact one such film was actually titled Over the Top). These films all fit a certain formula which includes muscular/jacked male leads with big guns trying to save nothing less than the world itself from unrepentant bad guys with no redeeming qualities. The dialogue is short and snappy with one-liners like, "I like you Sully. That's why I'll kill you last." (Arnold's Commando). A person in power who the main character trusts usually ends up being the evil puppet master by the end of the film. And there's almost always some damsel or child in distress who makes the fight personal for the hero. If there was an "Eighties Action Film Checklist" White House Down would garner all the requisite checkmarks even though it's more than twenty years removed from that cinematic era.
Enough already...what's the verdict on the film?
While White House Down can be categorized as a formulaic action film in keeping with the heyday of action films, it has a few things that separate it from the typical fare. First of all, the special effects are amazing. I don't think a film like this could have been made in the 1980s because the technology wasn't around back then to pull it off convincingly. Second, the acting is very good...better than your average 1980s actioner. Third, it has some nice subtle touches of history woven into it that history buffs like myself enjoy...most standard action films ignore that.
Wait a minute, Guy...you didn't offer much to make us think this wasn't a typical action movie!
That's right. I didn't. And the reason I didn't is because there wasn't a lot to separate White House Down from the pack of action films. But that doesn't mean that this film is mindless junk...far from it. I contend that if you go into the theater expecting nothing more than adrenaline pumping action from a somewhat predictable plot punctuated by the types of characters you've seen before, you will not be disappointed. Now of course that description doesn't make the film sound very appealing...unless you consider that most recent box office champions fit into that formula. The truth is that audiences find a certain comfort in predictability. Moviegoers rarely pay money to see action films that make them think. They want to see big muscles firing big guns. They want to see the world saved and the damsels rescued. They want the bad guys to be completely bad with hats that are pitch black without any shades of gray. And they will pay big money to see this...most of these films earn well over half a billion dollars in their box office runs.
It's obvious that the makers of White House Down considered the parameters of their genre carefully. They deliberately included all the criteria found in action films and they were cautious not to offend anyone on the international scene who might be buying tickets to see the film...****SPOILER ALERT**** That's why the villains who take over The White House are domestic radicals and racists (groups that almost everyone can despise) rather than foreign enemies.
And now for my verdict...
I enjoyed it very much because I didn't have any highbrow expectations. I wasn't looking to be enlightened. I didn't think my political or world views would be challenged. I didn't expect White House Down to give me any sort of epiphany. I plopped down my money thinking that I would be treated to some fun escapist entertainment. And that is precisely what I received. Sure, there may have been some predictability and a great deal of unrealistic happenings, but that's what the action genre has offered us since its inception and it's not likely to change any time soon. White House Down gives us what we expect...nothing more, nothing less.
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