White House Down

A big surprise for me. The Americans finally make fun of themselves too, and it has to be said that they do it very well. Emmerich has made an utterly easygoing action film that, while it has, as always, a dire plot in the background, is otherwise taken with a lightness I've never seen from him before. Thanks to this, even Jamie Foxx, whom I normally don't like very much, is really comical as the president together with his bodyguard Tatum. It's a pity about the somewhat uneven pace and the related contrasting transitions between genres, when sometimes the fun is lost. The plot then has to be handled by bad guys with nerves to spare, led by Jason Clarke. (07/18/2013)

It’s a movie by Roland Emmerich, so what else could I have really expected? I mean, yeah, I could have expected something else because he already blew the White House into pieces once in Independence Day. Here, he just looted the president’s quarters, ruined the president’s lawn, his pond and so on. It was nice to see. I was almost wondering if this movie replica was really close to the actual White House. Because if it was really accurate and I was a terrorist, I would have considered this movie an educational tutorial. The movie is sort of a well-done action classic which is something Roland’s simply good at. You can’t deny that and I had a good movie to chill with. (08/24/2014)

The most honest and entertaining action movie of recent years. Unlike other films winking at the action glory of years past, White House Down has one big advantage - it feels completely natural, unforced, not trying to tell us in every other minute: "Look, we borrowed this scene from here and this one from somewhere else. Laugh, please." And it was made by Roland Emmerich, who may be the last person from whom anyone would expect such excellent and imaginative shootouts (which this time play a bigger role than mammoth digital destruction)... But just think of his Universal Soldier and it becomes clear that the director is at home here too. But besides action, he brought out another important weapon - humor. Lots of humor. Perfectly timed gags (zombies in a limo), verbal shootouts, funny characters that aren't stupid (the White House tour guide). I don't even have a single complaint about the actors, starting with Channing Tatum (he earned McClane's undershirt) and ending with James Woods and the whole charismatic bad guy gang. Not to mention a cleverly written story that can surprise. I give it five stars, and I'd love it if Roland Emmerich made Tom Clancy's “Rainbow Six". (07/23/2013)

Maybe if "White House Down" came out in theaters later and Gerard Butler didn't play in it, I would have liked the movie "Olympus Has Fallen". Having two identical movies in one year is just poor production. Couldn't they have moved the second one? Emmerich's bad luck. This is a financial mess and eventually a film mess as well. The occasional attempt at a cool joke definitely doesn't overshadow the patriotism that oozes from it in all directions. Just another American destruction of American values presented by a native German. (10/22/2013)

This was great! Vanderbilt's script is directed by Emmerich with such gusto and punch that I was bouncing in my seat with excitement. The concept of The Rock and Die Hard is distilled into an ideal mix that isn't afraid to weave in action and healthy exaggeration that is ideally put together. Emmerich loves America, but at the same time, he carries in his heart a piece of a sneering European who knows how to sarcastically poke this idol. The acting is top-notch, especially Tatum dispelling the slight awkwardness, and the white tank top at the end is well deserved. Also, the little girl is the best child element in action since Iron Man 3. In a way, it’s a precise hit in every genre discipline. 4 ½. (10/04/2014)