White House Down: DVD Review
The Movie:
Capitol Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation’s government falling into chaos and time running out, it’s up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.
It was a little strange that in 2013 (within months of each other) we got 2 films that dealt with the White House becoming a battleground. This one had my attention a bit more because of Roland Emmerich‘s name attached to it. Who better to direct this film then the guy that originally blew up the White House in Independence Day, right? There was a good, strong story to the film and it had everything you would ever want in a big budget action film. Maybe they did go a little crazy with the explosions but it all looked really good. My favorite action sequences were the ones with the Apache helicopters. The aerial views and gun fights looked absolutely amazing and the helicopters themselves looked very realistic. Tatum and Foxx have excellent chemistry together while on screen and they play off of each other quite well. Their banter is great but I felt like they could’ve curbed some of the jokes and one-liners. There was just a bit too many of them placed in the wrong spots and it made it come off kind of cheesy. Tatum and Foxx have both shown their versatility as actors and proved that they can do just about anything. Maggie Gyllenhaal was so good as Carol Finnerty, the mouthpiece of the Secret Service. It’s roles like that that she is meant for. She exuded strength and power without having to get into any physical situations. The actress that really impressed me immensely was Joey King. She has the personality and demeanor of an adult and her performance showed just the same. There was a moment that was probably my favorite in the entire film where King was face to face with one of the terrorists and he’s threatening to kill her with a gun to her head. It looks like she almost leans into the barrel and with a strong tone says “Get away from me.”. That moment right there gave me goosebumps and was so powerful. She has a bright future ahead of her and can’t wait to see what she has going on next. If you’re looking for an explosive, shoot em up film with a hint of comedy then check this one out for sure.
Special Features:
A Dynamic Duo – A look at the chemistry between Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum.
Men of Action – A feature that shows how much Tatum wanted to perform as many stunts as he could during filming.
Roland Emmerich – Upping the Ante – Emmerich discusses his ideas and vision for the film.
Meet the Insiders – A feature that looks at the fantastic supporting cast of the film.
As an added feature here is the Channing Tatum and Joey King 45 second secret handshake via ABC NEWS:
