A 3rd forgettable entry into the “Has Fallen” franchise.
Synopsis:
After being framed for an assassination attempt on the President, aging secret service agent Mike Banning must avoid capture while trying to prove his innocence.
The Upside:
Angel Has Fallen features some pretty good performances from Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, and Nick Nolte. All 3 are acting well above the overall quality of the film, and a handful of action sequences are fairly good. A standout scene in particular involves Nick Nolte and a lot of explosives. There are also a few genuinely good moments of drama and reflection on the effects of war on soldiers.
The Downside:
The rest of the film is a mashup of clashing ideas, tones, and quality, littered with plot holes and cliches. Nick Nolte is by far the standout in the film, and his character feels like 2, drastically shifting from comedic relief to dramatic monologue at the drop of a hat. The CG is also HORRENDOUS, making a lot of the action scenes look wonky and odd. Finally, the story is completely unoriginal, poorly constructed, and any mystery is laid out for the audience, making the eventual “twist” and reveal laughable. Sadly, this movie had a lot of potential with the things it sets up in the first act, but it doesn’t commit to any of them, and is frantic in where the story goes, making for an uninteresting, messy, and truly generic film.
The Verdict: D+
Typically movies with weak stories can make up for them with stellar action, but Angel Has Fallen falls very short of both. If it was not for one or two stand out moments, it would be an absolute disaster.
The High Point: Defending the Cabin
The Low Point: CG UN Photo
FlickFix 